davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02
Saving the ByProducts i'm Our Great industrial Plants

naces are run by these boilers. They
are equipped with belt wheels as high
as two-story house.
And then there are the great lnger-
soil Rand turbines which use the ex-
haust steam from the other engines.
They blow $1,000 cubic feet Of air per
minute against a pressure OF thirty
pounds to the square inch. The
machinery Of these engines Is quiet.
They look as though they were dead,
and it takes only one man to handle
them. Nevertheless each turbine does
as much as four big steam engines. 1t
produces 5000 kilowatts of electricity
from exhaust steam which once went
to waste. The whole plant. in short.
shows a wonderful economization and
reproduction of force. 1t takes the
giant gas and turns him into steam,
and works him until he Is worn to
FRAGILE. After that 1t picks up his re-
mains and changes him into electricity
and works him over again.
This same spirit Of common sense and
broad-gauge economy has been adopted
in handling the labor, connected with the
work Of this iron and steel making COM
pany. President Crawford believes that
the health and spirits Of the men in
the plants are as important a cost
efficiency item as the character Of
the machinery and the raw material that
go through it. He looks upon human la
Dor as commercial asset, and his well
fare work. which is large. is based upon
the profits that accrue therefrom to the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

works. He has here the largest steel plant
in the SOUTH 1t includes mines of coal
and iron. many great furnaces and an
enormous by-product plant. He has alto
gether about seventeen thousand workmen
of whom eight thousand are negroes,
about seven thousand white Americans
and. in addition, more than two thousand
foreigners. 1t was Mr.. crawford's work
its efficiency to the highest possible de-
gree. When he took charge many pre-
dictcd his failure. The steel men of the
north said you could not make good steel
colored men would not work well together.
He has proved that they were wrong. and
he has today a force which is said to be
one OF the best in the country.
had a rigid physical examination OF the
laborers and Of all who asked for employs
ment. He went on the principle that a
sick man could not do good work. and he
or infectious diseases. Among other
things, he investigated the teeth of the
men and brought In corps of dentists to
put them in order. In speaking Of this
found that we were fixing the teeth Of our
mules. but were paying no attention to the
teeth Of the men We had eight hundred
mules. and we kept veterinary surgeons to
file their teeth and fit them for chewing.
mules needed attention. and / thought il
that was 80 the teeth of the men might
be equally bad. AS n result We put the
dentists to work. and we now have the
regular intervals. Men asking for work
are rejected IL their teeth are In bad con-
dition, and II a man has several bad teeth
he must get them fixed before we can give
him a permanent job II he has no money
we sometimes allow him to pay the Oill
on the .installment plan"
FRANK. c. CARPENTER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

land supplies foodstuffs, presumed to
be of native production, Germany was
to supply her with $4,000 tons Of coal
month. This was said to be the least
with which the country could get along.
Germany, however, has not been sup
plying that quantity. According to the
Amsterdam dispatches she has fur
nished only about one-third of 1t.
One reason given was that Germany
lacked miners. and the suggestion was
made that II Holland wanted coal she
should send her own people to mine it.
This cynical assumption that Germany
was under no obligation to keep her
word was characteristic enough, but it
is questionable whether the lack of
labor In the mines was the real reason.
If Germany could be assured that the
supply of foodstuffs which she has been
receiving from Holland will not be in
terrupted. and il she could get an
agreement from Holland under which
Dutch shipping after the war would
become a pawn of Germany, sufficient
coal would be forthcoming.
-,. X r.
Whether Hollands fuel famine will
be quite as acute as has been set forth
In the Amsterdam dispatches is doubt
ed in some quarters. yet there is no
question that it will be serious.
Holland has been shipping tulips and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

people of Paris suffered last winter and
the winter before. and will be certain
to suffer the coming winter.
Paris economical in the matter OF
heat, because she had to, and the Off
cial assumed that Amsterdam and Rot
terdam could do the same. He admitted.
though, that this was chiefly in rela-
ton to coal for domestic use, and that
Holland in her need of fuel for indus
tries was facing a bitter situation for
which he could see no remedy except
through the supply Of German coal
This is in substance the economic
situation which has brought Holland
to the verge of war-the need of food
and fuel and the determination of both
sets of European belligerents to con-
troll her shipping The Netherlands
government has declared repeatedly
that it would not be driven by economic
pressure into entering the war. These
declarations were made as bluntly to
the entente allies as to the central
powers. They were followed with the
statement that invasion by either set
of belligerents of Holland territory. or
Holland harbors. would mean war.
The army mas been on a war basis
since the invasion Of Belgium by Ger
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

is 1.-THE Lafayette Flying Corps of the
French Foreign Legion"
The sauadrilla was advocated cary cary IN
the Foreign Legion and American neu-
trality made things delicate. Finally.
Gen. Hirschauer, at lunch at senator
Bacon (now Maj. Bacon). pronounced the
project feasible and an order came from
French headquarters. approved by Jonre'
that William Thaw. Victor chapman:
be grouped as French aviation unit.
Certain members of the American ambu-
lances. of which Gros directed the trans.
portation, were attracted and were sent
to the schools of Buc and Pau. Among
these were Mcconnell. Cowden and Bais-
ley. The squadrilla, not mentioned as
American. but simply as IN. 124. was
sent to Asacs ana ,as a. soon as 3, the bsst
in the French army.
Approaching its value as fighting unit.
the French command sent the squadrilla
to Verdun. where it made many remark
able flights. Capt. Boelcke. the German
..super-falcon," mentioned in his book
before he was killed) his first meeting
with the Americans and their pugnatious
stubbornness. 1t was near Verdun that
Victor Chapman was killed and Balsley
so terribly wounded that he is still at
our great Neuilly hospital. Norman
Prince and Rockwell had beenJkilled in
the Vosges. near Alsace.
* 4
Meanwhile the exploits Of these splen-
did heroes became known to American
boys at home.'' said eros. Attracted by
them and inspired by high thought of
duty to humanity and liberty, they braved
neutrality laws. passport difficulties and
even worked their way to France on cat
tie boats
A committee to welcome them was
formed in Paris. composed Of DR.. eros.
Allen. Bentley Mott and w. K. Wander
bilt. and an organization was started on
both sides of the Atlantic, and funds were
obtained.
THE financial side was supported al
most entirely by one man." said DIR.
eros. wv. X. Vanderbilt. from the first.
grasped the Importance of the movement
and had vision of what it would mean
for America in the future. because none of
us ever doubted that our country would
finally take her place. Mr.. Vanderbilt
supported the expenses. To facilitate
man from the private funds Of the flying
corps, for SO the new recruiting organiza-
ton was called. The uniform was given
when they won their pilots certificate.
Their hotel expenses were paid when they
PLOTS at the front. prizes were given. for
Guerre meant a check for 500. each palm
an extra $50. the military medal 5000,
and the Legion of Honor $500. You un-
unteers' Also. it is all over now. and
recruiting has, of course, finished.
AS eros said in his Fourth of July
grafton at Havre. these boys were volun-
teers. exactly as Lafayette and his
young friends were volunteers when
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

$4,000 tons of sulphate of ammonia, 3d.
100000 gallons of tar and more than S.
100000 gallons of benzol.
-
During 1915 the by-product coke
plants Of the United States made alto
gether about 10000. 900 gallons of ben
zol. This is the product which the
Germans use largely for making dyes,
colors and medicines of one kind or
other. 1t has risen greatly in value
since the war. and this has led to the
building OF many benzoI plants. The
one here is said to have cost something
like a million dollars. have gone
through II during my stay. 1t consists
or great stills and other machinery 1t
makes various kinds of oil from which
chemical products are formed, includ-
ing rot only dyes'uus and medicines,
but also Photographic material and i'm.
portant explosives.
Another valuable by-product III the
furnaces is the Stag. This formerly
went to waste. You may see mountains
of IL about almost any old smelling
works. 1t defaces the landscape and IL
costs a great deal to carry it away and
throw il onto the dump heap. Here at
birmingham this Stag is crushed and
ground into fertilizer which sells It
wholesale at SO and upwards per ton.
1t is bagged up like cement in little
sacks of 100 pounds each. and is ship
per over the country to the farmers
and gardeners. who use it to increase
our food supply. The Stag is also
turned into brick. This has been at
tempted again and again without
much success. but they are now MAX
ing brick which Is as smooth as por-
ceiain and almost impervious to water.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

The Stag is also used for ballast on
railroads, and, in fact. it has been
turned from loss to profit.
The crushing Of this Stag for fertiliz-
err is an interesting process. The work
is done by means of a magnet. My
idea of a magnet has been the little
horseshoe with which you lift lacks.
and SO electrify your knife that it will
pick up iron filings or make them
dance around over a sheet Of white
paper. They have magnets here SO
powerful that they will lift enormous
bodies Of iron, and carry them or drop
them at will. Such magnets are used
for the loading of the heaviest steel
rails. Two of them fastened to a
travelling crane overhead will lift up
fifteen of these long rails at one time
and lay them down on the cars.
Another magnet, which is also at
tached to a crane. is used for the
crushing of limestone and Stag. The
crusher is great round steel ball SO
heavy that it would require thirty
horses to haul it IL it were placed on a
truck to be carried over q country
road. The ball weighs fifteen tons. and
it Is as tall as man. Nevertheless the
magnet drops down from the crane and
kisses it, as 1t were. AS it rises the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

eating that they have been members Of
It and were volunteers before being
taken over by the American Army FOR
whatever duty It may assign them.
In DR.. Gros' thought, evidently. these
men can render great service to the
mass OF American aviators by person
ally conducting them in their hrst mo-
mentous trips across the German lines
Others. more outspoken dixie Paul
Rockwell. brother Of kim. killed at
them"
Dr. eros does not 20 into this. He
speaks generally Of coaching in France.
The training at home" he said. does
not fit man Immediately to step INTO
fighting plane at the front. Machines
at home have even different control.
Here. also. as required by war. they are
lighter, more delicate to the touch.
much faster in landing and more diff
cult to handle. This is why every
American pilot. no matter how clever
what Is called the perfecting stage.
which may last only three or four
weeks. in an aviation school In France,
whore he will learn to fly fast Nieu-
ports, Spads, heavy bombardment
planes, technical observation planes and
artillery regulators"
This apart from acrobatics?" I
asked.
Yes: they must learn. first. the ma
chine or similar typo of machine which
they are going to use in fighting. Aero
battles are to give the aviator war con-
troll OF such machine. when learned. be-
cause success in modern air fighting
depends entirely on handling the ma
chine and ability to execute the evolu-
tions which make it impossible Cor ex-
tremely difficulty for the enemy to bring
him down. Guynemer's trick of getting
away from enemy fire Is due entirely
to his acrobatics. When Guynemer is
fighting in the air it is almost impos-
sible to follow the gyrations of his
plane. So. in his innumerable duels he
has never been seriously wounded. We
have war here; in America there is no
war. Our aviators need war coaching.
All is there"
So far few Americans have been
other than dueling pilots.
It is an important matter
1.-The American Is naturally fitted to
be soloist of the air." said eros. HE
bomber. and he knows practically moth
ing about the great aviation roles of
observer and artillery regulator. He
does not want to have passenger.
Many tell me- that when they have a
passenger they are nervous. because
while II alone they do not need to worry
about such matters and are holder
fighters.
But it will be necessary to choose
men who will make good bombardiers
on weight-carrying planes. as well as
observers and artillery regulators, be-
cause the American Army must have a
complete aviation"
Given the American temperament, it
may be more difficult to find good OBJ
servers than good duelists
Happily" he said. when the condi-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

many. It is good army. 100000
strong. but. of course. these numbers
are little in comparison with the forces
that Germany could pour across the
land frontiers.
The Dutch navy is not of equal con-
sequence with the army. and if the en-
tente allies chose to follow Germany's
they could not be kept from landing
their forces by any naval offensive on
the part of Holland. There is no such
purpose. but the question has been seri-
ously discussed how effective Holland
would be as a base for the armies of
the allies. Undoubtedly, if Germany
forces Holland to war the effective
termined.
The sentiment of the Dutch people,
or of the great majority of them. is
now strongly anti-German. At the
same time there is much irritation
against England over some specific
matters in which an arrogant atti-
tude has been taken.
The anti-German sentiment. it is
agreed by all impartial observers. has
been greatly developed by Raemakers'
cartoons, and German resentment has
been wrought up to the highest pitch
against them. There is said to be a
small court party that is still pro-Ger-
man. but Queen Wilhelmina, while be-
loved by her people. is not a real fac
tor in the war.
X X
The government OF Holland is not the
queens government. but the peoples
government. While maintaining neu-
trality in the face Of many difficulties.
and with the constant menace OF a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

week. a week is a month and a month
Is a year. Any process by which the
American armies can save time ad-
vances the progress of things and Is
Immensely valuable.
T What the squadilla and flying corps
have done is this: They have got a
little ahead of the game. Things are
now prepared which could otherwise
have been prepared only months hence;
and we present the American Army
with 800 war aviators advanced ahead
of the mass of men preparing at home
We have Americans on the front. fight
ing. knowing how to fight in the air
Otherwise, there would not be single
American today who had heard the
sound of an anti-aircraft gun or felt
shrapnel bursting around his plane
But, as a fact. we have 900 Americans
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

DIR. EDMUND eros, PRINCIPAL OR
GAMER OF THE LAFAYETTE
FLYING CORPS. HE STUDIED
MEDICINE IN SAN FRANCISCO
AND WAS PRACTICING IN PARIS
WHEN THE WAR BROKE OUT.
who will be ready to tell newcomers.
This is the trick" This is what the
German tangoes do This is what you
must do, or be killed" Our aviators in
Mexico never once heard an anti-air-
craft gun. The Mexican campaign was
fought with army rifles. Our aviators
did not know what it was to fight a
duel in the air with hostile planes. Yet
they are excellent aviators."
He sketched briefly the story of
sQuadrilla and flying corps. the latter
less well known, often coufounded. 1t
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

ball clings to it's lips and a touch of a
button by the man who Is operating
the magnet releases the bail and il
falls on the Stag. breaking 1. and
crushing il to a powder. The power OF
the magnet comes from the electric
plant. the Juice" being turned of and
on by the man who is doing fhe work.
After the Stag Is crushed there is
more or less iron left in it. This is
taken out by magnets. which are pass
ed over ii again and again until almost
no iron IL left. The final crushing Is
thousands of manganese steel balls the
size Of marble or larger. They roll
around through the alag and grind 1t
to powder. At the end 1t Is fine
that It will pass through mesh Of
200 holes to the square inch. 1t Is
now fertilizer. and Is put up in bags
and shipped to-the farmers.
x
One of the surprising things about
the modern steel plant is the small
part that man has in the work The
machinery is largely automatic, and
although there are 1900 employees con-
nected with the Tennessee Coal and
Iron Company you see but few of
them about the furnaces and in the
great rolling mills The work seems
to be largely managed after the motto
of the photographer: you press the
button and I'll do the rest" The same
force is used over and over again. The
excess gas from the furnaces smelling
the iron goes to the boiler plant and
runs it. The works have twenty-five
great boilers. which produce more than
sixteen thousand Horsepower. The en-
gines that force the blast into the .fur-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

long before the mass of American ayio-
tors are ready to go to the front They
will have flown again and again ovsr
the German lines.
You know" he concluded. the
French attach immense Importance %
the actual flying over the lines. Auto
matically a pilot becomes a sergeant
when he has flown a totality OF thirty
hours over the enemy lines. A man
been shot at again and again by anti
aircraft guns has felt shrapnel burst
around him and has probably met en-
envy machines in the air He is con-
sidered immensely superior to the best
flyer in an aviation school. In truth.
the quality OF a man at the front is not
SO much determined by his flying clev-
erness in an aviation camp. The quail
tiles which make the war flyer are not
only clever handling of his machine
Immensely important. nevertheless) }.
but the higher qualities which come
into play-judgment. quickness. pres-
ence of mind and physical and moral
courage-which can only be revealed in
the terrible furnace which is called
war"
There are 400 such" said How
will the 100000 profit by their expert
enceo"
Some are college men of high edu-
cation he said. and some have but
high school training. Some are par
ticularly fitted to be leaders. Others
are marvellous fighting personagee No
quire much sound judgment on the part
of the officials who shall have that duty
to draw the best possible results from
these elements" STERLING HELLO.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02
AEROPLANE ATTACK,
CONNECTED TELEPHONE

the feeder for the squadrilla. Up to re-
Gently, whenever a member of the
squadrilla was killed. wounded or fell
i'll he was replaced or reinforced by the
top man on the waiting list of the fly
ing corps. and as the waiting list SWELL
ed many were detached to French
sQuadrillas. Others complete their
French coaching daily. All are at the
disposition of the American Army. The
only distinction they are sure to have
compared with other American avi-
ators will be a badge given them by
the committee of the flying corps, indi-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

they braved the neutrality laws of their
time and ran away to fight for America.
France today has a deep feeling for
all these lads Of the squadrilla and fly
ing corps. and. by the fact, similar
love and confidence extends to all Amer
lean aviators-aye. any understanding
to coach and fight in France"
The question is now what can they
do for one another
The flying corps heretofore had been
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

DIR. Edmond eros, as a medical stu
dent in San Francisco. some years ago.
held. in the same season. both the mid
die and heavyweight amateur wrestling
championship of the Olympic Club.
When the war broke out he was a
physician of the American colony of
Paris. He was prime organizer of the
American Ambulance Hospital of Neuil
1y-Paris. undertook the heavy direc-
ton of transporting its wounded, fos-
tered the American ambulance field
sections ana then. along with Norman
Prince. William Thaw and NJ. de Sillac.
organized and recruited squadrilla and
flying corps. did all the routine work of
the latter and enlisted Mr.. Vanderbilt.
Incidentally. eros gave up his prac-
tice. spent his private means and turn
ed his beautiful house In the Avenue
du Bots into a recruiting bureau. where
he examined physically and morally
flying organizations. And it is fact
not fully appreciated-the first impress
sion of distinction. protection and
cheer felt by each newly arrived and
the eros mansion. 1t stands in a quiet.
ariStocratic courtyard. reached by a
short driveway from the loveliest of
Paris promenades. the Avenue du Bots:
the old tune, las walk along the Bots
de Boulogne. when they volunteered
for death in the air.
What good will sQuadrilla and flying
corps do to the American Army in
France" / asked. That is now the
main question. is it not. apart from
their past glory won in fighting with
the French"
of course it is" replied Dr. eros.
''and here is the answer. This war has
transformed all computations of time.
In ordinary life a week is week and
a month is month. Now day is a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

diamonds to the United States during
peace years. There have not been SO
many bulbs since the war began, but
a recent report from the American
consul at Amsterdam says that the dia :
mond shipments continue undiminished
In a single quarter they amounted to
$5.000.000. Formerly Holland obtained
some Of the rough diamonds from the
German possessions in Africa, but since
session it is certain that she has not
got them from Germany. This. how
ever, is not pertinent to the suggestion
that Holland would willingly exchange
diamonds for coal.
Should the United States find a
way to supply the fuel. the same ques-
ton would come up that relates to
to supply coal. Washington would in
sist on its transportation in Dutch YES
sells. But there are no indications
that the government has such pur-
pose. An official remarked one day that
the test for all>the neutral countries
which suffer from the embargo that
the United States finds it necessary to
enforce on foodstuffs would also apply
to fuel. and that the relative hardship
could be definitely. determined.
X
The neutrals of northern Europe have
not suffered during the last three years,
except incidentally, from lack of fuel
and food. While it will mean a hard
winter for the people Of Amsterdam and
and the Dutch people gem
orally. he questioned whether they will
suner more from the cold than the