Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-03
SHRAPNEL.
Sidelights on the War
by
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

German submarines Suomerge
quicker than those of the allies. Some
Teuton U-boats have been known to
go under the water in space of TWEEN
" seconds. Allied underseas craft
usually take sixty.
Il have always been interested in
watching new men fire their first
round at the Germa nS-Senerally at
night" said an officer at the front.
Zone and all attach great lmpo-
lance to the event; some men fire as
soon as possible, in a now | am real
~ here let's get busy spirit. wholly
admira BILE: others wait till the break
ing dawn gives them more or less
distinct target. One man. l remem-
Der, said to me as he mounted the
frestep. Now I'll fire shot as much
as to say. This war has gone on
long enough. it's time it was stop
ped
81 also recollect. one man in the old
trench warfare days who heard
ccrnet being played in the German
line. during his first night in the
trenches. I'll soon stop that, he said.
Sure enough, no more was heard OF
me cornet after he had fired: and he
was as proud as d peacock for days
afterward. claiming in all serious
ness that he had winged that Ger
man musician. or, at least, his cor
net.
England depends much upon the po-
tato to furnish sufficient war food.
The method of gathering the crop IS
particularly interesting when COM
pared to the American way of garner
ing the humble 'Spud."
"The workers go down the rows
from morning till night" says an
English journal. There are four acres
of potatoes; it takes them very many
days. In their gloved hands they hold
hooks and Sticks-in the right hand
the hook. in the left a short forked
stick. They gather the stark haulm
with the supporting stick and with
the sharp blade cut it away. The
stalks have not much resistance; they
bend under the stroke. and-for the
workers are not entirely Skillful-
need to be cut at again and again.
Then they are uGlier than before. put
ting out q few inches of Topped stalk
in forlorn protest.
The girls creeping down the rows
have to place each foot with care;
there is little space between the
ridges: they mrst GO with accurate
and sober step. For twenty yards they
go. striking to the right. drawing the
dead haslm into the hollow; then re-
trace their steps, striking TO the other
side. treaGing now over brown stalks.
SO up and down, up and down; their
progress to the eye like that of cat
erpillarS. deVouring all before them
and in their wake leaving harrenneSS
And ever and again they find variety
in putting aside the hook and with
the forked stick drawing the dead
stuff down the lines into neat heaps,
two heaps to a row.
The days pass and mount up, the
four acres are Topped down. the rub
bic is all tidily heaped; now when
ever the day comes the potatoes can
be readily tracked to their dark hid
ing places and thrown out to the light
of day
The days of trench warfare as it
existed during the earlier years OF
the struggle in France are gone for
ever The familiar bays and traverses
are no more. one no longer hears the
cry of Minnie right" Or Minnie
lctt. which were the warning given
by the first man to see one of
'lerryS minenwerferS coming over
the too familiar no mans land" to-
ward cur lines.
Also. the wire is thinner now and
the dugouts are not 'decorated' in
side as they used to be in d manner
occupants intended to stay there for
some time.
Instead we have the outpost line
of machine gun emplacements, and
behind a line of trenches newly cut:
while beyond these again, in the val
leys. woods. and rolling country. one
sees countless camps. horse lines,
tankodromcs, aerodromes, all giving
the impression that they could be up
rooted and carried forward at a mo-
n,ent's notice.