davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

Collectors to Meer-A meeting OF
the collectors of the Altar Society IS
called for Sunday evening, January
Is. in st. Peters catholic church IN
mediateIy after ben"'jction. All mem
bers of the Altar Society should ar
range to make their payment OF dues
during the week TO sneir respective COL
lectors.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

Consulting Architects - Richard
O'Neal manager of The Fairmont and
A. Brooks Fleming, Jr., left last night
for Washington. D. g, to consult with
NIilburn and Hester architects OF
The Fairmont.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

FOR SALE-6-roor. house, good cellar.
located on jackson and Clayton
streets, RivesvilIe " Va. John Col
ins7 4-7'St-92Sl
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

Junior Play PIans-The tryout foI
the Junior play at the high schooI
will be held within the next few days
The play to be presented this year mas
not been definitely selected.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07
Charities Meetina-

Charities Meetine-A mea;ins o
the Board of Directors Of the A":o
ciated Charities is in session this al
tcrnon IN tbs rooms of The orSanl!a
,ion II the City building
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

More Street Cars Comins-Two
more city street cars. pay as you
enter" style are or the way from the
Jewett Car Company at Newark. o.
others cars will be shipped JUS as
soon as the embargo on the railroads
- q lifted
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

Former Local Man Here-G. c. Mus
grove. count yage2. o. Marshall coun-
ty. a former Fairmorter. is in the city
today preparatory u leaving for Nor
Santown to attend the observance OF
farmers week. He is accompanied by
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

OF for Meraan:own-Miss Blanche
E. Price, county demonstration agent
left this morning foc Morgantown to
attend the farmeSs' week observance.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

First E. E. Se-viecs-Evangel!.. &c
services which will ccatinIe for .
perioa OF several weeks began last
night = fSe First Nj. E. church viii
the conclusion of the week prayer. To
nigh. ne official board ): the c'la1 Oh
wi; C, ~.Iuct TIL. service All tom=rr' W
night she Sunday school classes of
Prof. Roster and the class known as
the Progressive Bible class will con-
duct the services. Among the speak
ers on this occasion will be Senator
W. S Meredith. Capt. Keu:ble White.
Rev. Austin Wilson and DR.. L. n. Yost.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

viii Visit Parents-Nrs. Edga,
Waddell of Chattanooga, Tenn. vii
arrive here tonight on severa
weeks visit to her parents. Mr.. ant
Mrs. A. J. Stone on Quincy street
Mr.. and Mrs. Waddell spent the hol
idays in Covington. Va, with the lat
ter's sister, Mrs. T. NJ. Gathright.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

Today's ouestionnaireS-Qu Question
naires 1442-1522 inclusive were mailed
out by the local board this morning
The remaining OF the questtopuaires
will be mailed out tomorrow morn
ing.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

For Julian SteaIey-Honoring Jul
ian Stealev who is here from Camp
Shelby at Hattiesburs. Miss. on
several days furlough the Epwortl
League of the Diamond street NJ. E
church will give a social tomorrow
evening at the church.
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-01-07

Returns to Richwood-Miss Hazel
Mckinney who has been the guest
OF her parents her during the holidays
has returned to Redwood where she
teaches school. She was accompa'
MED to Clarksburg by her mother
who is the guest of her son a. j.
Mckinney
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
FINDING FRITZ OBSERVERS JOB
BY CLARENCE BURLINGTON KELLAND

wares on his pack-cakes, cookies, canned stuff,
cigarettes.
Much obliged for running over" said the leuten-
ant. I'VE sure appreciate it."
That seems to be the attitude Of the officers and
men at the front towards the Red Triangle. much
obliged and we appreciate it-Say if it wasn't for
the SY'' we would be up against it,
I'm going ahead to some of the observation posts,
the 'sY" told me. want to take chance?"
We arrived at town and found lieutenant sit
ting down in a trench. Before him narrow slit
opened into pile-and into utter blackness.
HOW OBSERVER WORKS
Observation post" said my conductor
The lieutenant was glad to see u.s. especially when
| told him | was SO recently from home, and took
us within. There, in little room in which could
barely stand upright was the parapheTnalia by which
the Hun is supervised in his goings and comings and
by which our artillery is informed if it is hitting the
mark.
the wall Over this hung curtain because Fritz in
his observation posts across No Mans Land might
see that slit through his glasses If light allowed
to pass through 1t and then very shortly there would
humOr to abolish It,
We looked through the glasses at the beautiful
mountain slope opposite, famous in the history of
the war; and which now is the most formidable bar
in the way of troops they set out to take back
from Germany a city which France claims for her
own. With the naked eye this mountain slope seems
quiet and peaceful. There is sign of life, not
even Of smoke from fire. Through the glasses,
as they directed by the lieutenant barbed wire
arrangements, lines or trenches, concrete gun
placements and what not can be sharply distin-
guished.
WHAT FRITZ is DOING
Look along the top of that ridge. What do you
make Out?"
Nothing"
Right under the hair in the glass now. Sharp.
The hair is touching the top of it.
Still | made out nothing
"Camoufage"
Just then shell came over and burst on top of
a stone wall behind Maybe it was intended for
u.s. and maybe it just warning for US to be-
have ourselves Anyhow I was impressed.
*See,'' said the lieutenant, They could get us if
they wanted to- Say. Wharton, Wharton was the
"Y'' secretary, "Give me can OF peaches on the
strength of that
High in the air over our heads we could hear the
planing-mil hum Of couple Of American aeroplanes
taking look-see They were not fighting planes,
but observation planes. Their duty to get more
direct and accurate information than could be had
from any listening post.
"This morning the Boche got one out there" said
the lieutenant. "They after him with machine
guns. saw he was in trouble and saw him coming
down. His machine was on fire and he jumped out
with his hands up He hadn't chance. And they
came out and got him"
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

bringing are formed, under maternal
chaperonage, to meet sailors of their
own sort that have some knowledge
Of the French language. 1t is at
these gatherings that the sailor talks
most freely, and most lightly, Of his
work.
Looking for subsY' I heard one
say to his newly met companion. II
am going blind doing it! There is the
sub that makes up to look like a sail
ing vessel, and the one that hides its
periscope behind an imitation shark
fin, and now they've got one thas
spouts water like a whale. The por.
poises drive us crazy: sometime
came dashing at our boat the OF
day; it's track was exactly like a
pedo's. Humphrey saw 1t first.
pointed Id Out to me. We're gols
this timel' he yelled. Then it jumped,
and we saw it was q porpoise. We
call porpoises Humphrey torpedoes'
now"
The French girl wanted to know
about rescues at sea.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
COLLEGE BOYS FIRST

We'll, sir, the first to yoluntee4
were the college kids-and -Four.
Stripes gave them the Job.
BY squads of four, with a petty
ofneer to each, they jumped into that
hell. ShovelG You ought to have
seen them! Three minutes a shift.
they were to work, bat thev wers
gased so quickly that eleven kids
were carried out, one right after the
other, on the backs of their shin.
mates. Sawbones stood on deck with
the pulmotor and pumped them
through, but a lot were caught
sneaking out of their hunks to on
back and fight the gas again. 1t was
as tough job as I've ever seen sb
sea, but those boys did it; thew con-
quered the fire and saved the ship.
Since then, you don't hear much
laughing at the College Kids"
Somehow that quartermaster had
given me a hint about himself.
What's your college?" asked.
yale, 'ninety-four," he said. 'Ruh
I'm an old hand. It was these kids
| was talking about. Don't mention
my being g college man to ANYBODY
aboard. / don't want to seem to be
putting on side"
That is one example. Here's an
other:
To an orderly entertainment at a
7. M. G. A. building came one night.
q brilliantly Illuminated boatswain's
mate. He was a splendid specimen
OF physical manhood six feet three
inches, and as hard as nails. But he
was intent on Starting something"
He stopped, with one believing
command, the singer on the stage.
He knocked down two of his protest.
ing friends, spilled q crowded bench
and staggered up to the secretary in
charge with the majesty of a breaker
sweeping toward the beach.
I'm going TO break up this show"
he said.
1t looked very much as if he
would, too.
Now, the secretary in charge was a
quiet and unassuming man. He had
done wonders in his work among our
fleet in French waters, but he spoke
in small voice and moved gently.
IF / were you" said the secre.
tary, 81 wouldn't interfere"
"The hell you wouldn't!" said the
boatswain's mate and shook a
mighty fist.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

been a shower-water causes such
fires, you know-and now, away at
the bottom of the pile, that coal was
white hot. All we could do at first
was to play the steam-hose on it and
hold it from gaining for twenty-four
hours.
I was on the bridge at 2:3o nexA
morning-had the midnight to
A. NJ. watch-when the starboard
bunker blew out. The fire had
crossed the ship. We did our best
but before o'clock there were three
explosions on the port side, and then
we knew that it was time for des.
perate measures.
The captain called for volunteers.
He said he wanted men that would
go down into that furnace bulripo
with fatal gas-fellows that would
walk straight into those lungs Of
death and shovel away the TOP coal
SO as to uncover the BURNING core
That was the only way to save the
ship.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
A MISS AND A HIT.
Please don't" said the secretary.
Tha bio fist shot fnrrunrd

sPlease don't" said the secretary.
The big fist shot forward
1t didn't hit anything. It was
shunted aside as little twist of the
slim switch shunts train of coal
cars. 1t dragged the boatswain's
mate after it into vacant space-and,
as the boatsmain's mate went by,
something caught him-something
uncommonly like an express engine
on the point of the jaw, and sent him
smashing to the floor.
Then the quiet secretary picked the
giant up in his arms and carried him
to a back room, of which the two
were the only occupants.
Il hope I haven't hurt you" said
the secretary. Il tried not to-"
The secretary was a Presbyterian
minister. He was also a Colorado
rancher. And also he had been the
best boxer in Princeton during his
day there his name is o. E. Gardner
He nursed that boatswain's mate
back to sobriety and got him on his
ship in time to escape reprimand.
The next night the sailor turned up
again at the Y. NJ G. A. building.
1--WE come here to apologize" he
said.
Chats all right said the seere.
,tary.
mo, it amt" the sailor persisted.
Il made nuisance of myself before
all this crowd, and it's before the
whole crowd that I've got to apollo
gize. Here, you swipesl" he bel
lowed.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
BoATswAIN's APOLOGY.

Every man in the room fell silent.
The boatswain's mate addressed
them:
II want to tell you fellows" he
said, chat I was fool last night,
and got what was comm to me; but
I'm not such a fool but what can
learn a lesson. I'm cuttin' out the
booze. That man there treated me
square, and saved me from trouble
aboard ship, and after tonight if any
slob tries to get fresh around this
place, why any such guys got to
tackle the two Of us"
Some college men and some men
that have hardly been to school at
all, a group of miIlionaires and a
scattering of rough-necks, but every
one sound at heart and brave IN
action-these make up the Mosquito
Fleet. The worst aren't bad, they are
only lonely. The best are enduring
a dangerous and, what is more,
hideously monotonous, life afoat and
one beset with the temptation of
emotional reaction ashore. For both
sorts the choice lies solely between
the sordidness of foreign port and
the Y. NJ G. A.
Which are you fOr-the Y. N. c. A.
or the porti
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

lot of college men aboard. They've
volunteers. Of course, they've all
had yachting experience, but the
bred-to -the-service fellows laughed at
them till a certain little thing hap
pened on the voyage over.
"a fire started in our port coal
bunkers when we were three days
out of the port we were bound for
A hatch ID been left open and there d
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

quartermaster leaned against the
starboard rail.
"That boy" he said, as he nodded
to a blackened, barefoot lad emerging
from hatchway, "got honors in
French at Harvard last spring"
"And he's here as a common sea-
man ~ I wondered.
"As g coal HEAVIER" the quarter
master corrected me. SsWe've got a
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

Up at the front with the American army are two
jobs so closely related they are onethe artillery
mans and the observers. The first delivers the
goods the second tells him what doorstep to leave it
on and corrects any misapprehensions he may have
as to where he is leaving it.
During the night there had been a tremendous bar
rage Hundreds of guns of all sizes and voices had
made 1t exceedingly uncomfortable for Fritzie, who
is perched famous mountain which seems only
stones throw away. The guns had fired for two
hours and our fellows had gone over the top and
come back with prisoners and captured machine
guns. In the morning went back to the nearest bat
terry to ask how they went about it.
The battery consisted Of French nineties and
seventy-fves. They were hidden away in bomb
proof emplacements of interesting construction. The
construction had to be interesting because Fritz
knew the battery was there, and paid 1t consider
able attention. Every once in while he would drop
shell near by.
A general showed us his wall map Of the vicinity
on which was marked every German trench and post,
every stone and blade of grass it seemed, and then
explained the barrage.
PURPOSES or RARRAGE
s"The theory was to wall in that section of
trenches he said. Part Of the guns enclosed the
locality in a barrage while others of us played on
the communicating trenches to keep reinforcements
from coming up. The idea is to keep in the area all
the men who are there and to let nobody come in to
help them"
"But you can't see those trenches. How do you
know you are hitting them?"
"Observers,' was the curt answer. I'VE know the
location of the trench and then register upon The
observers correct our fire until we have the range
exactly and then wait for the time. Orders come
that there will be such and such barrage on ~
day and zero hour. And we are ready"
The thing that tapped on the shoulder about
these boys their attitude toward the guns They
seemed to feel toward them person might feel
toward splendid lighting bull dog.
The seventy-fves called out the highest esteem.
The nineties were good; they did the business, but
the seventy-fYesi Now there guns
They won't let us fire but six times minute"
sergeant said with the air of a who had been
personally offended
TORN BY HUN SHELLS
All around the emplacements the ground was torn
and upheayed by Hun shells which had been sent
over compliment to this battery. Out in the
field two great craters sharply visible over the
rest.
Hey" called q man from the other end of the line
of bomb proofs, here comes a K M G. A. man with
eats"
Boys oozed out of caves and bomb proofs with their
tongues fairly hanging out. Their station is with
their guns and their mess is on the spot so they
have little chance to get over to the canteen The
ssY" man, being competent to fill his job, knew this
and made frequent trips over with pack of his
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

Boys of Mosquito Fleet, Who Find
French Ports Dreary and Full
of "1omesickness Germs" Go
Back to Their Ships Cheerful
and Ready for Anything after
Meeting the Women Workers
Who have Gone cover There
to Make France Look as Much
Like Home as Possible.
BY REGINALD WRIGHT KAUFMAN
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
WITHOUT A WHiMPER.

Yet all that is borne without q
whimper. The sailors read, now and
then, a stray home paper and see
the accounts of cheering crowds bid
ding Godspeed to this or that depart
ing regiment; they feel that all the
publc's heart is going out to the
army. They don't at all realize their
own devotion, and their attitude is
almost that of apology for not more
spectacularly serving their country.
They will tell you that they are glad
they Jumped to the guns" but every
mail brings news of friends that
STAYED behind and have won commits
sions at the Reserve Officers Train
ing Camps.
And then the ship comes back to
mort. and there are liberty parties
going ashore.
The British sailor is given his
drink ration; the British Y. M. G.. A.
serves light beer. 1t isn't thus with
our men. At sea there obtains only
The taut rule Of fat virtue, and the
man that goes ashore is his own
master.
Do You begin to see now the prob
lem that our Y. M. G. A. has to face?
Any American sailor man will get
homesick after week here, and it's
Just inconsistencies that's the matter
with most Of these kids: if they
can't be cured Of it, they'll DO some
thing to forget it,
To be homesick-and, If you re
member your first boarding school
day, after your motherd kissed you
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
BY REGINALD WRIGHT KAUFMAN

goodbye and cried q little and told
you to send home all your socks for
mending, and your father'd shaken
hands with you and cleared his throat
and said you'd be coming back to
put him out of business, and you'd
held your head high and joked-if
you remember that, you will agreD
with me that to be homesick is I'll
be as miserable as it is possible for
the human being to become. But
be homesick and yet to give a home
to the homeless is to be something
very nearly heroic. OF that I saw, in
this port, a recent instance:
came across three little children
boys standing in q doorway on a
quiet street., the eldest perhaps
twelve years old, the youngest not a
day over FIVE. They would have been
remarkable among the other children
of this somewhat roWdy port if only
for their cleanliness and for the
cleanliness Of the elderly woman that
was manifestly caring for them.
They were the more remarkable be-
cause each wore sailors cap, on
the band of which was inscribed the
name Of a certain boat in the Mos
quito Elect, and because they were
all dressed In an infantile replica of
the uniform Of able geamen in the
United States Navy.
They were shy little boys, but the
woman In charge of them explained
their habiliments:
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
WHERE TO GET GOOD MEAL

His auditor happened to be salts
factorily fresh from another sort of
restaurant. Il just now had q good
dinner at the Y. NJ. G. A." he ven
tured.
"Oh, there!" said Aston. 'sOf course
you did. The Y. NJ 6. AS the best
eating place in town."
Mr.. Astor ought to know, because
that eating place is of his wife's
making. She bought and turned over
to the association the one really good
restaurant that could be found, and
she has ever since been personally
active in its arrangements.
SYou get real food there" sailor
recently told me. Real food. You
know what [ mean-ham- an eggs an
steak-an' fried onions"
It is said that Mrs. Astor used to
help wait on table when the service
was shorthanded, and that one of the
first persons upon whom she waited
was a newly enlisted man in the
United States Navy who, until a
month previous, had been the dining
room steward on Mrs. Astor's own
yacht.
"Gee," the steward is reported to
have commented, "when / used to
wait on her, I had to wear evening
clothes"
The sort of men, then, with which.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15

ur navy's ports in France, The
G. A. has to deal, is all sorts.
re of the two extremes and
lie between, but once they
"a navy there is no
dis, man Is Offering all
he h. 4ntry; that makes
them KIM. exemplify:
| was just fcolnalsg in from my first
cruise with the Mosquito Fleet. The
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
PICK UP SURVIVORS

sIast trip" she was informed, 1--WE
picked up three small boats with
fifty-nine men in them. About half
of those men were from a ship that
had been torpedoed the day before.
They got away and were taken on q
passing steamer, and they hadn't
been aboard her for twelve hours be-
fore she was torpedoed, too. We got
those fellows into the drum-room and
laid them over the boilers. When
ever we sight life boat the COM
missary steward starts supplies of
soup and coffee, so we had plenty of
the warm stuff ready for them, and
we lent them our clothes while their
own were drying"
His companion laughed.
"Why don't you tell the rest2" he
asked.
ooh, what's the use!" grumbled the
first sailor.
"Then I'll tell it," persisted the
second. Our crews clothes were so
much better than the slops the
rescued men had come aboard in that
some of the rescued forgot to change
back to their own buds before they
went ashore. IF you see any stray
uniforms walking around this town,
they're ours"
However, if good company is a
moral force not to be neglected, so
is good food, and in that particular
the Y. NJ. G. A. has thus far been
fortunate. There Is story told in
one port, where Vincent Astor has
been staying when on shore leave, to
the effect that he was complaining of
the restaurant in his hotel.
'sYou can't get really good meal
there" said Astor.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-08-15
WHY SAILORS ARE WORTHY.

But, yes, monsieur. They were
all that was left of family. The
father was killed at Verdun, the
mother died Nin an accident at q fac
tory Of munitions; SO that good sail
ors upon one of your country's little
ships have adopted them, and are
Keeping them, and viii educate them.
They have rented for them rooms in
this house, and they have employed
me to keep them, and, whenever their
ship is in port, these sailors, they fail
not to come here and receive word
Of their wards, and they give them
chocolates till the little ones are ILL.,"
What do the chocolates matter
There Is something worth doing for
men who will take upon themselves
such obligations as this.
Something worth doing-and the
Y. M. 9. A. Is trying to do it. There
are a headquarters and other build
ings in every French port that is
used by our navy-ffty buildings in
all-conducted by workers whose pa
does not quite meet their expenses
and whose tasks continue from sun
to sun. Q