The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-19
| WAR THROBS |
HE SAVED AN HOUR
Lieutenant keilmann Tells OF
the Plan in France.
Topeka Officer There When
Clocks Were Set Back.
TRAINMEN PLAYED CARDS
Americans Couldn't Understand
Why Train stopped.
Then They Arrived in Camp
Ready for Breakfast.
BY EARL D. KEILMANN.

BY EARL D. KEILMANN.
(Lieutenant American c.. A. C. in France
now back in Kansas.)
Our train had not been making the
speed of the Twentieth Century Linn
tied but we had not expected that
any troop train would ever break any
records. We had been merely crawl
ing for the past hour and the fellows
were beginning to grumble when with
a creak and a bump we had stopped
altogether We waited for the series
of bumps that would mean we were
starting again, but no bumps came. a
We were two hours out of Paris now
and were due to arrive at M, where
we were to report, some time about
o'clock in the morning. After fIf-
teen minutes waiting for our train to
show signs of life again we got out
of the two by four compartments that
represent the luxury European first
class trains offer and strolled up to-
wards the engine to see if there was
not something wrong.
We saw no group of excited train
men fussing about and kDew that
there had been no accident. 1t was
quite by accident that we happened to
What we saw there caused us to near
ly give up the ghost with aStoniSh-
ment There sat the engineer, the
fireman and the conductor and the
:
cards. Evidences of their having just
finished lunch were plentiful.
Forty Minutes Yet.
One of our number climbed up and
stuck his head thru the window above
the engrossed group and suddenly
shouted in bad French, well you
have finished your lunch. can't you
his greasy clothes indicated that he
was the man who had most to do with
the machinery. turned his head and
calmly said, I'VE have forty minutes
yet" and drew another card from the
deck.
What did we do? Well, lust imag-
inc what twenty-eight Americans
would do under similar circumstances
We said a whole lot of things. Then
we rambled along the right of way
till we came to a little village, where
we found a safe open. There we
started a card game of our own
The peanut whistle of the little en-
CINE called us back and on thru the
night we q wish 1 could say sped. }
1t was still raining when we arrived
at NJ. We took one look at the
rain outside and thereafter an argu-
ment with the conductor-stayed in
the coaches rather than hunt any dry
place to sleep when we had one right
there.
The Secret
Our watches said it was O'Clock.
when we piled out of those pill boxes
and made hunt for the camp, the
next morning. BY luck we found a
real American car and a real Ameri-
can soldier driving it and myself with
two others, Immediately left for head
quarters There we met the adjutant,
who sent other cars for the rest and
asked US if we had had breakfast.
We replied that we had not, but
supposed, now since we had OVERSIGHT,
we would have to go without
Why" was the reply, "breakfas st
doesn't start for fifteen minutes vet
Great" was my rejoinder Eel
lows, we have hit a place where we
can sleep till every morning and get
away with it,
Seven" said the adjutant and look
ed at his wrist watch. There must be
some mistake. 1t is only six ten"
Then he laughed
Il know what is the. matter. You
see we have this daylight saving
scheme over here. Well, last night at
midnight, all the clocks were set back
just one hour"
That was why the train stonned