davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-09-14
Danish NJ. Il. Church.
Ole Nielsen. Minister.

Pastor. Rev. William II. Bawden.
Meeting I'm union services and
meetings with the First Presbyterian
church until the completion Of the
new war Church. at Madison ave-
nue. and Market street.
Sunday services. IL a. m. and 1880
D. m. DIR. H.. G.. Mendenhall preach
ing.
Sunday school at 1915 zoe
Christian EndeaYor at $40 p. m.
Mid-week meeting wednesday
evening at 7:46 o'clock. Mr.. Bawden
leading.
Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-09-14

Road, Tottenham, London, Eng
land. A. E. r.
Brownie spoken of in the last let
ter Is Martin Oliver Brown, also OF
Pleasant Plains. who was Killed in
action on August ~, four days after
Philip Glisman, mentioned in the first
letter of the writer, died.
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
aeasa& The Great Workshop Of Science gza2H
The Blood of War Industries

of Chilean nitrates more difficult and
greatly lcsscned their number. the
Allies have been forced 70 initiate what
has been done in Germany and to
manufacture nitric acid directly from the
nitrogen OF the air. The method now gen
orally employed for this synthcsis is the
cyanam'de process. But nitric acid thus
obtained by direct hNation Of the nitrogen
OF the air is too weak. contains too much
water to be Immediately useful and again
1t is sulphuric acid which must be added
TO remove the excess and render it suit.
able for the manufacture of explosives.
"Picric acid or melinitc compares with
TINT. Picric acid is prepared by nitratinr
phenol in bath Of sulphuric and nitric
acids Its orthodox name is trintrophenol.
and IN its making sulphurc acid rcpcats
ITS work. For Just as INT comes from
the union of sulphurc acid and touene
pierre acid is produced from sulphuric acid
and the coal tar product phenol In this
way, as figures show, 100 Kilograms OF
phenol yield $50 kilogrammes of picric acid.
Moreover. sulphuric acid is generally en-
ployed in the making of phenol. For phcnol
is manufactured to-day in bulk by syn
thesis, by process which was known be-
fore the war, but which is especially use
full now, owing to the dearth Of coal tar
and natural phenol.
1.-The same similarity is to be noted in
the manufacture of trinitrocre SOL tetranitro-
anime and dinitrobenzene, or of nearly all
the brisant or crushing explosives. They
are prepared by immersion in the bath Of
ntro-sul phuric acid.
What is the conclusion to be drawn
from this rapid inspection of the arsenal
of nitrocellulose powders and explosives
which are. and in fact which make, actual
war? The conclusion may be given in
paraphrase of Danton's speech, the itera-
tion emphasizing it's Importance: TO van
quish the enemies of France, what is
needed? Sulphuric acid, more sulphuric
acid always sulphurc acid"
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

may even fall down to two miles; for cX-
ample. when the wind ia contrary or when
the fog is thick
The speed or Transmission of sonorous
waves in the mir is $40 metres per second:
under water the speed is l34 metres az
tunes as great Furthermore, while in the
air the transmission Of sound waves is ir
regular, with certain variations. dependcnt
on the weather and other factors. the
transmission of sound waves in the water
is more uniform and in straiSht line.
And so, for example,. the sound of bell
can be heard distinctly in the water at a
distance of twelve to thirty Kilometres
1.-The steam whistle, for alarm and warn
lng with which locomotives and steam boil
ers are provided, consists of bell, usually
OF bronze, resting on vertical rod with
lts sides cut to very fine edge When
steam is admitted into the apparatus it
strikes the edge of the bell and produces a
sound which is heard at a considerable dis
tance. On some railroads two kinds of
whistles being used--onc for passenger
trains, another for fr< ight trains; the for
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

ciples upon which they work and analyzes
their structure. Here are some interest
ing extracts from his article:
"Sonorous signals in general consist of
the whistle, the bell, the siren, the trumpet
and the cannon, all of which are called fog
signals, they are generally used when
the atmosphere loses it's transparcnce.
They are Of especial importance in the
navy, where they are obligatory and their
use is codifed. OF all these instru-
mcnts the sirens have rcachcd The highest
development, and they arc used to-day in 81
great number of electric light houses, like
Griz- -Nez Eckmuh. Coubre, Panier and
10 the most important floating lights near
the French coast. They arc operated by
compressed air and put into action nj he
moment Of the appearance Of the fog Their
sound can be heard at n distance Of fifteen
to eighteen nautical miles under favorable
circumstances. But on the average it ,s
heard at radius Of six miles This dis
tance may even be shorter, sometimes it
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
.{k 2'|'$18

between Belgium and Holland; they have
covered the route often that, even in the
pitch dark. they know every little path and
ditch and brook.
The territory on both sides the border
is moorland, covered here and there with
clumps of woods of Scotch fir. The main
roads are carefully avoided; strict instruc-
tons are given not to speak a word. and
all 20 barefoot in order to reduce to q mini
mum the amount of accidental noise. There
Is one guide for every ten persons H.
walks in front, and the fugitives follow in
single file along the extremely narrow
paths. An interval of about two hundred
yards is left between each two groups, so
that If any group has a dangerous encoun-
ter the others have plenty of time to make
for safety
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
THE Electrified Barbed
L Wire Fence

"Of course, the Huns have put up
the whole frontier between Holland and Bel
GUM This fence does not constitute mere
ly physical impediment to crossing, for
each wire carries high voltage current,
supplied by the power stations at Antwerp
and other municipalities So to touch wire
means instant death.
"Of course, even such a fence would be
of little use unless we'll guarded. SO at in
tervals of 200 metres, or approximately the
same number of yards, there is sentry
box, with a German sentry patroling his
short beat. This is quite adequate to pre-
vent any organized attack upon the wire
and reduces the woud-be escaper to some
expedient for getting over or under or
through the wires in a hurry while the
sentry's back is turned. 1t is unnecessary
to state that, by preference, moonless and
stormy night is selected; but perhaps it is
not fully realized over here that during the
autumn and winter season in Belgium 1T is
raining on six nights out of seven, so that
it is not hard to make good guess.
"On the prearranged night, after dusk,
the fugitives come together in one of the
numerous cafes outside the villages, and
there wait until the guides who are to lead
them across announce that the hour is
come. These guides are usually men who
for years have smuggled sugar and tobacco
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
Enough Water to Slak e
the Thirst of the World

N THE first of series of comma
hensive articles in The National
Geographic Magazine" concerning the
prlnclpal cities of the United States
william j. Showalter writes of Neu,
ork's water supply system:
To-day there flows down 70 New W..
from the Catskills an undereronnd ,;r.r
ueep enough and wide enough to carry
GINNING water Tor the whole world In
SIZE IN length. in the volume of water !,
VIII carry, rs well as in the cost of cor-
s'ructlon and the engineering problems in
vowed 1t makes every other aouedpet oe
ancient and modern times look like pvpmv
project. If it were diverted into Fifth Ave-
nue. IL would be stream waist deep. flow
INK at me rate of four miles an hour
"A days supply would fill cistern
hundred feet in diameter and nearly t~o
miles deep. Each human being inhabiting
'ne ear'n could get two and half pints
OF water every twenty-four hours from its
capacity flow.
costing for each mile eight or ten times
as much as thoroughly modern double
tracked railroad, to carry a corresponding
Volume OF water thirty great steel mines
lour feet IN diameter would have been re-
CURED. Such pipe line would have cost
twice as much as tunnel Of equal capacitv
through the eternal bedrock 1t has been
estimated that within the city limits alone
h1teen million dollars was saved hv IN.
types OF construction adopted rather than
the use of steel piping. to say nothing Of
the tremendous cost of renewals which tn.
latter would have entailed
lhe Catskill system, with all its tre-
mehoous capacity, is not expected to bear
'he whole burden of SUPPLYING tho
metropolis. The Croton Aoueduct thopph
long since outgrown, is still stable water
way itself, for it could supply every in
haoltant OF the globe with pint and a half
OF water day. AS an ally it Will be an
invaluable aid to the Catskill stream. Be
tween them they will have, when the Scho-
marie dams are built an aggregate CAPACITY
OF eight hundred million gallons a day-
half gallon per capita for the whole
world"
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

cause it may be used under the surface Of
the water. is used in physical laboratories
III order to determine the height Of sounds,
IN the navy during fogs and on land to give
alarm signals. 1t consists of drum into
which air can be brought through tube
connected with bellows
Sirens may be operated by means of
steam or compressed air. On vessels steam
rs most frequently used; in lighthouses,
however, compressed air is chiefly employed.
Siren sounds for naval signals are inter
mlttent; the sound lasts for three seconds
and is repeated every minute; it is regu-
lated by clockwork"
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
The New Air Fighting
WRITING in the current issue of
"The Century Magazine" Paul

"The Century Magazine" Paul
Fortier Jones observes:
when thought of mounting
the Lewis machine gun on scout plane,
the real world of air fighting was fashioned.
Besides the movable Lewis, soon the sta
tionary Vickers guns were mounted on ma
chimes, synchronized to shoot between the
whirling propeller blades; tracer bullets
were devised to aid the pilots aim, and i'm
proved sights were fitted on the guns. Each
month saw faster, more powerful machines
the front, until men are now fighting
at eighteen thousand feet with planes that
travel 130 miles an hour or more and armed
to pour bullets into the enemy at the rate Of
1000 minute. From the beginning
the Germans regarded aviation in the same
light other branches of the service, and
not in the sporting spirit which has largely
colored the aerial work of the English,
French and Italians They preferred to at
tack only in greatly superior numbers, to fol-
low definite plans Of battle. To these methods
the Allies have to certain extent come. 1t
is not so fine game, but it seems better
warfare So the tactics of the air are just
beginning to be worked out, an entirely new
field, where every move is empirical and
where the opportunities for progress seem
limitless"
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
Other Explosives Which
~ Burst as They Fly

Besides guncotton, which is the propul-
sive ammunition of our arms, which is, if
may venture to say SO, the bowstrng for
those modern arrows, shot and she'll, there
are other explosives bursting and flaming
as they fly which are held in the vitals of
big shells. These are called 'brisant' ex-
plosivcs, term which vividly describes
their crashing and destructive effect on
target. Brisant explosives employed
by the different armies and their arti-
lery arc varied, owing to the fact
that each belligcrent has been
compelled to use different raw materials in
their manufacture. Still, the fact remains,
that the Germans are using the same ex-
ploslves as we do, explosives known and
studied before the war. Only their relative
Importance varies in different countries.
The Germans employ both TINT and
picric acid, as Of course we do, but we
employ proportonately much more of the
latter than Of the former. With the Ger
mans INT is the favorite. These two
explosives, like others generally employed
n'trocresol, trinitrophenol, dinitronaphtha-
iene. and nitrate of ammonium-are all de-
rived more or less directly from the mira
uon of products of the distilation of coal.
The method is invariably the same-nitra-
'on with mixtures OF sulphuric and nitric
ACIDS and the process is similar to that
oy which guncotton is made Trnitrotoluene,
or INT, is made from toluene, which is
one OF the aromatic oils obtained by the
sdistillation of coal and petroleum. 1t is
subjected to successive vibrations, which
give trinitrotoluene. an appropriate name,
since 1T is simply toluene thrice nitrated.
NOW, to make 100 kilogrammes of INT
about $50 kilogrammes of concentrated sui
phuric acid are required.
The expression -nitrating mislead.
IN reality, in the preparation of all these
explosives sulphuric acid enters as the
primary ingredient. 1t is the indispensable
element in the best method of manufacture
ing nitric acid. In this method nitric acid
produced by the action of sulphuric acid
on sodlum nitrate. But since the tonnage
eHsis, which has made importation
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
II uns Would Be Useless
VI Without 1t

why is ulphuric acid so essential in
making munitions of war? The reason is
that without it we should have neither
out it country's guns are useless or they
are used precisely in proportion to the guam
tity of sulphurc acid which is manufact-
urcd
First, let us consider the ntro-cellulose
powder which propels shot and shell from
our cannon. machine guns and rifles, and
without which they would be useless pieces
of iron encumbering our soldiers. This
powder is obtained by 'nitrating cotton,
that is, by process of dipping the purified
fibre into a mixture o. nitric and sulphuric
acids. For use ammunition, however, it
must be 'gelatinzed,' process which con-
verts it into horny material and renders it
less sensitive to blow. Such material
reduced to threads prismatic scales
forms what we know as smokeless powder.
Now, contrary to what we might think
beforehand the essential agent in nitrating
cotton, the principal element in the manu-
facture of explosives, is not nitric acid it
self, but sulphuric acid. The acid bath, as
chemists say, in which the purified cotton
is placed, is, in fact, mixture containing
one part of concentrated nitric acid and
three parts of concentrated sulphuric acid.
In the reaction which follows the question
of relative quantity of water is all impor
tant. Sulphuric acid, it is we'll known, has
strong affinity for water. Hence it grad
ually absorbs the water in the mixture, the
presence of which would interfere with the
combination Of cotton and nitric acid which
we call guncotton. Sulphuric acid is there
fore essential in the successful working OF
the process Of manufacturing guncotton
powders
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
Synthetic Milk But There
Has To Be a Cow in
the First Place

CI~HE new Boston process by which
1t is claimed a supply of fresh
milk can be obtained without a COW
within ten thousand miles reads very
we'll until we learn that one of the bases
of the product is powdered skinned
milk, writes 1.-THE New York Herald"
That is rather suggestive of the tramp
who started to teach the farmer how to
make soup of a we'll washed cobblestone.
1t was noticed, however, that it was nee
essary to put bone and piece of meat
into the pot with the stone for f7avorine
purposes The new synthetic milk is
declared to be in actual use."
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

mcr have a sharp tone the latter dull
tone.
"On some railroad lines locomotives are
provided with whistles operated by elec-
tricity.
"The boilers Of naval and other machines
arc likewise provided with alarm whistles,
IN which tho steam operating the whistle is
controlled automatically. In the latter
the mouth Of the whistle is covered by a
valve attached to rod, at the lower end
of which there is water gauge. When the
watcr in the boiler falls below its
normal level tho water gauge comes down
and draws along With it the rod and the
valve. which opcnS the way for the steam
20 enter the tube Of the whistle aud pro-
ducc the sound. The water gauge. whose
weight is oonsideraho and the rod arc
placed IN equilibrium, the CONFERENCE.-THE
and its leves arc either attached to the
kettle or outside of it,
"The steam alarm whistle. used for riv-
lng waning at considerable distance is
of general usc Instruments of this kind.
s'mllar TO those employed on locomotives,
are used OF Che coasts OF the United States
in large numbers. In other countries they
are not much used on the coast. because Of
their insufficient force. On the contrary they
arc employed ON warships. In that case
their form resembles more or less that of
slmp'c mouth whistle, naturally with
much greater dimensions. They arc oper-
atcd ny steam or compressed air and are
used in order to give orders that would be
hcafd I'm the entire vessel for signals
The siren is superior in some respects
because its sound can be heard much fur
thcr and 1T can be operated without steam
or compressed air. The siren so called be
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
Safest Way Is to
l Creep Through

Having come near the ive-wire fence
the real danger begins There are several
recognized ways of crossing One can climb
over 1t by means of double stepladder
not unlike the model so commonly seen in
domestic service on this side of the water.
one can also creep under it where it passes
dried up or damned ditch or brook. doing
little emergency excavation to enlarge the
passage, II this be necessary. But the
safest way, and the one followed by the
party with which the writer came out of
Belgium, is to creep through the fence in
tunnel improvised from -four or wine
barrel stuck between two wires. As drv
wood is non-conductor there is no danger
of coming in contact with the curreuk pro-
vlded the night is not too wet a one. Af it
u.s. the best measure of safety possf\as is
ootalned by means of packing of r16ber
cloth between wood and wires
The German sentry, whom one might
expect to constitute a formidable obstacle
IN the way of success, is really one of the
smallest sources of concern Tho rsuol
time of crossing is between and 2 o'clocl
{" III" ana at such an hour it is quite natu-
iai thac the sentry would rather stay in his
WA '"a" walk in the rain. Or. perhapsx he
IS man of cautious instincts, and does
no' care 10 come near band which he
KNOWS Will outnumber him, and whose mem
Defs can handle a revolver as effectively as
ne can rifle. Or, in default of either of
'hese alternatives, it may be suspected that
'he worthy sentry is actually in league with
.he guide who can we'll afford to split his
lee OF $4 per head and upward) with one
or two deserving Germans.
Once through the wires one is not oute
'hrough the adventure. 1t is still necessary
70 pass over narrow strip of neutral ter
r''ory INTO which, presumably, German
sentry would not hesitate to shoot if he saw
reason to do so. On the far side of this
s'rlp one meets the first Dutch sentrcs
and after few formalities one stands
Tree man again on Dutch soil"
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

4 "A recognized as far more valuable
in time of war. Consider the
barrel which pierced the electric fence
that the Germans have strung along the
boundary between Belgium and Holland.
A Belgian refugee tells in "The Scien-
tjGc American" how it was the means of
his escape:
"To one not convcrsant with all the cir
cumstances it might sound like fairly
simple proposition to leave Belgium via the
Dutch border. In reality, it is anything but
that. In the first place, the Hun realizes
full we'll that in order for a man to escape
over this frontier it is first necessary Tor
him to reach the frontier Now, Belgium IS
very small as countries 60, but she IS not
80 small that one flying leap will take a
man from any part of her territories into
Holland SO the German has tried to
minimize the probability of Belgian citi-
zens getting close enough to the northern
boundary to get across It.
"Nevertheless, Belgians escape into Hol-
land in considerable numbers and will
tinue to do so. The usual procedure is to
wait until Ahe soldiers garrisoned at the
frontier villages are relieved by men.
During the first few weeks it goes without
saying that these sentres will not
know the names and faces Of all the viii
layers who entitled to the privilege of
the locality; so during this period it is
comparatively easy for Belgians from other
parts of the country to hide among the local
population 1t is not even out of the ques-
tion to obtain a forged pass, or carte
d'identite. So once near the border, at the
right season, there is great risk at
tached to remaining there for the few days
neceSSary.
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
.O 'VANQUISH the enemies of
France, what is needed? "Sul-
phuric acid, more sulphuric acid,

NJ VANQUASH the enemies OF
France, what is needed? "Sul-
phuric acid, more sulphuric acid,
always sulphuric acid" This is
the text of an article by Charles Nord-
mann in La Revue des deux Mondes."
He declares:
'If it were necessary to decide which OF
all products of manufacture, of all objects
created by industry, was the most ncces-
sary and useful to France since the start
of the war, without which defeat would
have been rapid and inevitable, I should
answer without hesitation sulphuric acid
and will show you why
For long time it has been an axiom in
economics that the sign, the coefficicnt,
the factor which best represents the eco
nomic prosperity of a nation is its con-
sumption Of sulphuric acid True in a
state of peace, this criterion, as we shall
see. is still truer in modern war If may
venture to paraphrase we'll known saying,
sulphuric acid is the blood of war indus
tries.
80 true, in fact. is this belief that not
long ago in the Chamber of Deputies NJ.
Denys Cochin, who was then Under Secre-
tary of State for Foreign Affairs was able
to draw from its application striking
proof of Germany's premeditation. Here
in a few words is the reasoning of the
eminent statesman, who is at the same
time, like Lord Salisbury, distinguished
chemist: Before the war Germany made
use of 100000 to 100000 tons of iron
pyrites annually in the manufacture of
sulphuric acid, of which 100000 tons came
from Spain. Now, in the two years which
preceded the war, instead of 100000 tons
Germany imported 100000 tons; that is
to say, she accumulated a surplus stock of
100000 tons of pyrites.' NJ. Denys Cochin
added What is to be concluded from
this? For me it is the incontestabe
proof, with many others, Of the premedi-
tated crime of our enemies.' This proof
from chemistry of the truth of the famous
Il have not wished this strengthens in
a singular way the diplomatic proofs which
have recently come to light.
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
Whistles, Trumpets and Sirens

.NHE latest types of whistles, trum
pets and sirens are discussed in
a recent article in the bi-monthly
Partisan "Science ct la Vie," by
Henri Vaubln. who outlines the prin-
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
A Arhs mobile

Dagrom Of the too plates in the ca
gn'ofd-Latonr saren-.A, opening of one
of the holes of the upper norable plate
f. p, lmmocoble plate: compressed air
sets the ntouable plate into motion.
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

Cagmiard- Latour sirens, equipped qlth
q mechanism for indicating the Number of
reoolutioms made By the movable plate
The compressed air operating the siren
o'rices through the tube seen bcloav
New-York tribune., 1918-09-01
An Escape Through a Barrel

BARREL which has such great
\ utility even in peace time is
- recognized as far more valuable