Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-15
SHRAPNEL.
The War and After.
by
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

! When the British bantam detach-
| ment went to the front the old British
| veteran very frankly said:
How can they stand up before the
huge Prussians?"
| And the Prussian asked:
| How can we hit 'em?"
| Here's a description Of the American
soldier by the distinguished Hamilton
| Fyfe, which, though well intentioned,
will bring smiles to the average
| American reader who is q little better
acquainted with the American dough-
boy. He says:
Their minds are quick, and they
have devil-may-care attitude in the
face Of danger. Many Of them hay
been fighting nature in the forest or
on the prairie. They have had to
learn to defend themselves against
wild animals They have handled shot
guns since they were boys. They have
ridden horseback since their child
hood"
And there are over a million such
men in France at this moment-with
more to follow!
| The King Of England keeps in close
touch with the happenings in parlia-
! ment. Not only does he receive re
ports of official character over the
wires. ticker fashion. and through the
house. in his own handwriting, each
day prepares a gist Of what has
transpired and forwards it to the
monarch.
| A party Of slightly wounded men
were being taken to a base hospital
on big but much overcrowded motor
lorry. The vehicle swerved and jos
tied lot, and the pretty little nurse
in charge found it impossible to avoid
an OCCASIONAL slight collision as she
moved about among her patients.
| Il hope 1 am not hurting any of
YOU" she said at length.
| you're hurting. me q lot" replied
one of the soldiers.
But l am nowhere near you." ex-
claimed the nurse Indignantly.
That's what's hurting me-" was the
| calm reply.
| Field Marshal Haig depends upon
| experts to develop his plans and ar
range those subordinating his own.
Masters Of light ships in European
waters, where 1t has been necessary
to keep things pretty much In dark
ness, constantly are imperiled by
allied merchant vessels and their con-
voys. they cut US pretty thin some
times" said the keeper of one of these
ships.
The transport of shells requires
great labor. In commenting upon the
work entaiied one sailor said:
There's sonly one day in the year
when the sailornan really earns the
more or. less magnificent salary the
benevolent government pays or owes
him, and that's the day they get
aboard the ammunition-the food for
the guns"
! And If you were a bluejacket. you
would agree with him-though you
might differ as to the ammunitioning
But it is the hardest-worked one,
! there is no gainsaying.
4 When I tell you that seven hundred
! three-Quarter-ton shells lie in the
! shellroom of one of our bigger gun
turrets. you will have some idea Of Il 9
work this stowage entails. Multiply
this by five, and try to calculate the
number of tons lightweight that are
handled in the ten or so working
hours, and you will see why the old
opinion that, at least on ammunition
ing day, the sai1orman earned his
pay.
But handling shells is not all the
work. They have first to be sorted.
Each gun in the ship is allowed "by
shells Of various kinds-so many COM
! mon, so many shrapnel, SO many ar
mouf- capped and 9TH
ers uncapped, and 30 many htgh-ex-
plosive lyddite. together with quota
for practice. and a few common shot
| Flares usually are fired from a pis-
! toll with a one-inch bore resembling
/ somewhat q sawed off shotgun.
4 Once when Mai Bishop. the premier
/ f1ier Of England, was engaged in
thrilling aerial battle over the west
ern front German got under him
to the rear, and the situation was in
deed desperate. Notwithstanding this
| the English fiier kept cool and even
/ thought Of an amusing verse from
| the Lobster Quadrille." which goes
| something like this:
won't you waR . little faster.''
Said q whiting to . snail
| THERE'S . perpose clope behind -
! Ard bee trading On my tail"
Bishop finally disposed Of his an
1 tagonist
The depth bomb explodss with triple
/ conclusion like . salvo OF 14-inch
guns.
Thffty-two thousand songs were
submitted to the former kaiser In the
contest arranged to choose q new ma
tional anthem.
1 WAA AAASH. ta~nk