The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-04-02
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1918.


striker. The fuse begins to "slzz" and
sputter and a spiral of smoke, like
that from a smoldering fag, rises from
IL. The platoon splits in two and
ducks around the traverse nearest to
them. They don't like the looks and
sound of the burning fuse. When that
fuse begins to smoke and "sizz" you
want to say gOod-by to Ii as soon as
possible, so Tommy with all his might
chucks 1t over the top and crouches
against the parapet waiting for the
explosion.
Lots of times in bombing the "jam
tin" would be picked up by the Ger
mans, before 1t exploded, and thrown
back at Tommy with dire results.
After lot of men went West in this
manner an order was issued, reading
something like this:
"To all ranks in the British army:
After igniting the fuse and before
throwing the jam-tin bomb, count
slowly one! twol threew
This in order to give the fuse time
enough 20 burn down, so that the bomb
would explode before the Germans
could throw it back.
Tommy read the order-he reads
them ALL but after he ignited the fuse
and 1t began to smoke-orders were
forgotten, and away she went in record
time and back she came to the further
discomfort of the thrOwer.
Then another order was issued to
count, zone hundred two hundred!
three fu'.dred" But Tommy didn't
care II the order read to count up to
thousand by quarters, he was going
which extends half way around the
circumference and is held in place at
the bottom by fixing pin. In this pin
there is small metal ring, for the
purpose of extracting the pin when
ready to throw.
You do not throw bomb the way
baseball is thrown, because, when in
n narrow trench, your hand is liable
TO strike against the parados, traverse
or parapet, and then down goes the
bomb, and, in n couple of seconds or
so, up goes Tommy.
In throwing, the bomb and lever are
grasped In the right hand, the left foot
Is advanced, knee stiff, about one and
half its length to the front, while
slightly to the right The left arm is
extended at an angle Of As degrees,
pointing IN the direction the bomb is to
be thrown. This position is similar
to that of shot putting only that the
right arm Is extended downward. Then
you hurl the bomb from you with an
overhead bowling motion, tbe same as
In cricket, throwing IL fairly high i'm
the air, this In order to give the fuse
chance to burn down so that when
the bomb lands, IT Immediately ex-
plodes and gives the Germans no time
to scamper out Of its range or to re-
turn 1t.
AS the bomb leaves your hand, the
lever, by means Of spring, is projected
into the air and falls harmlessly TO
the ground few feet in front of the
bomber.
When the lever flies off 1t releases
q strong spring, which forces the firing
PIN into percussion cap. This igni<es
the fuse. which burns down and sets
OIL the detonator, charged with fulmi-
nate of mercury, which explodes the
main charge of ammOnal.
The average British soldier IS not an
expert at throwing; it is a new game
to him, therefore the Canadians and
Americans, who have played baseball
, from the kindergarten up. take natu-
rally TO bomb throwing and excel In
this act. six-foot English bomber
VIII stand In awed silence when he
sees little five-foot-nothing Canadian
outdistance his throw by several yards.
L have read few war stories of bomb
ing, where baseball pitchers curved
their bombs when throwing them, but
pitcher who can do this would make
'christy" Mathewson look ike a piker.
and Is losing valuable time playing I'm
the European War bush league, when
/ he would be able to set The "big
league" on fire.
We had cushy time while at this
school. In fact, to us 1t was regular
vacation, and we were very sorry when
one morning the adjutant ordered us
TO report at headquarters for trans
portation and ratlons to return to our
units up the line.
Arriving at OUT section, the bows
once again rendered us the glad mttt.
but looked askance at us out of the
corners OF their eyes. They could not
conceive, as they expressed 1t, how a
man could be such a blinking idiot as
to join the Suicide club. was begin
ming to feel sorry that I had become
member Of said club. and my life to
me appeared doubly precious.
Now that I was a sure-enouph
bomber l was praying for peace and
hoping that my services as such would