davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
| TEUTONI INIZIANO
LA NUOVA OFFENSIVA
Gil 1taliani Infliggono Crawl
Perdite al Nemico G Cat
turano Prigionieri
ROMA, 6 Dicembre.

iNVhh. V il'tHlbIe.
Dale notizie giunte dala fronte di
battaglia 81 apprende che ia nuova Of
fensiva teutonica in Italia e. stata inizi-
alta ed IL nemico. dopo aver riordinato lie
sue forze colmato I vuoti gravissimi
verlfcatesi durante precedent combat
t'mentt ha cominciato ad attaccare le
poslzioni italiane sull'altiplano di Asia go.
lie forze austro-tedesche dispongono
III moltissima artiglicria. la uuale con
Niolenti fuochi distruttlvi tenta di scon-
Nolgere lie lnee italiane @ coprire Iavan-
zata dele fanterie mel supreme sforzo di
conseguire qualche successo. Nonostante
che lie forze nemche siauo poderose non
saranno capaci d intaccare la sadezza
dele lince d!fese dagli italiani qualche
trincea che gil austro-tedeschl sono
stnti capaci di ocCuparc non ha per nulla
indebolito la resistenza degli italiani
eli attachi teutonici furono iniziati
ieri. In furla del nemico 81 volse spe-
cialmente sulle posizioni di Melctta owe
opero' un doppio attHcCo. II primo at
tacco fu arrestato dial fuoco lelle bat
terie italiane Q infine spezZato mel po-
merigyio In un settore d Monte Siscmol G
sulle pendici sud-ovest di Meletta di Gal
lio. eli italiani in quest'ultlma locali-
Ia 81 lanciarono in un Combattimcnto
corpo corpo rcspinsero II nenico do
30 avcrlo decimato catturato alcunc
centnaia di prigionieri
II seCondo attacco fu Niolcntissimo .
contro Monti Tondcrecar Badenecche.
Q 81 protrassc fino all'alba. Gil austro-
tcdescii riuscirono ad occupare alcune
trinCec avanzate oio' consiglio' gil
italiani "A ritirarsi da alcune linec per
non essere csposti ad un sacrihcio
inutilc.
Sulla biaNc, . DrcC;SamcntS IenSon,
gil aviatori italiani avevano notato un
gran movimento di truppe ncmiche. cd il
commando italano ordino' ad un riparto
di operare una incursionc, la qualc fu
benc sostenuta dall'artiglieria. eli ita-
liani avanzarono o distrusscro CinQuc pic
coli ponti che gil austriaci avevano get
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
DUTCH LINER MAY BE
EXPLOSION VICTIM: $50
PASSENGERS ABOARD

%N'' iNlNNs ICY. "
So far as could be learned here this
afternoon, the Nieuw Amsterdam of the
Holland-Amorica Line was the only
big mercantile ship from here In Hail.
fax harbor at the time of the explosion
This vessel left New York about "A week
ago with $50 passengers on board many
~ them subjects of Germany and Aus
tria-llunsary returning home by sane
tton of the British Government.
Holand.America Line officials say
they have been unable to get into Halt
fax by wire to ascertain the vessels
fate.
Flames arc still sweeping Halifax. ac-
cording to private adviCcs received here
this afternoon from st. John. Tb,
message arriving here at 2:i5 o'clock
said:
The loss Of life is large tircmen
have been unable to check the fires
following the explosion"
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
WASHINGTON, ANXIOUS,
VAINLY SEEKS DETAILS
or HALIFAX DISASTER
WASHINGTON, Dec. G.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.
Following alarming reports concern
ing the extent of the disaster at Hall
fax, y. s., some reports putting the death
list high in the hundreds, tie Navy
Dep lrtment made desperate efforts to-
day TO secure from the fleet some def
mite word of the explosion. The inter
ruption to wireless communication was
so serious, however, that for.a long time
no success was reported. The Navy De-
partment at noon was still without infor-
nation as to the identity of the Amer
lean .munition ship that figured in the
blast
The Shipping Board intmated that
several American munition ships have
recently left United States PORTS for
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER DELpHIA. r

italy France and England. Until the
name of the Halifax vessel is learned the
board said 1t could not give details OF
crew, cargo and destination.
Presumably the DESTROYED ship car
ried the usual naval gun crew guard,
who probably lost their lives.
Failing to get immediate response TO
It's inquiries by cable the Navy Depart
ment tried to get in touch with Cana
dian officials by long distance telephone
this afternoon. Naval officers displayed
concern over the fate Of the American
munitions vessel and were extremely
anxious to obtain full details of the col
lision.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
BOSTON PLANS TO RUSH
AID TO STRICKEN CITY

BOSTON, Dec. 6.
After sending telegram to the Mayor
of Halifax offering the assistance of
Massachusetts, Governor Mccall imme-
diately called meeting of the Public
safety Committee Of loo leading citizens
of the state. Plans are expected to he
formul lted at the meeting for rushing
aid to the stricken community. The Gov
ernor's telegram to the Mayor of Hall
fax is ms follows:
Understand your city in danger from
explosion and Conilagration. Reports
only fragmentary. Massachusetts stands
ready to go the limit in rendering
every assistance YOU may I've in need
of. Wire me Immediately"
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
TRUCE SIGNED
FOR TENDAYS.
BERLIN SAYS
Declares Hostilities Sus-
pended From Black .
Sea to Baltic
ASIA FRONT INCLUDED

'rErNL1.N wa IUrIUUTITt T7VV' %
Agreement for suspension of hostlites
from the Black Sea to the Baltic. and
also In the Turco- Russian war theatres
In Asia, from noon tomorrow until De-
cember IL was announced officially to-
day.
Negotiations for the general RUSSIAN
armistice. II was stated, will be con-
tinued in few days.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
Fall in Barn Fatal to Farmer

ALLENTOWN. Dec. 6.-AIorris Wer-
ley. aged twenty-four employed by
Cc'oael Trexler on his farms. fell from
q truckload of straw to the barn floor
today and died of a fractured skull. lie
leaves a wife and two children.
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18
The Old Spirit.

e6ET OW that we Americans are Tn this
 AN war" said Booth Tarkington the other day, we'll show the allies that we've still got the old bridge builders spirit.
 ''Stonewall Jackson, you know, had bridge builder called old Miles Miles was very necessary to Jackson because the flimsy bridges on the line of march were continually being swept away by the floods or destroyed by the enemy. and in these contingencies Miles was jewel He could run you up a bridge in the time 1t would take another man to make the measurements
 One day the Union troops burned a bridge across the Shenandoah. Stone- wall Jackson called old Miles to him and said:
 You must put all young men to work Miles, and you must keep them at it all night, for I've got to have a bridge across this stream by morning. My engineer will draw up the plans for you
 Well, early the next morning Jack son, very much worried. met old Miles
 See here he said, dubiously; how about that bridge? Did the engineer give you the plans?
 "Old Miles took the cigar from his mouth and licked the ash off with a sheer.
 General he said, the bridge is done, l dunno whether the picter is or not"
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

taught and departs to the farms of Maine there comes an equal number troOping in with their blankets and good dispositions, etc.
 Prof. George D. Simmons of the Uni versity of Maine is in charge of the ter camp. The general discipline and military instruction are under the di- rection of Lieut.. Fred D. McAlaray, a retired officer of the National Guard, of Waterville, Me. The way he has mapped out the day for the lads of the reserve has all the earmarks of a busy business. The first call is at 5:S0 This means rise and dress. Flag raising and reveille come ten minutes later. followed by assembly at 5:45. Mess call sounds at 6:15. while chapel is held at o'clock Such rapid-fire motion taps heard and all is quiet. Sev- eral hundred boys already have been trained.
 From Arthur F. Payne. who is acting state. there comes the report that there has been a decided reversal in the attitude of the farmers toward these boys, as they are now very glad to have them. Of all the boys sent out from New York city only fourteen remarka ble showing. The farmers are doing their share and are treating the boys carefully for the first week SO. studying them and ma king the very best use of their individual abilities"
 ''The reserve" said Ir. Hall, national director, "is asking the state and other organizations under which the boys are working to see to it that careful and frequent inspection is made of the con-
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

In Maine the organization of boys is termed the junior volunteers of Maine. In New York city the military train ing commission of New York is mobiliz- ing the boys for farm work and all ready has sent out more than 1000"
 Regarding the status of the reserve in Arizona, letter received on July 9 by the Department of La Dor had this to say:
 "It may interest you to know that nearly one thousand acres of land in cotton have been hoed and thinned by our boy squads to the great satisfac C. ton of the owners of the land There is certainly increasing demand for the boys, and their work is being done along strictly business lines. as they run their own commissdry, pay their own bills, and thus far have made a net profit over the cost of operating of over S1,200: We now have three squads of twenty-five boys each in the field; two squads of boys from the high school and one squad of Indian boys from the United States Indian School.
 AS this is rather an unique demon stration of how boys in this time of national crisis can be of great as sistance, I am sending you a couple of photographs, under separate cover, of one of our groups of boys
 Maine has a unique plan in getting together the farmers and the boys. The latter do not get their wages from
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

ly felt the shortage in labor and need ed help to maintain crops. In other parts of the Keystone state there are the fields for the summer. The lads working close to the City of Brotherly love are directly under tho auspices of the Philadelphia mobilization commit tee.
 A*
 In Indiana fifty boys have been called for to work in onion fields many hum dreds of acres having been planted with that more useful than fragrant vegetable. In Connecticut the camps were started by J. A. Van Dus. secretary of the New Haven Y M. O. A. At one of these camps they are using the grandstand of the fair grounds for lodging house. In Cali fornia and New Jersey many thousands of city boys are organizSd lnto reseIve @ vest grain and working in vineyards and cranberry bogs.
 The intensive training camps which have been established by local orBaniEati Ions for boys outside of New York, Philadel- phia, New Haven and some other large cities have been proving of excellent ad- vantage in fitting the boys 10 mako good from the start on the farms. In most of these places they have been unable 70 hold the lads during the full training period since farmers have taken them away.
 Tn no way has the boys working reserve anything to do with the hdy propri-to who farms or gardens for his own profit, and it is also tO be di0tinR Ruished from tEe permanent work of the employment serv- ice conducted for men and boys by the immigration bureau of the Department of Labor.
 Boys must be physically ht for work, must be at least sixteen and not more than twenty-one years of ge They must secure the coneent of their parents or guardians to enter the reserve force. with the workings of the organization 10 render the idea of being a part Of it worthy the serious conslde deraton af young men.
 There is an "oath Of service" which they sign and which Is signed by the enrolling officer Of the district. But en- rolling does not constitute membership in the reserve until the applicant is formally accepted by being licensed 70 wear ths official badge furnished by the reserve. Various conditions are attached to this. When the applicant has proven hiG fitness by actual work for the period sta ted, hc is fven the official bronze badge, and at the end of the year 1917, provided he has worked faithfully, he may receive a bronze bar 10 be attached to the lower part of the badge, on which is inscribed; "HonoTa ble Service, 1917"
 The United States is divided into siT- teen zones for organization purposes. Each zone is under a district director. who has offices for the work of this gem eral supervision in one Of the larger cities of the district There Is also national advisory board which aGyises the national director, William F.. Hall The national consists Of the several states or their appointees and the leaders of the national boy orga nizn ton, There are travelling orgaG Gizers, too. All arc sworn into federal service.
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

their employers, but from the state, which the farmers reimburse. A Junior Volunteer is paid s1 a day and his board. He is also supplied with a boots. His railroad fare to and from his home is given him, besides trans portation from the camp to the farm and back each day.
 
 There is a veritable New England system connected with such generosity, however, and the number of articles compulsory for each volunteer to bring from home might be, in size, akin to that which a freshman dreams of dur ing the summer preceding his entrance to college. A blanket, a dress hat, swimming tights. cocoa butter for sun burn, a Bible and a good disposition are a few of the numerous require ments.
 Rev. NJ. H. Wakefield of the Baptist Church at Windsor, Me, once chief herdsman on famous farm in Massa- chusetts, lectures on the subject of cows. and gives practical lessons in the delicate business of milking. More tha n half of these boys have had experience will not need so much drilling and tu- toring.
 It is claimed that discipi.ne is the watchword of the Y. M. C. A. camp at Cobosseecoutee. These lads in the khaki suits, having practical demon strations given them upon matters vitally concerned with farm work, pre- sent training camp no less than sim ilarly uniformed soldiers getting into readiness for the business of war. There is room for 300 in this camp, and just as soon as the full quota is
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

which cannot be controlled in the or dinary field, does not operate adversely against the pen. It has moisture, drainage, ventilation and all the con- ditions necessary to good potato grow ing practically insure perfect crop.
 Aside from the enormous yield the saving of labor and of land by this method. are strong factors in it's favor. Also, when outside conditions are un- favorable the production can be carried
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18
Special Correspondence

wASHINGTON, D. C.. August 1917 1 7 Ow would you like to raise H1l enough potatoes on a plot no 1HI bigger than a fower-hed to e S supply your family for, year? It can be done -1sir
 R. E. Hendricks of Kansas City. Mo, has come forth lately with the announce ment that he raised forty-two bushels of pota toes on a plot of ground eight feet. square. by grpwiug- them in pens. He has alse made public AtFe uetai1ss of his methods and<officials of thes Depart ment of Agricultnre, say that. iaissapIans possess a great deal ef merit.s -~.
 The achievement is 9af1 example. of gardening on ans intensive scale, and wonders may be Accomplished byxsRch crop But, in the light of last winter S ssnMiSe eaTInS psi6s as fas food a production of the country, MT Hen dEiclts. plan assumes g. gigrnfca nee that t tons were normal.
 -15sTjzs STE z><CA
 To begin Vita the whole plan is founded on, simple principIest@ Nearly every housewife Elzho1vs that a potato pile in cellar bin. for 1hstasaees Ewill send out shoots in the sprinstirne through every possible 1cradITand crew ice. Something's these sprouts will crawl along the floor a distance of several feet to reach the light. From this basic fact MT. Hendricks conceived the idea that if this pfc were removed into the open and given ssoti and moisture h e potatoes would ., grow. and Teproduce Ifs potato pen is nothing more or less than huge potato afiil,; with the sides supported by a loosely constructed in- cIooure built after the fashion of an old rail fence.vsIr te-E sR 1iEes
 In a pen only eight by eight feet in size. with the potatees planted ff thin layers of dirt and fertiEzer until the 1nounA rfxas eight feet high, a, yield of forty bushels was obtainedst The secordA exTserfrdert brought forth stE irty- -twort1husileasr! {! frpfn the same sized pen. The third rexperi-
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

on under glass. It has even been sug- gested that with the aid of steam. properly regulated, with a temperature of about seventy degrees maintaine ed, and nitrogen electric lights burning twelve hours each day, potatoes may be grown in pens erected indoors throughout the winter. But this of course, is anticipating the specter of either world famine through failure of ordinary c--~s or prohibitive prices of
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

state director. whose headquarters. is in Salt Lake City, te1egra phed during the latter part of June to announce to the Department of Labor the placing of twenty boys a day in the sugar beet fields. He added that 25O appli- cants had rushed in at the first call for ''The reserve, while national or& ganization,' said an authority on the here, Ifs working through state and local bodies, merely aiming to CO., ordinate the work of these various state organizations toward helping to solve the present emergency labor shortage on farms and in industry. The majority of the boys are sent to the farms either singly,- or in small groups, but wherever practicable they are sent in camps of twenty-five or more. They go out from there to the surrounding farms every morning. The boys in these camps have a leader, who is either Y. M. C. A. man, a tea cher in some agricultural school or some one who is used to handling boys.
 *
 When the boys go out on the farms singly the federal reserve impresses upon the local body the importance of having some supervisor or instructor who will make regular weekly trips to the farms to see that the boys are being well treated and that the con- ditions under which they are living are what they @ShouId be in every re- spect. These inspectors also take up the adjustment of any question of wages which may arise. For instance, in one place some boys were hired by farmer. They lost three days be- cause of rain, yet insisted that they be paid for that period. This had to be taken up and adjusted by the inspec- tors for that vicinity.
 Tn most cases wages have to be fixed by the varying Conditions The boys average from S1 to S1.50 day, with board and lodging. In some places where they are working picking fruit. beets and vegetables for canneries they receive from 20 to 30 cents an hour. Jefferson c. Smith, director gen. eral of boy labor in Maine, has written to the office here some thing I think worth quoting. One sentence in his letter reads: Our. boys think as little of the money they get as do the privates. in the National Guard They are working for their country
 One purpose of the boys working reserve is to prevent duplication of eff fort. In nearly all of the states the director for the reserve is an officer of the state council of defense. No at tempt is being made B by us to take over the work of the state bodies, but simply to impress them with certain general lines which should be followed.
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18
s of Potatoes From an 8-foot Plot

foods for no other condition but an abnormal one would make such exces- sively intensive agriculture worth while.
 At present MT. Hendricks is eXperi- menting with different kinds of pots Q toes to see which are best adapted to the pen and he says he will have some interesting announcements to make next November.
 In any event, his revelations to date
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

i amount to forty-eight hills of pota toes. l Then put an inch or two of fertilizer over 1 the pota toes and sprinkle with water. Lay six inches of dirt as before, mark off, ! plant, manure and water again, repeating ! the, opera ton with enough layers to fill l the pen to the top. which may be six or 1 eight feet from the ground.
 As the pen rises, MT. Hendricks sug- i gests, place on the fourth layer in the ] center of one side, about two feet from 1 the ground, a moist tester. This may be 1 made of any piece of timber about the 1 three feet long, placed so that it will pro- l trude from the pen about foot. After 1 the potatoes have been planted three | weeks loosen this tester, pull it out and run your hand in the opening to determine the moisture condition. By doing this, one 1 learns how much water to use on the pen Alter the tester has once been removed it f is easy to make the test once or twice a week afterward, This will keep the soil 1 in proper condition.
 The pen should be near a water s,1Dplv so that it may be well watered during a
 dry spell. It should be watered from the top about twice a week, unless nature performs the task with rainfall As an
 aid, the top layer should be sloped toward the center so that the soil will absorb moisture and not shed it. but care should be taken by the grower that mud does not form on the top and bake into a crust
 When this preliminary preparation
 IS HHlSHSu the potatoes Will soon begin to grow through the sides and ton of the pen-the nearest way to the light
 As the shoots emerge through the
 crevices, they conceal the wooden
 framework with the coat of living
 green.
 As soon the potatoes are matured.
 the pens may be taken down and the
 potatoes rolled out of the thin covering
 with a rake, the soil may be saved for
 another year. This is the extent of
 the operation.
 The pen may be started as early and as late as desired. The potatoes mature in ninety days. In the north the potato crop is usually planted from March to June. Under this new method they may be planted much later This Is possible because the hot dry weather
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

are startling. The average yield Of
 potatoes to the acre is 25O bushels By the new method it is possible 10 raise
 2S. 900 bushels to an acre of ground space. As a solution for the high cost of living. the idea seems well worth a | trial.
Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18
Our Failures.

N FEN. GOETHALs was talking about VI man who had not succeeded in life.
 From the start" the general said, The was one of those chaps who pride themselves on the excellence of their excuses"