Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-08
SHRAPNEL
Sidelights on the War
-1Y-
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

Small women make the best fore
women. according to superintendent
| of munitions and other wartime
| factories where women are largely
employed. The small woman is de-
clared usually to have greater force
| of character and a better brain.
| One of the greatest problems of the
| military sanitary inspector is the ex-
! termination of vermin. At each large
camp a simple yet most effective exter-
minator is constructed. A large pit
is dug and converted into an air
tight underground chamber, the
roof consisting of corrugated iron,
covered with the earth taken from
the hole. Two stoves. with vertical
chmneys, are placed in the chamber.
The fires are fed through the CHM
news outside the chamber. Fermin-
ridden clothes are placed inside the
Cn.,i:upei, and the heat kills all the
pests, without damaging the clothes.
i'atroiiing always plays an i'm
portant part in trench warfare. Prac-
tically all allied soldiers love to en-
gage in patrol raids. as there always
is plenty of excitement.
An allied airplane was reconnoiter-
ing high over the German lines. Sud
ueHls d Suell DulSl HtdI IL, hliliHS tho
pilot and severely damaging the
airplane, which nose dived 5000
feet. During that terrific fall the
| observer, who was uninjured, sue
ceeded in slipping from his seat to
that of his comrade: he then I'M
| clasped the dead pilots hands. sat
upon his knees. and, in that appalling
position. righted the hurting air
plane and contrived to turn its plunge
to death into a safe glide just as it
reached to within a few feet of the
ground.
Are pigeons of much use in mill
tary operations? This is question
often asked by the layman. The an
Swer is most emphatic, They are"
In the recent American drive north
/! west of Ferdun pigeon message car
riers at certain periods practically
supplanted the telegraph, wireless and
telephone. The father of an English
soldier described the value of carrier
pigeons on the Italian front. He said:
Il will give you one instance, just
one out of many. My son was watch
| ing one morning: he sees a speck, up
go his field glasses" (again the old
man acted the parD, "and he watches
the bird rapidly flying nearer, then
the dive down. Quickly the little tube
! is detached and the message rushed
| into headquarters. In five minutes a
| plane loaded with bombs has left the
ground and is speeding on its errand.
! The message brought by my boys bird
! gives the information: Large force Of
Austrians on the march; position SO
and SO. Before they get a
| mile on the road the plane is over
| them and the bombs are dropped. The
conveys are smashed up, the dead and
wounded are lying on the ground, the
| remainder are rushing from the road
and sheltering behind rocks: the
/ whole blooming lot bombed to bits
and dispersed"
Battalion headquarters officers with
! the British armies at the front are
supposed to keep accurate record Of
all activities that the future history
| of the war may be correct.
Behind the front line lover there"
| a staff of photographers and kinema-
! tographerS are constantly at work on
incidents which in time will be re-
corded and shown to the public.
Artists are there with their paint and
brushes getting local color. painting
the havoc of war as it is.
A trade union for wives is seriously
discussed in England. In discussing
| the situation and woman'S relation to
| the war. one advocate of the union
| idea declares that such a union might
| be used for the prevention of future
| wars, going on to say:
II Is 1lOl ldtuouS optIHlSUI lHdl
| makes me say: Never again will there
| be a world war; the women Of the
world will not allow of it.
! Every class of woman in Europe
| has been stirred by the tragedy of the
last four years. The women have
suffered most and they have thought
more deeply about it. For the man
there has been pain, but there has
been the glory of adventure that is
his prerogative. The woman has paid. she
is paying today; when tomorrow dawns
you will find her ready to pay
But she will want to know what
she is paying for.'
Don't run so fast" cried one Ger
man soldier to another in the recent
battle of st. Mihiel. at will hurt you"
at will hurt me worse if ! don't"
yelled the other. A damned Yankee Is
after me with his bayonet."
Whereupon the second German got
under way in the direction of Berlin.