davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29

working out this sight, sir" he replied with
a grin, and withdrew his head.
The alarm gongs had already sent the
guns crews to their invisible guns, and
Immediately after the explosion panic sta
tions" ordered, followed in due course
by abandon ship" The navigator, having.
finished his sight" and now acting as
master" abandoned ship with the s"panic
party" No sooner had the boats been low
cred and showed off from the ships side,
however, than the chief engineer rang up
from below and reported that the after
bulkhead had gone and that the engine
room filing fast. Peering, on all fours,
through a slit in the bridge screen, waiting
for the inevitable periscope to appear, the
commander bade him hold on as long as he
could and keep enough steam to work the
pumps; when the water had extinguished
the fires, and then only, the engines were
abandoned and the staff remained concealed.
This they did, crawling eventually on to the
cylinders to escape from the rising food.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
ron n.r,,.

Under his command, then, they sailed
with cargo of timber in each hold and
faith in the good providence of God that
came very near to the faith of little chill
dren In due course, about 9:45 one morn
ing, torpedo was seen approaching the STAR
board beam; observing his role as master
of a careless tramp, with poor ookouts, the
young commander held on his course At
the last moment, however, the helm was i'm
perceptibly altered to insure the ship being
struck abaft the engine room. where it
might do least damage. Those whom fate
has afforded the opportunity of studying the
trail of an approaching torpedo will, if they
recall their sensations, appreciate to some
extent the iron nerve requisite to such a
mannuvre The torpedo burst abreast No.
hold hurting a wall of water and wreckage
to the height of the mast and blowing a
hole in the ships side forty feet wide.
Half-stunned and deafened by the concus-
sion the commander raised himself on his
hands and knees, where he had been flung,
and shouted to the navigator, "They'vc got
US this time" The navigator, who was in
side the charthouse, thrust his head out for
a moment, moistening lead pencil with
his lips. 81 reckon I've got time to finish
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
The Army Behind the Front

In the first few hours those guns had
used up trainloads OF shells, all made by
the working army at home, and without
them there would have been no advance, no
matter how brave able and willing the men
at the front might have been.
At any point in the whole process.
from the driving of the first pick
into the coal vein to the delivery of the
shells at the ammunition dump, a single
failure on the part of the labor army would
have parayzed the fighting army.
1t is the labor army at home that has
provided with this breath taking rapidity
the rifles with which the fighting army has
been equipped, the clothing it has worn,
the gas masks that have preserved it, the
food it has lived on. Labor, squirting to
the utmost, turned out the ships that car
ried the fighters to France and the ships
that carried to them their shells and sus-
tenance. Labor at those ports Somewhere
in France built those miles of great
wharves, stupendous warehouses, gigantic
factories ind the railroad system that con-
meets them with the front
The gaze of the nation has been con-
centr;ted on the fighting army, winning
brilliant victories and driving the enemy
back mile by mile, but all the time at least
one-half of the winning of the war has
been in the rolling mills, mines, shipyards
and railroad yards by men that had no
chance at glory.
The rapidity, efficiency and certainty of
all this have amazed and startled ell Europe.
| can hardly exaggerate the extent to which
it has raised the American name was
there in the first months of the war.
know the difficulties with which some other
countries struggled, how they were obliged
to lose invaluable time while they waited
for the production of the necessary sup
plies, how long it took for labor to be or
gained and aroused to the task in hand
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29

his fight against indulgence is all the moro
to be marveled at
The torero we'll understands the value of
exercise IN keeping himself in condition.
lie usually gets up at 1880 or 8 O'Clock
"a fantastic hour to the average Spaniard.
who thinks nothing of turning out of bed
at IL or 12), takes cold bath
and then spends about twenty minutes TO
half hour in rubbing himself with rough
towel or flesh brush This is done with
magnificent efficiency and vigor servant
beng called in at the end to administer
merclless pummelling. He then goes into
the patio or inner court of the house or on
the roof, if he is in town, and spends fifteen
or twenty minutes with dumbbells or Ind
ian clubs. breakfast of toast and thick
chocolate follows. Afterward he walks for
two OR three hours into the country. Re-
turning he sits down to a luncheon con-
sisting usually of beefsteak dish Of
rice and tomatoes and small glass of wine
diluted with water. If there is no perform
ancc in the afternoon he takes an hours
siesta and follows it by another cold bath
and more exercise Then he picks up his
cape and makes the many different passes
OF the ring before an imaginary bull. leaps
from side to side as if the animal were
almost upon him.
After this he saunters out to meet his
confreres at some cafe to talk over the
news of the profession until dinner time.
The evening meal is usually as simple as
lunch, but the bultightcr takes long time
over It, for he, like the rest of the world.
has learned the Importance of mastication.
Spartan life, but yet the price must
be paid. The torero looks forward to a
time of more relaxation, but as rule he
gradually learns the value of regimen
that makes for ch1acter building, and often
turns out to be useful member of society
when he is retired from the ring. The
pity is that such good fellow should be
obliged to use his gifts in such way. but
like his countrymen he has the peculiar
and distinct qualities which belong to all
primitive people AS a great writer has
pointed out the sentiment OF sympathy Is
essentially a modern one. The Spaniard is
still the Moor. his ancestor.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29

the submarines gun rang loud through the
still air. One of the n-of-war's gun
layers, lying concealed within his collapse
bic deckhouse, heard the report, and think
ing that the ship herself had opened fire with
out the customary warning gongs flung down
the screens which masked his weapon. Any
further attempt at concealment was useless
The fire gongs rang furiously at every gun
position, the White Ensign was triced up
to the mes thead in the twinkling of an eye
and the action started. After the first few
hits the submarine lay motonless, with her
bows submerged and her stern in the air
for upward of five minutes, while shells
burst all about her. The heavy swell made
shooting difficult, but eventually she sank
in a great commotion of water and dense
clouds of vapor that hung over the surface
for some minutes. Two depth charges were
dropped over her, and if ever men had cause
for modest self-congratulation on having
ridded the seas of yet another scourge it
would seem that the officers and crew of
the Kings ship might have laid claim to
their share. Yet, by ways unknown and in
credible, it was claimed by the enemy that
the submarine contrived to return, with
ors at halfmast, to tell the tale.
Future success in operations of.this nat
ure, therefore, depended no longer upon a
mere ruse. 1t was obvious that hencefor-
ward the enemy would not rise to the sur
face until his torpedo had found its mark;
hence, although a torpedo seen approaching
can not infrequently be avoided, it became
part of this grim game of bluff for the
victim to insure that she was hit. Then,
when the panic party had abandoned the
ship, it behooved the remainder to wait con-
cealed and unresponsive beside their hidden
guns while the submarine rose to the sur
face and either closed within range or
shelled them with sufficient thoroughness to
convince him-who judged endurance and
self-control by no mean standards-that the
limit of human courage had been reached;
that there could be no one concealed on
board, and that he might with safety ap-
proach to loot and burn. Now this, as Mr..
Kipling would put it, twas a damned tough
bullet to chew" They were no demi-gods,
yet fanatics, these threescore or so
wlnd-tanned sailormen. They were just or
binary human beings, with the average
mans partially for life and a whole skin,
and the love of wife and BARN or sweet
heart plucking at the heartstrngs of most
of them. But they shared what is not given
to all men in this world of human frailty,
whole-souled confidence i'll fellow-man,
which, strengthened by utter devotion,
would have carried them at his slightest
nod through the gates of hell.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
>hips-The Game That Beat the German Sharks


sca'awag tramp, but behind her untidy bull
"SrKs observing, with certain necessary
moo'ncations, the discipline and customs OF
MS maJesty's navy. With paint pot and
sa'icloth they improved the ships disguise
from time to time, and wiled away the
"e"reoreaklng monotony of the days by in
venting fresh devices to conceal their char
acter. The ships stewards assistant, when
not engaged upon his office as "dusty boy."
was ordered to don female attire over his
uniform and recline in prominent position
on the poop in a deck chair This al
iurement was calculated to prove an ire
sistlble bait. The navigator, whose action
station was the abandonment Of the ship In
the role of distracted master, fashioned tho
eihgy OF stuffed parrot and fastened it in
side cage, which he proposed to take awav
with him in the boat, thus frightening the
pathos of the scene and whetting the blood
lust of the enemy
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
THE Lusitania
Il Graves

An old collier Of some 1000 tons was
selected from among the shipping at the
disposal of the Admiralty and taken to
dockyard port, where she unostentatiously
underwent certain structural alterations.
These included disappearing mountings for
guns concealed beneath hatchway covers
and masked by deckhouses which collapsed
like cards at jerk Of a lever. From the
host of volunteers, among whom were re-
tired admirals, captains commanders and
lleutenants of the Royal Navy a young lieu
tenant commander was selected and APP
pointed in command. His officers were vol
unteers from the Royal Navy Reserve, ex-
merchant seamen, familiar enough with the
role they were required to play, and in
some cases with little mental scores OF
their own which required adjustment when
the time came. The crew was mostly from
the West Country, men of Devon with one
or two traditions to uphold IN the matter
OF brave adventure. 1t also included Welsh
men and Irish with a pretty taste Tor
hight, and a few Scots, of the dour type,
hard to brighten. They were picked from
the Royal Navy Fleet and Royal Reserve
merchant seamen and fishermen the last,
"S Va Wuolu Adu 4olmSu d HouNih@ az
quaintance with death long before they
received this invitation to q closer intimacy.
In the matter of ages they ranged between
seventeen and tifty-two.
They sailed from Queenstown under the
Ked Ensign; but before they left some of
the crew trudged, as, pilgrims to shrine,
and stood awhile among the mounds in that
pathetic Gods acre where the women and
ehildren of the Lustania rest. They were
'nen but freshly turned, those mounds in
'neir eloquent diversity of lengths, and men
"ad not begun to forget.
ror five weary months they endured the
winter gales of the Atlantic, wallowing to
s"o 1ro along the trade routes, outwardly
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
THE rack of a
Il orpedo

From time to time watchful patrols
Swooped down upon them exchanged few
curt signals in the commercial code, and
padc them pass on their imaginary occa-
slons. once cruiser less easily satisfied
than the remainder, babe the rusty-sidcd
collier heave to and sent an officer to board
her; he climbed aboard Mt the head of
armed men to find himself confronted in
the person of the "master," with a team
mate of Britannia days and grin he is
not likely to forget. Then, early one spring
morning. when the daylight was stealing
out of gray skies across the Atlantic waste.
the track of torpedo dubbed across the
bows and passed ahead of the ship The
moment for which they had waited five
weary months had come
AS behtted her role of tramp steamer in
the early days of the war the ship held
steadily on her way, observing the stars in
their course, but not otherwise interested
IN the universe. Inboard, however, the
alarm rang along the mess decks and sa-
looms, and men crawled into hencoops and
Lighthouses, eagerly lingering the pistol
grips OF the hidden guns. A few minutes
later the submarine broke surface half a
mile astern of the ship and fired a shot
across her bows. Whereupon the supposed
collier stopped her engines and lay rolling
in the trough of the seas, with steam pour
ing from her exhausts, while the crew, who
had rehearsed this moment to a perfection
never yet realized on the boards of legitl-
mate drama, rushed to and fro with every
semblance of panic The captain danced
from one end of the bridge to the other,
waving his arms and shouting; boats were
turned out and in again amid deliberate
confusion that brought bushes to the
checks of the ex-merchant scamen called
upon to play the part.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29

Al
be denied, and it is impossible not
- to condemn it in nearly every one
of it's phases. The best type of
Spaniard decries it, and in many instances
has tried to put stop to it, but so far with
out avail. It's pernicious and brutalizing
effect on the public is frankly admitted by
the nteligentsia of the country, and yet
the spectacle goes on to the frenzied de-
light of the multitude. The bulfght is
The rich man will put off his most i'm
portant business appointment, the poor
man will pawn his shoes or his wife's best
dress to buy ticket for the spectacle. A
serious, sombre people, any detail connected
with the national sport arouses them to
the keenest enthusiasm.
Naturally, it follows that the chief fig
ures in this repellent affair are the idols
of the public. Their appearance on the
street, in theatre or restaurant invariably
calls forth ovation, and their tastes,
their views on religion, politics are aired
in all the journals The countless details
are set down meticulously in magazines
devoted only to this science. Women run
after them in a way calculated to upset
the equanimity of a st. Anthony.
In their fautless tight costumes frilled
shirts of the finest linen, fastened often
with precious jewels, their fashionable boots
and their broad-brimmed sombreros, it must
be confessed they make a dashing appear
ance. There is something very fetching in
their perfect bodily equipose, with every
muscle trained to the highest precision.
To the average American whose idea of
bullfghter is gained from performance
of Carmen" the torcro is bulky ndivid-
ual whose wastline is that of two ordinary
men and who walks about with heavy pomp-
GUS tread The real torero is a sim sup
pie fellow who suggests the perfection of
alertness, agility and grace rather than
animal strength. The great bullfghters
like the best athletes of other lands, OBJ
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
q ermany Misjudged
~ Our Labor

Inc leaders OF Germany. had arrived on
reasonable grounds at this deliberate con-
clusion. They were supremely confident
they could win the war and have it over
and done with before America could get to
her feet and begin to organize the ma
chnery with which to fight.
Germany's fighting machine was the
product of generations of applied study and
careful training How could another ma
ton, beginning with nothing, attain even IN
two years to any fighting equipment that
would not be contemplate?
American labor fooled them.
The machinery that experts predicted
could not be provided in two years was
ready in less than one
The intelligent patriotism Of the Ameri-
can workers has shone forth in a way to
make every American proud and glad.
Consider how few strikes we have had
and how few labor disturbances since we
went into this war. Labor in the mass ha.
put aside every other consideration but
that Of duty to the republic and it's cause
No other nation engaged in the war can
show a record, all things considered, so
good as this. The task of enabling the
country to fight and fight we'll was put upon
American labor. American labor responded
after the best American traditions And
it performed its great and indispensable
part, not because it was commanded by a
supreme authority to perform it, but be-
cause it understood perfectly the nature of
the issue and followed the inspiration of
its own faith and its own intelligence
Copyright, 1918, Otis r. Wood
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
a Phases

The methods of the German submarine IN
It's against unarmed shipping gradually
settled down to routine which varied but
little in the early phases of the conflict. 1t
was the custom to attempt to torpedo at
sight on the principle of the least said the
soonest mended. If the torpedo missed, as
was not infrequently the case, the sub
marine broke surface a mile or so away
from the ship and fired shot across her
bows The merchantmen had then two
courses-to take TO his heels and try to
escape to heave-to and abandon ship.
In the latter case the submarine closed on
the derelict to within few hundred yards
and summoned the boats alongside. At the
muzzle of revolver the captain was or
dered into the submarine with his papers
and the crew of his boat directed to row a
party of German Sailors bearing bombs,
back to the ship. These worthless, having
placed the bombs in the ships vitas and
looted the officers quarters, returned to the
submarine, propelled by the men they had
robbed and whose ship they were engaged
in sinking. From the German point of view
the situation was not without its humor,
and in the ma ority of cases these merry
Teutons saw fit, by jeers, to share the jest
with the castaways before abandoning them
to their fate in open boats. In due course
the bombs exploded and the ship disap-
peared. 1t is an economical method, since
bombs cost less than torpedoes and the for
mality of lootng the ship helped to pre-
serve its popularity.
For while the navy noted these methods
and the little human failings of the enemy
in silence. Then it drew deep breath and
opned that thereby it had pleased the Lord
to deliver the enemy into its hands. In its
own peculiar phraseology it reckoned that
it had the Hun cold" 1t argued that
man-of-war could be disguised as a tramp
Such vessel. by plying the trade routes,
must inevitably meet a submarine in time,
and in her character of peaceful merchant
be ordered to abandon ship. The ship
might be abandoned to all outward appear
ances, but still retain sufficient men con-
cealed on board to fight the hidden guns
when the moment came for her to cast dis
guise to the winds and hoist the white
sign. Certain risks had to be taken for
granted, of course; the almost inevitable
torpedo, sooner or later; the probability of
a little indiscriminate Smelling while the
submarine approached, the possibility of
being ultimately sunk before assistance
could arrive Yet the odds were on the
submarine being sunk first, and the rest
was on the knees Of the gods. Thus the
navy argued.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
~ Blood

From the swirling vortex of oil and
blood and air bubbles in which the major
lty vanished two dazed prisoners were res
cued by the exultant panic party" in the
boats. and brought back to the ship Once
on board, however, the imperious necessi-
ties OF the moment overwhelmed even the
citation of victory Bulkheads were shored
IN all compartments still accessible con-
hdential documents destroyed in anticipa-
ton OF the worst, and then all but the com
mander and a handful of men took to the
boats and awaited succor. 1t came at noon
III the guise of congratuatory and bust
nesslike destroyer, and was augmented
later by couple OF sloops. By p. m.
the water had ceased to gain and the shin
was in tow, heading for port; there she ar
rived, and was safely beached after dark
the following day.
, Her crew had faced the ordeal and
emerged triumphant, adding to the last
feat OF seamanship which saved the shin.
Those who go down to the sea in ships for
the express purpose Of being torpedoed re-
quire no great power Of imagination 10
foretell what lay ahead Yet. when the
time came for fresh venture. for such
veal or woe as it might hold, they sailed
with hight hearts and unafraid They were
under the command of the man who had
brought them victorious through the or
deals that we're past and they loved him,
these men of Devon and the West, with
the love which "casteth out fear" As IL
Tor a pledge of that devotion he wore
thenceforth, on the left breast of his an
Gent monkey jacket. the scrap of ribbon
when 1t Is the Kings pleasure men shall
wear for valor.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
By "Bartimeus' y

1NHERE was a day, now happily past.
when the submarine scourve was
broadcast upon the seas; then the
country turned for its salvation to
the navy, upon which, under the good provi-
sence of God, it had grown accustomed to
rev in most of the crises of its history.
Scientific and mechanical appliances, on a
scale adequate to meet and chcckmatc the
outrage Of unrestricted submarine warfare.
could not be produced by pressing button.
With workshops and laboratories Welding
their output at highest pressure. the Ger
man building yards were gaining in the
race Every day brought its sickening tale
Of sinking and burning and murder on the
high seas, and in Whitehall Offices men
studied statistics and columns of figures
with faces ever growing graver
The irritable tension of those days is
best forgotten now. Prices rose. ships
sank and the navy said not a word 1t was
doing its damnedest" in silence, according
to its won't And not even in forecastle
or wardroom did men so much as whisper
what was afoot To-day the submarine re-
mains merely as stern corrective, curbing
waste and extravaganza, bracing the ma
TONS nerve. The ingenuity of man is
boundless, and science has not yet said her
last word; human courage and devoted valor
alone seem to have reached a point there
is no transcending. 1t was these two fac
tors which stemmed the flood at the mo-
meut of supreme crisis; on these the veil is
at last lifted and the tale now told in all
simplicity and TRUTH