Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-05-13
BY FREDERIC 7. HASKIN.


Washington, May l0,-Planting the
American flag on the western battle
front is probably merely a figure o.
speech, for battle flags are going out
OF use. In former wars the flag wa.
used as rallying point and as an in
dicator of the center of attack, but
this use has no place in trench and
artillery fighting.
When asked if the American army
would carry flags in this war, the War
department declined to say. Flags
were widely used during the Spanish
American war, it asserted. but so far
as this war was concerned no final
decision had been reached. 1t admit
ted that flags were supposed to be out
of date in Europe. Since 1879, at the
battle of Isandhlwana, when two
brave and valuable soldiers lost their
lives in attempting to rescue the Brit
ish colors, Great Britain is reported
to have barred use OF the flag in
battle.
In spite Of the fact that our army
may also fight without a flag, the flag
factories in the United States are
speeding up their output. The COM
mercial establishments, of course, are
swamped with tremendous demand
from patriotic civilians, but the gov
| farfar,ac atun
worked. For the flag has many uses
other than in battle.
The government has two fag-mak-
ing factories--one for the army and
one for the navy. The army plant is
attached to the Philadelphia depot,
while that OF the navy is on the third
floor of the Bureau of Equipment
building at the New York navy yard
The navy at all times requires lot
more flags than does the army. In
addition to the Stars and Stripes in
various sizes, every ship must carry
nearly $50 different hags of other ma
tons, the material and making of
which costs Uncle Sam approximately
$500 per ship. Every time United
States batueship calls at foreign
port, it must display its good man
ners by flying the flag Of that par
ticular nation along with the Stars
and Stripes. So
The making OF this large number
OF naval flags even in peace times
keeps force OF fifty women and sew
eral men busy, and now that we are
to have thousand wooden ships to
be tagged the force has been in
creased. Moreover, the price Of bunt-
ing has gone up, so that the govern
ment flag bill this year Is going 10 be
enormous, All of the bunting for
government flags comes from Lowell,
Mass, where there are three large
factories devoted to the manufacture
of this fabric. When it arrives at
the flag factory it is put through vari-
Gus tests to determine its quality.
First it is soaked in soap and water;
the next day it is soaked in salt wa
ter, and the third day it is hung out
In the air, where it remains for ten
days. For thirty hours, at least, it
must be exposed to a bright sun.
When it thus becomes apparent that
the bunting will not run" or fade,
strip two inches wide Of the warp is
put in machine and submitted TO a
pulling strain Of sixty-hve pounds,
which tests its tensile strength.
On the floor OF one OF the rooms
In the factory are chalk mark lines
and metal markers on which the flags
are measured and cut out. They are
sewed on regular sewing machines,
fitted with electric motors, and the
stars are cut by special machine
invented for that purpose, Thirty feet
long by nineteen feet wide is the
largest flag made by the government,