davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
LIEUT.. JOE LACEY
 WRITES INTERESTING LETTER FROM FRONT
Bessemer Boy Describes Life in Trenches and De
 picts Cannon Activity in Graphic Style

The following letter from Lieut.. Joe Lacey of Bessemers who is with the field artillery in France. will prove in teresting and particularlySso to friends in Bessemer:
 q am almost a veteran now, for this is the third battle l have been in since the 1st of August, and every one is bet fer than the others. Have been in this last one for about 12 days and if it keeps up much longer l will be an old man. There isn't a chance for fel- low. to get more than TOUT or five hours sleep a night, and even when lie could sleep there is so much noise and so many gas alarms it keeps one awake all the time Here is my schedule ana YOU can see from it that l am about all in most of the time: l go to bed at ?. m.. and get up at p. m, ana am on duty all day. Some nights l am as busy as can be and l haroly have time to smoke, and often don't have smokes. We have two phones in our command post and they ring all night. If l want one man l call for 'Depravity' and to get another Will ask for Debt on so on.
 Last week I was In dugout and heard a lieutenant answer the phone, and this is the way he answered it; "Pinocle z; Mable speaking" You see we must do everything. to keep the Huns from finding out what outfit Is fighting them. Will tell you some of the little details of the last fight and hope they will prove to be interest ing. and am sorry that you can't be over here to see some of the things that have seen recently. Here's the way the battle started:
 BIG GUNS GALORE
 'We had what seemed to be all ths artillery in the world, big guns, little guns and all kinds of guns. Every
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
AIR MAIL CARRIER FLIES FORTY MILES
 THROUGH SNOWSTORM

Washington. November 5.-The first touch of winter flying conHtions in the air mail service between New York and Washington was encountered yes- terday by Ed Gardner, who left New York in a cold rain and later flew 40 ,fhiles through a snowstorm at 1000 feet. The snow was so dense he could not see tho wings of his machine.
 Arrangements to combat winter fly ing conditions are being made by the postoffice department Tn the securing of electrically heated clothing and the installation of individual heating plants for each mail motor in the hans gars Equipment also has been de- vised for control of the planes on sleet and ice on the ground.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
Present Open Warfare Has
 Led to Strange Situation

sobbing cry Of joy, she hurled herself into his arms
 The correspondents car was already moving away, for outsiders were nof needed to complete the scene. And thus they were left. the nurse beaning on the happy couple and the curly-headed youngster looking with round, troubled eyes at this strange man who had ap- propriated her mother so completely without a word.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
COMPRISING PRICES FIXED

Washington, November 5.--A price of 15 cents per 100 pounds for compressing cotton to load 75 bales per 36-foot standard freight car, was fixed today by the price-fix- ing committee of the war indus tries board, meeting with represen- tatives of cotton compress com panies The price takes effect i'm mediately, and will remain in force until July 31, 1919.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
Wage Increase Asked
 for Wire Operators

Washington. November b.-S. J. Konenkamp. president of the Commer- cial Photographers Union of America, today filed petitions with the war labor board on behalf of members of the union employed by the Interna- tional News Service and the United Press associations, asking for hear ing on their application for an in- crease in wages.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
|CUTICURA SOAP | AND OINTMENT
 Heal Eczema On Baby's Face. | Itched So Badly Scratched. l Cost Only 75 Gents.

When my baby was two weeks old l her face broke out like heat. was told it was eczema. It came as rash and her face was sore and infiancd. It itched so badly that she scratched until it would bleed, and looked rough and scaly. She was cross and fretful, and she could not sleep and she would keep me awake.
 I II saw Cuticura advertised and sent for free sample. l bought more, and when l had used one cake of Cuticura Soap and one box of Cuticura Oint- ment she was healed" (Signed) Mrs. Jamie Campfield. Shaken. N. C..
 Feb. IS, 1918.
 Prevent further trouble by using Cuticura Soap for all tSilet purposes.
 Sample Each Free hy Nsn. Address post-esrd t.scuticura, Dept. H Boston" Sold everywhere Soap 25c. Ointment 8 and 6oc. Talcum 1sc-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06
FAMOUS HOTEL MAN
 DIES IN SWITZERLAND


 New York. November y5.-Caeser Ritz, who established the Ritz system of hotels in prominent cities in Europe and the United States. died last night at 8 sanitarium in Lucerpe. Switzer- land, according to a cab1egram re- ceived here tonight.
 Mir Ritz was born in Switzerland 70
 years ago and for the last five years resided in Lucerne. He was proprietor
 of hotels bearing his name in London,
 Paris. Madrid, Budapest, New York and Philadelphia. He Is survived by his widow, who Is the manager of the Hotel Ritz in Paris, and a son, Charles, nov pri- vate in the American army and sta- toned at Camp Wheeler, Ga.
 Letters to American Federation of La bor headquarters from Latin-American trade unionists indicate that the or ganized labor international conference at Laredo, Tex, next November will be I an epoch making event.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06

Of Unit l. Fort Barrancas artillery replacement division, c. A. C.. now in service with the big guns in France. A letter to his sister, Miss Louise Vim of this city, tells of stormy voyage across the Atlantic, in which his ship was in collision with another vessel. From information received his family surnise that he was with the convoy rom which the ill-fated Otranto was lost in collision off the Isle of lsmay. Scotland. when over 300 men of the coast artillery went to death within sight of land
 Sergeant winn was rAred in Bir- mingham, is IS years old and has been m the service two years. He Is . graduate of the Martin school and a m ember of the Fountain Heights Meth- odist church and Sunday school.
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30
Just Dovctailing = That's All
Uncle Ernpoym dEm
Together

.orth A train Of eight cars was
secured, six for white men and two
for Negroes. Rations were one of
the first considerations An initial
supply Of $500 sandwiches was
placed aboard the train, together
with coffee plenty Of drinking wa
ter and 50 ON. 1t was arranged 10
have the stock of food replenished
at various points enrOute. Four
men in each car were picked 10 act
as keepers of the larder. and they
were given the somewhat ticklish
job Of seeing that every man got his
share and was kept satisfied and
contented during the journey No
intoxicauts were permitted. and the
car foreman was instructed TO keep
the men amused and occupied In
order 10 do this effectively ne had TO
have a touch of the vaudeville artist
in him.
When the train reached AIexan-
lria. Va. army motor trucks met the
workmen and carried them out
through the woods 10 Camp HUM
phreys. There they found square
meal waiting for them. and good
nights rest afterward The next
day they began work.
Placing $4,000 Men a Month.
Since the reorga nization of the
federal employment service last
January. by which it was made a
separate arm of the department Of
Ia bor. the number of branch Offices
has been more than treDled. The
service is now the nation official
machine for recruiting and distri5ut-
ing labor for war production and is
placing workers in shipyards. muni-
ton plants, or farms. and IN other
var industries at the rate OF between
1900 and $4,000 a month
The organization OF the service IS
very complete. The country Is d.
vided into Is employment districts.
each Of which is supervi sed by d dis
trict superintendent. Under him are
the state directors. who are usually
also the state labor commissioner.
and are carefully chosen after rec
defense and by prominent employ
ers and labor leaders Each Office
has its own manager and ONCE force.
The public service reserve Is the
recruiting section Of the organization.
IL has a national director III Wash
ington and subordinate director in
each state. Usually the state direc-
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

the handful OF American soldiers
who have come home wounded is
that you never hear a word OF self
pity from them about their injuries
/ heard them grumble about trivial
things, the hot weather. the
Chow" or the infrequency of pass
es But that kind OF grumbling il
all in a days work. il is a tradition
Of the military life. and there is an
undercurrent Of drollery in il.
The important fact 10 these men
is that they had a hard job to do.
and dirty job, and they did their
best. They are not going back 70
the war their lighting days are nm
ished. But they have not a shadow
OF doubt that success will uIti-
mately reward our efforts. They
have seen our men fighting on the
Lorraine front They know the ex-
eruons of which those men are
capable, and the will that Is driving
them on to victory.
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30
BY Donald L. Breed.

II you want 20 see a look OF utter
and complete amazement spread
over the fare OF fellow being. then
ask a soldier who has been in
France whether he thinks the allies
viii win military victory.
/ saw this look OF wonder In the
face OF a man who had been az
Cambria and Bapaume. lie is Pri-
waite c.. Of the 18th engineers.
and he is now at Walter Reed hos
pital, in Washington, undergoing a
treatment which will render him al
most as sound as he was before he
got mis- wound.
Certainly we're going 20 win. q"
he said. But not this summer and
not This year. I don't know when
it'H be. but we're going 20 end the
war on German soil There's no
other way out OF IT, We've got to
whip them back inside their own
boundaries"
Private c. was before Cam
brai in the famous battle OF Nov.
20 10 30. 1917
At least. we thought IL was quite
battle then ne grinned That
was before we knew what real
battle was like"
Bringing Up the Tanks.
The 18th engineers were given
che job OF bringing up big battery
Of tanks by way OF getting ready for
a drive on the German positions i'm
front OF Cambria First they had
~ lay tracks. There were tracks
by the score. stretching out and
touching the rear of the lines at
every point They reached out like
the arms OF an octopus. The laying
OF track was 20 well systematized
that the ties and steel rails went
down like ma gic After the tracks
came the long trains. with the tanks
oaded on fiat cars. These trains
We're backed into the spurs and
runways were laid from one car to
another. a structure OF tim bers
was built under each car 10 re-
inforce it. and then the whole long
line OF tanks was rolled off the
train.
over here there's lot Of ex-
element over one single tank {"
said Private c. We saw them
there by the dozen and by the hun
dred. Why, / would have relished
the sight OF a Packard limousine,
just for the sake Of a change"
The unloading OF trainfuI Of
tanks sounds cay enough. as de-
picted by one who helped do il. but
there were bitches once in a while
Sometimes a tank ran amuck, and
several of the cars gave way. and
the timbering had TO be done over
again.
At the chosen time the offensive
began 10 was big offensive for
those days, and il succeeded we'll at
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

tor OF the public service reserve is
also the state director of the en-
ployment service Every country is
organized and headed 10y a county
director, and there are enrolment
agents IN nearly every township
about 10000 in all Mr. William 4.
Hall. the national director. is also
the national head of the Bows Work
ing Reserve. which is listing and
placing on farms boys Of between
Is and y years of age
recent statement by Sir. John
B. DensmOre, director general Of
the employment service. explains
graphically the operations of the
public service reserve. Mr.. Dens-
more says
Sends Men 10 Shipyards.
This u how the reserve works
Last January the shipping board
asked the department Of la Dor "a
find IL 10000 men skilled in trades
used in shipbuilding who could be
called they We're needed The
reserve machinery was put in mo-
ton. with the result that more than
2s5.000 men were enrolled This
reserve is now being drawn upou.
In the month ending May p, about
$4,000 had been sent 10 the va rds
Today every shipyard in the United
states = using the employment ser
vice exclusively or in part 10 get
workers OF all kinds But the pub
lie service reserve is doing more
than getting shipbuilders II has en-
rolled altogether more than 5000
men. and daily i enrolling hun
dreds more Men or unusual trades
and high skill have been found on
the reserve for industries with con
tracts from he war and navy de-
partments and for private employ
ers with war work a thousand or
more engineers and executives have
been found for the war department. 4"
a typical branch Office is q busy
place The Washington ONCE IS q
long carpeted room opening direct
Iy orr the sidewalk IN one OF the
5usy and accessible portions OF the
city On either side OF the room are
desks. bearing signs which indicate
the sort Of labor handled bv the
man III charge There is d desS
labeled skilled mechanics and help
ers." another for Common and IN
skilled labor" another for Farm
Service. and other officials take
care OF clerks, professional men
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30
A WONDER PHONOGRAPH
1907 PERFECT

and hotel and restaurant helpers.
All sorts Of men apr Tor positions
and every kind OF %. is asked for.
Side BY side on the managers desk
on June lay applications for COM
mon labor and q request for a sklll-
ed engineer 20 whom 8 600 q wear
would be paid. on the second story
is the Womans division. where fe-
male applicants for positions are
received.
Fitting the Man and tho Job.
our business is simply a matter
of doyetailing.' explained Mr. Kline
who has supervision Of the District
Of Columbia and of several counties
in Maryland and Virginia we gel
the calls for help and the calls for
jobs and We nt Them together By
means of our many Offices through
out the United States we are able
to keep in touch with the districts
where there happens 20 oe surplus
Of labor at the moment In the
District of Columbia labor is scarce.
To get men We have 70 20 through
the population with a dne-tootheI
comb. But 1 am glad 10 say that 81
have so far been able 10 handle the
local situation ana nnd the needed
workers"
In the month OF April $500 men
applied az this office alone OF
that number 4.lss were placed. The
others were registrants whose SER
vices were not Immediate. aEaslaole-
Yet the Washington office i- one OF
the smaller ones In tre same
month Chicago placed $3.50 WORK
men, San Francisco I1il4, and
Seattle l6.eI5.
As the work Of tne United states
employment service becomes better
known II is being more widely used.
The railroad administration is one
Of the new organizations 20 place an
It's requests for workers in the hands
of the service The Use of federa
employment system VIII 30 Far u
eliminate the pau.cky scramble
which has hitherto attended ans UNI
usual demands for labor. Another
splendid result will be the Eventual
sta naturalization OF wage scales anu
the supervision Of labor conditions.
Today every branch ofrce looks
carefully into the housing and work
ing conditions OF job before 70
supplies men 70 fu IT, Take it au
together. the United States empi0,
ment service is doi1g splendid
work M one or high Importance 1r
view Of the present great emergency.
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

"Our plant needs 10 workers. We
need them bad. If we can't get 10
of the right sort Wen have TO close
down"
The speaker was a factory owner
His plant was doing war work for the
government. 1t was matter OF
great moment 10 him TO till those 10
vacancies He had brought his
troubles TO Z. NJ. Kline, manager Of
the District Of Columbia employment
service station OF the department of
labor. and they were talking matters
over in Mr.. Kline's little Office IN the
rear end of the Pennsylvania avenue
storeroom, which is occupied by the
station. Did Mr.. Kline think he
could find 10 men?
Mr.. Kline thought he could He
got i'm touch with several of the
$50 other offices OF the department
OF Iabor's employment service, and
within a day he had located a sta
ton where there happened 20 be a
surplus of that kind of labor. The
next step was 10 send out TO that
particular office two men. a repre-
sentative OF the factory and rep
resentative of the department Of
labor. They interviewed the work
men. found them satisfactory, and
immediately made arrangements for
bringing them TO Washington TO
their new work.
Transporting Workmen by Hun
dreds
IL is a simple enough pro position
TO arrange for the transportation OF
10 men from a point in the middle
west TO the District of Colum bia. 1t
is another matter 10 move 500 men.
Yet that is the number which were
recently brought distance OF 1.12O
miles. from a district N the far
south 10 northern Virginia. TO help
build Camp Humphreys.
one Of the contractors and man
from the department OF labor went
down TO the southern Office where
these men were registered and pro-
vided for transporting them 20 the
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30
Pershng's Wounded Tell
How They Faced Big Guns
And Hun Mob At Cambria

the start. The British troops forged
ahead, and the engineers were kept
sweating 20 bring up the rear, build
tracks. and see that the roads were
passable. The spires OF Cambria,
only two and a half miles off. were
visible at last. and Private c., in
common with the rest Of the troops,
supposed that the retaking of the
city was only a matter Of hours
But, as everybody now knows,
Cambria was not retaken.
The Tide Turns.
I'VE saw a German sausage bal
loon sailing in our direction Pri-
vate c. said we thought il
was pretty queer, but we had no
time TO stop and figure out the rea-
son for it. Then, like a bomb, came
the order 10 retreat. ! was i'm a
dugout with a bunch Of fellows. and
we could see the men pouring down
the roads. The corporal SAYS. What
shall we dO2 It's sure death TO
crawl out in that open field. and if
We stay here Fritzie Will come
sneaking up and find US
Well We crawled out The cor
poral was killed the first crack. and
I got a rifle wound in the leg. II
wasn't bad. but, you see. ] couldn't
walk. I had wormed about there
expecting every minute to be picked
off i saw the Germans swarming
down the roads. and they were
sending scouting parties out into
the fields. Some OF them came and
looked at me, and / thought my
time had sure come But all they
did was give me a little kick and
make funny German noises in their
threats. and then they went away
again. I guess their scheme was TO
take me on 20 some prison camp af-
ter a while. After I was so thirsty
and weak that / thought ! was GO
I ing 10 die, one of them came along
and gave me a drink / didn't
know but it might De poisoned. but
I drank IL anyway, and it went
down all right.
After long time the columns
seemed 10 be turned. I looked down
to the roads. and the Germans were
coming back again. The reason for
that, we found out afterward, was
that the COldstream guards had
come up just in time. Besides the
Germans didn't like the terrain
What they were trying for was q
position on the ridge. and they
couldn't make it. / lay out in that
field for hours and hours. and the
swelling and the hunger and every
thing made me so faint that
didn't care what happened TO me.
Rescued at Last
There l was found by a couple
Of stretcher bearers. Ii was a long
way 70 the hospital, and by the time
got there the wound was so bad
that there was nothing 70 do but
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

put me 70 sleep and take the leg
off right below the knee II I'd
had TO wait another day, it would
have been good night for me"
Private C. had long period
OF convalescence in q Paris base
hospital and now ne has been sent
10 Walter Reed 10 be fitted with
new limb, so that he can, some day
work almost as we'll as If he had
never gone through the tragic eX-
perience which ne related TO me.
A much more narrowing story was
told me by a lad who was seriously
hurt in an air raid on field hospi-
tai, which was occupied by the
Harvard unit, one of the earliest re-
lief units 10 be sent over from this
country.
lie had one 10 sleep in a tent af-
ter a day OF strenuous work. He
was so tagged out that his head
had scarcely touched the pillow be-
fore he was off 10 dreamland. He
does not know how long he may
have been sleeping before a loud
explosion close at hand Jared him
rudely out Of his slumbers. He woke
up, da2ed, wondering whether the
noise was real CT whether it was an
Illusion Another bomb striking
close by made him sure on that
point Before he had time TO plan
a course Of action, a third bomb
came clean through the roof OF the
tent and hit the earth a rev feet
from him. II went off, i'm flash of
greenish light, emitting a disa agree
able smell. That was all he knew
for a few minutes When he re-
gained consciousness he was aware
of a strange numbness in his legs.
He looked down and saw that one
or them was pointing sideways in
an uncOuth fashion: il seemed 10
have been twisted around somehow
Fiendish Work of Germans.
When the hospital orderly came in
to look after him he was lying there
quietly. 1t really didn't seem 10
make much difference whether he
ever moved again. The orderly
brought some one 10 help him, and
ne was lifted and carried in 10 a
surgeon. As they took him through
the yard he saw aid being given 70
a Red Cross nurse who had been
knocked into unconsciousness by
the explosion of one of the shells.
AfterWard ne learned that there
had been a raid by enemy airplanes.
They had supposed a hospital would
be immune from such punishment,
but they had forgotten the kind of
foe they were lighting.
The surgeon examined him and
found that both legs had been very
much mangled Both were ampu-
tated. IL was an extreme measure.
but there was nothing else 10 do.
Thanks 10 the discoveries in mod
ern surgery, this boy too, Will some
day walk lie will walk upright
though ne will not be IDLE TO run or
leap or play tennis. He is going TO
be chemical engineer. and eX-
poets 10 20 TO the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology TO finish his
training He has been told that he
will he given such free use of his
new pair of legs that his engineer
ing career will be hardly interfered
with al all.
The most inspiring things about
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

and rice and meat products she
needs from east of Suez. And her
war craft see 10 it that il arrives.
In the meantime she is picking
her currants. and when she has fin
ished with them she viii give her
undivided attention 10 her one-time
ally Bulgaria.
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

Trading with advertisers
means mofpfor less cash.
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-12-06
QUAKE SHAKES
UP BUILDINGS
IN VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER. u. G.. Dec. 6.--An
earthquake was felt here at i2.4b "a.
m. Friday. II was Of two minutes
duration and was severe. A heavy
rumbling sounded during the inter
val. buildings swayed and furniture
and windows shook.
Apparently, the trcmor ran from
south 10 north. It's strength waking
everybody In tho city. and causing
many 10 rush out into the street In
alarm.
Telcgrnphic reports from Victoria
state that pronounced shock was
experienced at the same time In that
vicinity. during which houses shook
and windows ratified. Reports from
smaller communities In the vicinity
describe the shock.
Newspaper offices were called up
by alarmed people In the cities. which
were az first unable 10 inform them
as 20 the exact nature Of tho convui.
sion. Many at first believed II 10 be-
an explosion.