davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18

up the ground and swapping in the air.
Then shrapnel butted in. The music
was hot and Tommy danced.
The covering party was having
rough time of it; they had no cover;
just had to take their medicine.
Word was passed down the line to
beat 1t for our trenches. We needed no
urging; grabbing our tools and stoop-
ing low, we legged it across No Mans
Land. The covering party got away
to a poor start but beat us in. They
must have had wings because we low
cred the record.
Painting and out of breath, we tum-
bled into our front-line trench. 1 tore
my hands getting through our wire,
but, at the time, didn't notice it; my
journey was too urgent.
When the roll was called we found
that we had gotten it in the nose for
G3 casualties.
Our artillery put barrage on Fritz
frOnt-line and communication trenches
and their machine-gun and rifle fire
suddenly ceased.
Upon the cessation Of this fire,
stretcher bearers went out to look for
killed and wounded. Next day we
learned that 21 Of our men had been
killed and 81 wounded. Five men were
missing; lost in the darkness, they
must have wandered over into the Ger
man lines, where they were either
killed or captured.
Speaking Of, stretcher bearers and
wounded, it is very hard for the aver
age civilian to comprehend the enor-
nous cost Of taking care of wounded
and the war in general. He or she gets
so accustomed to seeing billions of dol
lars in print that the significance Of
the amount is passed over without
thought.
From an official statement published
in one Of the London papers, it is
stated that it costs between six and
seven thousand pounds ($3O,O00 to $685.
OOO) to kill or wound a soldier. This
result was attained by taking the cost
of the war to date and dividing it by
the killed and wounded.
1t may sound heartless and inhuman,
but it is fact, nevertheless, that from
military standpoint it is better for q
man to be killed than wounded.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
CHAPTER XIV.
Picks and ShoveIs.

Picks and Shovels.
had not slept long before the sweet
voice of the sergeant Informed that
''Ne. section had clicked for another
blinking digging party" smiled to
myself with deep satisfaction. I had
been promoted from mere digger to
a member Of the Suicide club, and was
exempt from all fatigues. Then came
an awful shock. The sergeant looked
over in my direction and said:
"Don't you bomb throwers think you
are wearing top hats out here. Cord
in to orders you've been taken up on
the strength of this section, and will
have to do your bit with the pick and
shovel, same as the rest Of u.s."
I put up a howl on my way to get
my shovel, but the only thing that re-
suited was a loss Of good humor on
my part.
We fell in at eight o'clock, outside
of our billets, a sort Of masquerade
party. I was disguised as a common
laborer, had a pick and shovel, and
about one hundred empty sandbags.
The rest, about two hundred in ALL
were equipped likewise picks, shovels,
sandbags, rifles and ammunition.
The party moved out in column Of
fours, taking the road leading to the
trenches. Several times we had to
string out in the ditch to let long col
III rs of limbers, artillery and supplies
get past.
The marching, under these condi-
tions, was necessarily slow. Upon ar
rival at the entrance to the communi-
cation trench, looked at my illum1-
mated wrist watch-it was eleven
o'clock.
Before entering this trench, word
was passed down the line, mo talking
or smoking, lead off in single file, COW
ering party first"
This covering party consisted of 30
men, armed with rifles, bayonets,
bombs, and two Lewis machine guns.
They were to protect us and guard
against a surprise attack while dig
ging in No Mans Land.
Lie IACHNh HCo
about half a mile long, a zigzagging
ditch, eight feet deep and three feet
wide.
Now and again, German shrapnel
would whistle overhead and burst in
our vicinity. We would crouch against
the earthen walls while the shell frag-
ments slapped" the ground above us.
Once Fritz turned loose with a ma
chine gun, the bullets from which
"cracked'' through the air and kicked
up the dirt on the top, scattering sand
and pebbles, which, hitting our steel
helmets, sounded like hailstones.
Upon arrival in the fire trench an
officer Of tie Royal Engineers gave us
our instructions and acted as guide.
We were to dig an advanced trench
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18

There are so many instances of he
roic deeds performed under fire in res
cuing the wounded that it would take
several books to chronicle them, but /
have to mention one instance per-
formed by chaplain, Captain Hall by
name, in the brigade on our left, be-
cause it particularly appealed to me.
A chaplain is not fighting man; he
is recognized as a nOncombatant and
carries no arms. In charge or trench
raid the soldier gets feeling Of con-
fidence from contact with his rifle, re-
volver, or bomb he is carrying. He has
something to protect himself with,
something with which he can infiict
harm on the enemy-in other words,
he is able to get his own back.
But the chaplain is empty-handed,
and is at the mercy Of the enemy If
he encounters them, so it is doubiy
brave for him to go over the top, under
fire, and bring in wounded. Also a
chaplain is not required by the kings
regulations to go over in charge, but
this one did, made three trips under
the hottest kind of fire, each time re-
turning with a wounded man on his
back. On the third trip he received
q bullet through his left arm, but never
reported the matter to the doctor until
late that night-just spent his time ad-
ministering to the wants Of the wound
ed lying on stretchers.
The chaplains Of the British army
are a fine, manly set Of men, and arc
greatly respected by Tommy.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Farmers Write Insurance.

Farmers cooperative fire insurance
companies to the number Of about e.
900 are now in existence. They have
about $5,3OO,OOO,OO0 of insurance in
force, This means that the farmers
companies are now insuring more than
two-fifths of all the insurable farm
property in the United States. The
average cost of insurance in these COM
panies is about 26 cents per hundred
dollars per year.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18

for a cooperative organization should
be ascertained in the preliminary sur
vey, as well as the amount of business
available, and the attitude Of the peo-
pie in the community toward co-Opera-
tive undertakings. The existing agen-
cies which the proposed organization
intends to replace or supplement should
be studied to determine whether they
are rendering satisfactory service, and
information should be gathered rela-
tive to the outlets for the products to
be marketed and the sources Of sup
plies to be purchased.
The department of agriculture is
glad to advise with communities desir-
ing to organize for cooperative under
takings.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Keeping Harness in Repair.

The tools and facilities required for
keeping harness in repair are compara-
lively simple and inexpensive. A con-
siderable portion of the repair work
on harness can be performed by the
aid of tools required for other pur-
poses, but there are few special de-
vices that ara desirable.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18

one imagined. just cussing and blind
ing all the way. We were covered with
white dust and felt greasy from sweat.
The wooden underwear issued was
itching like the mischief.
After eating our dinner Of stew,
which had been kept for us-it was
now four o'clock-we went into the
creek and had another bath.
If "Holy Joe" could have heard our
remarks about the divisional baths
and army red tape he would have
tainted at our wickedness. But Tom
my is only human after all.
just mentioned "Holy JOe'' or the
chaplain in an irreverent sort Of way,
but no offense was meant, as there
were some very brave men among
them.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
BOSTON Wool Quotations.

n.-Wool-Scoured basis:
Texas-Fine II months, SLIP OLE;
fine months, $1.50@1.55.
Territory-Fine staple, $1.SO@1.83;
half blood combing, $1.63@ @1.68; three
eighths- blood combing. $14O@1.45;
dium clothing, $1.55 q 1.6O.
Pulled-Extra, $1.SO@185; AA, $1.70
@1.SO; A superfine, $1.6O@1.65.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Chicago Grain and Provision Prices.

Chicago.-Corn-No. 8 yellow, $1.6O
@1.63; No. yellow, $3.50.
Oats-No. white, 77% @79hc;
standard, 1871 @79hc...
Barley-$1. 35 q 1.67.
imothy-$5. 00@8.00.
Clover-$19.00@27 @27.00.
Lard-$25.40.
RibS-$23.20@23.82.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
SHEEP OR DoGs-WHICH?

Why don't you keep sheep on
your farm?
Afraid dogs will kill them!
Can't keep stray dogs and
sheep in the same county.
That means that the stray
sheep-killing dog must go, in
your neighborhood.
Pass a good dog law.-United
States Department of Agricul-
ture.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
MISCELLANEOUS MARKETS.
Prices for Metals.

New York.-Lead-$7.00 7.121A.
Copper-$23.121
Bar silver-991ac.
st. Louis.-Spelter, $7.OO@7.25.
Boulder.-Tungste concentrates, 60
per cent, $20.OO@22.5O per unit. Crude
ores, 60 per cent, $22.00@25.00; 25 per
cent, $12.OO@12.5O; 10 per cent, $1,000
IL 20.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Kansas City Produce.

Kansas City. - Butter - Creamery.
4O12c; firsts, 3919c; seconds, 3Sc; pack
ing, 29c.
Eggs-Firsts, SIC.
Poultry-Hens, 23c; roosters. Is u G.:
1918 broilers, 40c.
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Grain In Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, nn.-Rye-$2.24@ q 80
Barley-$1. Is @ 1.62.
Corn-No; 8 yellow, $1.5S@1.65.
Oats-No. 3 white, 741a @751ac.
Flax-$3. ~ O 3.981a.
Flour-Fifty cents lower. In carload
lots, standard flour $9.05 a barrel in
98-pound cotton sacks
Butter, Eggs, Potatoes and Poultry.
Chicago. - Butter - Creamery, 35 @
Eggs-Firsts, 32K K@33Ac; ordinary
firsts, 31A @32c; at mark, cases in
cluded 81 h Q32 Bc.
Potatoes-Wisconsin Michigan and
Minnesota. bulk, 9Oc@$1.O5; do, sacks,
Poultry-Fowls. 261ac: springs, zee
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
HAY AND GRAIN MARKET.
IF. o. B. Denver. Carload Price.)

Hay.
Buying PriceS-per Ton.
Colo. upland, per ton. SIS. 8.00Q 1000
Nebr. upland, per ton..... 1900 1900
Prairie hay (new CROP,
Colo. and Nehr., per ton. 1900 @ 1870
Timothy. per ton. 2O.O0Q21.00
Alfalfa, per ton ......... 1900 % 18.O0
South Park, per ton....... 20.00W21.O0
Gunnison Valley, per ton. 1890 % 2O.00
Straw, per ton ............ 500
Oats. Nebr., 100 lbs, buying. $3.50
Colo, oats, bulk, buying. .......... ESQ
Corn chop, sack, selling. ........ 3.33
Corn in sack, selling. g........... $3.50
Gluten feed, sacked, selling. .....: 2:97
Bran, Colo, per 100 lbs, selling. 177h
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
DRESSED POULTRY.

Flour.
Hungarian patent, SO lbs, sacked,
subject to discount $4.95
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Butter.

Creameries, ex. 1st grade, h.. 43
Creameries, I'd grade, h.. .. 40
Process .............. ...36 Q31
Packing stock 49,. ...........2S Q29
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Eggs.

Eggs, graded No. l net, F.
0. B. Denver. ............ .33
Eggs, graded No. 2 net, F.
o B. Denver. "a
Eggs, case count. misc.
cases, less commissioning 9.3OQ9.5O
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
vegetables.

Apples, cold, new fancy, box. 1.25 % 800
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Live Poultry.

(Priceo net F. Q. 3. DenVer.)
Roosters Id. .................10 Q15
Turkeys, 10 lbs. Or over. ..26 Q3O
Hens @26
DUCKS, young ...............'Z5 VIo
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18
Empey tells of many ways the
soldiers have Of amusing them
selves, In the next lnstalIment.

(To BE CONTINUED.l
The Benson signal., 1918-05-18

by sinking Of the Lusitana with the loss of
lives Arthur Guy Empy American living Jersey City,
England the British After
experience officer London
training
the fronne trenches where he takes
while bullets whz overhead Empey
death always the trenches
trench digger
in No Mans Land
New-York tribune., 1918-11-03
Le.Uis Charges
Manslaughter in
Tunnel Horror

District Attorney Harry E. Lewis
started proceedings yesterday to fix the
criminal responsibility for the B. X. T.
tragedy. He promised to take drastic
action against those responsible for the
disaster.
Mayor Hylan will sit as commit
ting magistrate during the John Doe
proceedings, which will be continued
tomorrow afternoon. Yesterday( in
the Flatbush Police Court, he sat as
magistrate when Mr.. Lewis filed an
affidavit charging manslaughter in the
second degree against John Doe and
Richard Doe. The affidavit was sworn
to by Police Inspector McElroy. The
District Attorney asked the Mayor to
Issue subpoenas for the examination of
witnesses. These witnesses will be in
terrogated tomorrow.
The Mayor intmated he wanted ac-
tion not only against the crew in i'm
mediate charge of the death train, but
also against officers Of the railroad
responsible for placing packed train
of five wooden cars in charge of incom-
petent men. Three of the crew are
under arrest.
BY way of explanation for his ex-
traordinary action in sitting as n
magistrate Mayor Hylan when he won't
up to tse bench made the following
statement:
after giving serious consideration
to the frightful catastrophe which oc-
cured on the Brighton Beach line of
the Brooxlyn Rapid Transit Company,
which resulted in the death of almost
one hundred of our citizens, / have
come to the conclusion that public
necessity requires that l sit as COM
mitting magistrate to investigate tde
circumstances surrounding this acci-
dent.
Lewis in Charge
II have asked District Attorney
Lewis to take charge Of the investiga-
ton and aid in placing the responsi-
bility.
Assistant United States Attorney
France, of Brooklyn, has started an in
vestigation of the alleged attitude Of
defiance on the part Of B. r. T. Of
ficials to the recommtndations made
some weeks ago by the War Board
in Washington that several Jewish em-
ployes discharged because Of absence
durig the Jewish holidays be rein
stated.
Mr. France said if his investigation
proves the correctness of these charges
New-York tribune., 1918-11-03
What Is Going On To-day

zacnis. mas meeting. Regent Theatre 10th Street
and kc~snth Avenue, 10 a. H.; Address by Pro
fessor Talccts Williams
Address United War Work CampdRn,' Free
Synagogue. Carnegie Hall. 1880 r. M. by. Jacob
Billikops
Address before Freo Synagogue. Carnegie Hail. lol5
T. ~. By DR.. stephen II W1sc On Winning tho
War ard Losing tho Peace"
Addrrss by Major Ficrcns H. La Guardia Insti,,-
tionsl synagogue. io:A5 q M. on What Have
Seen Abroad"
Services At Old First Presbyterian Church. Fifth
Avenue and Eleventh Street. II a. u.: incorpora-
ucn cciebrstior..
Address by Or. Leo Jacobs. II a. m. Woodstock
Branch Public library. 753 East l6oth Street. on
"a Real Leader Unfoilowed; Socrates"
Address by Dr. Felix Adler at Society for Ethical
Culture u New York. II O'clock Central Park
West and Six,y-suIrth strvt. on Mems Thoughts
About God In tho Ashi OF tho Great War"
Rsttncasion meeting Of Socialist rarty Hunts Point
Pa1arc. 1854 Street and Southern Bouleyard The
Hrpox p. m. TO be addressed by Charles W.
Efvfn and others
Address by Charles ". Hsvin and soqts Nearing u.
New-York tribune., 1918-11-03
Motornan Qualified, Says Williams,
Ran Train Without Marker Lights

Colonel Timothy S. Williams, presi-
dent Of the B. r. r., issued the follow
ing statement after conference with
officials Of the company:
"1t has been impossible yet for our
officials to ascertain the cause Of the
accident except that it was due to a
derailment, because they have thus far
been excluded from the investigation
on the ground and from communication
with most Of the train crew. So far
as your specific inquiry relates to the
qualifications Of the motorman, my in
formation is that Lewis was appointed
guard in Decmeber, 1914; was made
crew dispatcher last January, and early
in September, 1918, he qualified as
motor switchman. A motor switchman
is a motorman who Is generally used
in the yard but is qualified to make
trips on the main line, and who from
the main line. When say that he
qualified as motor switchman / mean
that he had the necessary instruction
Tor operating hfalnS ana nad gone
through preliminary experience in
running trains on not only the
, Brighton Beach Line but on the Gull
! yer and Bay Ridge lines.
Explains Mistake in Route
"In answer to your further specific
inquiry as to his running by the switch
j on the Fulton Street elevated at Frank
lin Avenue, am advised that the facts
are as follows:
"The train was running with the
marker lights out. Therefore the
towerman did not know whether this
train was Fulton Street or Brigh-
ton Beach train, and set the switches
New-York tribune., 1918-11-03

Socialist rally. Beethoven Hall. Fifth Street. nea,
Third Avenue 2:l5 .. m.
Lecture BY Scot. Nearing and. Ascmon Ice. Poo
on Issues OF the Campaign -
United War Work campaign meeting Madison
Square Garden. $3.50 y. m
Address By DR.. S. Parkes Cadman. Z NJ c. A.
Bedford Avenue and Monroe Street Brooklyn. o.,
Americanism or Partisanship.' $3.50 g. NJ
Meeting at Church OF Silent Demand i0;45 A. m
Address ey Hon. Frank +, Walsh OF Nation Al
war Labor board, p. m.. the Great Hall Coope1
Union. Oh The Work Of the Labor Policy Board :"
Mo1iorah Forum ut Hunter College Auditorium Sly
ty-elghth Street and Lexington Avenue. D. m.
ON DEMONSTRATION In Pasestine.'
Performance for benefit CT the Nay Rones Society.
Hippodrome.
Raising OF 39-star service nag al Timrc sou.rs ,o
Sighting newsboys. O'Clock
OPENING os Fres synasosus Forum % West Eighty
Whitman smith, s:l5
address s BY 8 : Rasclitre at Messiah Forum Park
= land and Ehsland: To-day and To-rno7rosrss.
Sermon by DR.. W. Moford r Duncan yANo-th
Episcopal Church. Reid Avenue ana Nonroc
street, Hroohlyn. on Socialism and the Indictsd
Candidate -' .'''s'su
PUBLIC LECTURES OF BOARD OF EDJTCArroN
MANHATTAN
Irving High School. 80 Irving Place. $50 D. m
The Rise Of DAVID Novsck the Dortor' :. NJ. ~
Anzia Lcvitas. Public School ioI. liith s,nYs
west o8 Lexington Avenue 0'
Oresn recital. w. a. Raboch. Morr1s H,sh School,
losth Street and Boston Road. 2 .. m
New-York tribune., 1918-11-03

| " HERE is an artist in Washington
Square who is writing present his
tory in an unusual way. A needle
is her recording instrument, and in
filmy lsces she is tracing for posterity
the course Of immediate events. In doing
this Miss Marion Powys, of the Devon
shire Lace Shop, so Washington Square
South, is not only creating things beau
tiful, but, breaking the historical prece-
dents Of lace making.
"Lace makers are frightfully con-
| servative," says this Devonshire maid.
who has come to the United States to
have freer scope for her imaginative
designs. Before the war could
hardly get the Englishwomen to make
my lace designs. They will stick to
the same patterns for generations,
handing them down in the family for
use. But once in a while somebody
! will break away and strange designs
appear which will later establish the
age of the lace"
Miss Powys has introduced the air.
plane into her patterns. One day she
/ was sitting at her window stitching
when overhead there flew the first ma
chine. of the squadron which was es
corting the funeral cortege of Major
John Purroy Mitchell.
etched against the clouds, the
planes Immediately sprang into my
mind as lace design. could scarcely
wait to work it out" she said.
On fine net fichu the airplane bor-
der has since been executed by hand
in the pillow lace Of ancient Devon.
The planes have their noses buried in
circles of soft cloud and the design is
repeated around the entire scarf.
Thus, according to Miss Powys, has
history been written before by lace
makers who wearied Of the old pat
terms. She has bedspread, for ex-
ample, of sixteenth century Spanish
filet lace, whose age is established by
the Tarnassian bull with lyre-like horns
and the figure Of Pelago, who drove out
the Moors.
"These figures were inserted into the
design like my airplane Probably the
maker had no more intention of being
an historian than had. But some day
the airplane pattern Of the Mitchell
funeral may be the way of identifying
our twentieth century lace"
SG'~H HE first thing which an Amer
l. lean soldier does on furlough is
France is to find an American woman
who can speak English" said a canteen
worker not long returned for overseas.
"And then, having found her, he will
insist that she take him shopping.
Sometimes one woman will have to take
as many as twenty-five men at timc
on a visit to the French shops"
This desire to "send something home"
is as old as the first tourist. Yet
among all the efforts on the part of
New Workers. to make the visiting SOL
New-York tribune., 1918-11-03

| for Fulton Street. Lewis accepted
this signal and ran short distance
past the signal. and when he found
| that his train was going up Fulton
Street he stopped and notified the
towerman that his train was destined
to Brighton Beach. Then, in order to
get this train on to the Brighton
face of traffic, the train was operated
east in Fulton Street to clear the in
terlocking and the motorman reversed
ends and operated his train west across
the cross-over 50 as to get into "a prop
er position to permit Of operating his
train on to the proper track Of the
Brighton Beach line. While to a pas
senger this might seem to be a COM
plicated movement it was the proper
movement under the circumstances at
this injunction in the iterests of
safety"
Offers Funeral Expenses
After being informed by reporters
of the financial distress of the families
of some of the victims of the wreck,
Colonel Williams sent the following
letter to Borough. President Riegcl-
mann.
"My dear MI. Riegelmann:
~ am informed that the families Of
some of the unfortunate victims of
last nights accident have not the nee
essary funds to arrange for burial
| and that some of the injured may pos
sibly be not able to pay for proper
medical treatment, and that you are
proposing to raise fund for such
purposes.
~ desire to say to you, on behalf of
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company,
that you may draw on US for any
amount so reOuired
"Please consider that the above offer
is made without regard to any claims
that any Of those injured or their
families may have by reason of the
above accident"