The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, March 29, 1918, Page THREE, Image 3
^ l==s
"Over the Top"
Mfc*
By An American Soldier
Who Went
. ARTHUR GUY EMPEY .
Machine Gunner Serving in France
P : jf
(Copyright, 1917, by Arthur Guy Umpej)
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I?Fired bv the news of the
Inking of "the Lusitani# by a German
submarine, Arthur Guy Empey, an Amerl>'
. can, leaves his office in Jersey City and
goes to England where he enlists in the
British army.
CHAPTER n?After a period of training,
Empey volunteers for immediate service
and soon finds himself in rest billets
l. "somewhere in France," where he first
r makes the acquaintance of the ever-preswjjx
ant t*cootlAQ "
CHAPTER III?Empey attends his first
church services at the front while a German
Fokker circles over the congregation.
CHAPTER IV?Empey's command goes
Into the front-line trenches ana is unaer
?4 Are for the first time. . . _ _
' "CHAPTER -V-Tmpey learns to adopt
the motto of the Brtish Tommy, "If you
are going to get it, you'll get it. so never
worry." \ *
CHAPTER VI?Back in rest billets, Empey
gets his first experience as a mess
/ , orasjljf.
CHAPTER VTI?ERjpey learns how the
? . BrlMah soldiers are fea.
-"CHAPTER VTH?Back in tne Ironi-UUD
trench, Empey sees his first friend of the
trenches "go West."
CHAPTER IX?Empey makes his first
vlalt to a dugout in "Suicide Ditchi?HAPTER
X?"Empey learns what conatitutes
a "day's work" in the ?front-un?
??' ' trench. - --CHAPTER
XI?Empey goes "over
top" for the first time in a charge on the
tJerman trenches and is wounded by a
bayonet-thrust.
f i CHAPTER XII.
Bombing.
The boys In the section welcomed me
back, but there were many strange
Oa**ai?a1 Af An n man V*o/l crnrkCk
iavJCi9? ocvciai \jl uui jiuu ^vi?v
West in that charge, and were lying
f,\ "somewhere in France" with a little
wooden cross at their heads. We \vere
-xv ' s
Throwing Hand Grenades.
In rest billets. The next day our captain
asked for volunteers for bombers'
school. I gave my name and was accepted.
I had joined the Suicide club,
and rny troubles commenced. Thirtytwo
men of the battalion, including myself.
were sent to L . where we
went .thrffagh a course In bombing.
Here we were instructed in the uses,
methods of throwing and manufacture
of various kinds of hand grenades,
from the old "jam tin," now obsolete,
to the present Mills bomb, the standard
' of the British army.
It all depends wnere you are as to
what you are called. In France they
call you a "bomber" and give you medals,
while in neutral countries they
call you an anarchist and give you
-life."
From the very start the Germans
were well equipped with effective
bombs and trained bomb throwers, but
the English army was as little prer
pared in this important department of
fighting as in many others. At bombing
school ah old sergeant of the Grenadier
guards, whom I had the good
fortune to meet, told me of the discour?r?Amonfo
fhlo hronnh nf tha SPri'lPA
ogduvuio uao i/iunvu v*. i?>v . v. ..w
suffered before, they could meet the
Germans on an equal footing. (Pacifists
and small army people in the
U. S. please read with care.) The first
English expeditionary forces had no
bombs at all, but had clicked a lot of
casualties from those thrown by the
Boches.' One bright morning someone
higher up had an idea and issued an
order detailing two men from each
platoon to go to bombing school to
learn the duties of a bomber and how
? to manufacture bombs. Noncommissloned
officers were generally selected
tp m w
AMOKM SOLDim
10 WENT ? *
rilUMJYMY
NE GUNNER,JERYING Iff fRANCE i
?1917 BY '
ARTHUR CUY EtlPEY
I '
for this course." After about two ;
?* ?/?Ua/V1 4-Ur\tr rntlirnoH f n fhoif
NVWhS ilL JJLIlUVi lucj iciu.uvu w v?v.? j
units in rest billets or in the fire:
trench, as the case might be, and got
busy teaching their platoons how to
make "jam tins." " . j
Previously an order had been issued ;
for all ranks to save empty jam tins
, for the manufacture of bombs. A professor
of bombing would sit on the
fire step in the front trench with the
: remainder of his section crowding
1 around to ,see him work.
| On his left would be a pile of empty ,
I and rusty jam tins, while beside him
i on the fire step would be a miscella-1
neous assortment of material *sed in
j the manufacture of the "jam tins." j :
Tommy would stoop down, get an
| empty "jam tin," take a handful of
i clayey mud from the parnpet, and line
j thQ inside of the tin with this substance.
Then he would reach over,
1 pick up his detonator and explosive,
i I noAt'f flinm 5n tVia tin -Pmrp rim
| trading. On the fire step would be a
| pile of fragments of shell, shrapnel
i balls, bits of iron, nails, etc.?anything
j that was hard enough to send over to
j Fritz; he would scoop up a handful of j
| this junk and put it in the bomb. Peri
haps one of the platoon would ask him
j what he did this for, and he > would
I explain that when the bomb exploded
i tljese bits would fly about and kill or
I wound any German hit by same; the
questioner would immediately pull a
button off his tunic and hand It to
the bomb maker with. "Well, blame
I
| me, send this over as a souvenir," or
another Tommy would volunteer rn
| old rusty and broken jnckknife; both
| would be accepted and inserted.
| Then the professor would take an- j
! other handful of mud and fill the tin,
! after which he would punch a hole in i
j the lid of the tin and put it over the
top of the bomb, the fuse sticking out.'
Then perhaps he would tightly wrap
1 wire around the outside of the tin. and
the bon>b was ready to s-end over to'
Frits with Tommy's compliments.
A piece of wood about four inches
wide had been'ifesued. This was to be
strapped on the l?ft forearm by means
of two leather straps and was like the
. side of a match box; it'was called a
"striker." There was a tip like the
head of a match on the fuse of the ;
bomb. To ignite the fuse, you had to
rub it on the "striker," just the same
as striking a match. The fuse was
timed to five seconds or longer. Some
of the fuses issued in those days would |
burn down in a second or two, while
others would "sizz" for a week before
exploding. Back In Blighty the munition
workers weren't quite up to snuff,
the way they are now. If the fuse toQk
a notion to burn too quickly they generally
burled the bomb maker next
day. So making bombs could not be
called a "cushy" or safe job.
After making several bombs the professor
instructs the pldtoon in throwing
them. He takes a Vjam tin" from
the fire step, trembling a little, because
it is nervous work, especially
when new at it, lights the fuse on his
striker. The fuse begins to "sizz" and
sputter and a spiral of smoke, like that
from a smoldering fag, rises from
it. The platoon splits In two and
ducks around the traverse nearest to
tl?em. They don't like the looks and
sound of the burning fuse. When that
fuse begins to smoke and "slzz" you (
want to say good-by to it as soon as
possible, so Tommy with all his might
chucks It over the top and crouches 4 (
against the parapet, waiting for the ,
explosion. .
! Lots of times in bombing th^ "jnm
tin" would be picked up by the Germans,
before it exploded, and thrown '
back at Tommy with dire results.
After a lot of men went West in this '
manner an order was issued, reading ,
something like this:
"To all ranks In the British army: .
After igniting the fuse and before
throwing the jam-tin bomb, count
slowly one! two! three!"
This in order to give the fuse time
enough to burn down, so that the bomb
would explode before the Germans
could throw it back.
Tommy read the order?he reads 1
them all. but after he ignited the fuse *
and it began to smoke?orders were <<
forgotten, and away she went in record ^
time and back she came to the further
discomfort of the thrower. s
Then another order was issued to
count, "one hundred! two hundred!
three hundred!" But Tommy didn't
care if tlie order read to count up to '
a thousand by quarters, he was going
to get rid of that "jam tin," because j <
uuni t-.\|n.Tifiiei' iie nau learneu not (
to trust it.
When the powers that be realized ,
that they eould not change Tommy 1
they decided to change tlu> type of i
bomb and did so?substituting the
"hair brush." tho "cricket ball," and I
later the Mills bomb.
.The sUuufcird boi^b-UsejJ.in tjji> IiuL- "
Ish army Is the "Mills." It Is about the '
shape and size of a larj^e lemon. Although
not actually a lemon. Fritz In- :
sists that It is; perhaps he judges It !
by the havoc caused by its explosion.
The Mills bomb is made of steel, the j
outside of which is corrugated Into 48
small squares, which, upon the explo- !
sion of the bomb, scatter in a wide j
area, wounding or killing any Fritz
who is unfortunate enough to be hit j
by one of the flying fragments.
Although a very destructive and ef- ;
ficient bomb the "Mills" has the confidence
of the thrower, in that he
knows it will not explode until released
from his grip.
It is a mechanical device, with a i
lever, fitted Into a slot at the top, :
which extends half way around the j
circumference and is held in place at ,
the bottom by a fixing pin. In this pin j
there is a small,metal ring, l'or the ;
purpose of extracting the pin when
ready to throw.
Tou do not throw a bomb the way a
baseball is throvrn, because, when in :
a narrow trench, your hand Is liable j
to strike against the parados, traverse j
or parapet, and then down goes the j
bomb, and, in a couple of seconds or ,
so, up goes Tommy. \
In throwing, the Domt> ana lever are |
grasped ft the right hand, the left foot ;
is advanced, knee stiff, about one and j
a half its length to the front, while
the right leg, knee bent, Is carried j
slightly to the right. The left arm is j
extended at an angle of 45 degrees, j
pointing Fh the direction the bomb Is to j
be thrown. This position Is similar
to that of shot putting, only that the
right arm is extended downward. Then
you hurl the bomb from you with an
overhead bowling motion, the same as
in cricket, throwing It fo'rly high In ;
the air, this In order to give the fuse
a chance to burn down so that when j
the bomb - lands, It immediately ex- 1
plodes and gives the Germans no time
to scamper out of Its range or to re- '
turn it.
As the bomb leaves your hand, the i
lever, by means of a spring, is projected
Into the air ancl falls harmlessly to ;
the ground a few feet In front of the 1
bomber.
When the lever flies oft It releases
a strong spring, which forces the firing >
pin Into a percussion cap. This ignites j
the fuse, which burns down and sets I
off the detonator, charged with fulmi-!
nate of mercury, which explodes the ;
main charge of ammonal.
The average British soldier Is not an
expert at throwing; It is a new game i
to him, therefor* the Canadians and
Americans, who have played baseball !
from the kindergarten up, take naturally
to bomb throwing and excel In
this act. A six-foot English bomber
will stand In awed silence when/he
sees a little five-foot-nothing Canadian
outdistance his throw by several yards.
I have read a few war stories of bombing,
where baseball pitchers curved
their bombs when, throwing them, but
a pitcher who can do this would make i
"Christy" Mathewson look like a piker,1
and Is losing valuable time playihg In
the European War bush league, when !
he would be able to set the "big
league" on fire.
We had a cushy time while at this!
school. In fact, to us It was a regular
vacation, and we were very sorry when
one morning the adjutant ordered us
to report at headquarters for transportation
and rations to return to our
units up the line.
Arriving at our section, the boys
once again tendered us the glfid mitt,
but looked askance at us out of the;
corners of their eyes. They could hot
conceive, as they expressed it, how a
man could be such a blinking Idiot as
to join the Suicide club. I was beginning
to feel sorry that I had become
a member of said club, and my life to
me appeared doubly precious.
Now that I was a sure-enough
bomber I was praying for peace and
hoping that my services as such would
not be required.
(TO BE CONTINUED.) j
KOW'S THIS?
We ofTev One Hundred Dollars Re-i
- _.r u 4-V.^f !
'.vara ior any cast* ui ?j<nan mm.;
rennet be cured by Hall's Catarrh j
Medicine.
Hall's Catarrh Medicine has been
token by cntarrh sufferers for the
nst thirty-five years, and has become
known as the most reliable j
^medv for Catarrh. Hall's Catarrh i
Medicine acts thru the Blood on j
'he Mucous surfaces, expelling the i
Poison from the Blood and healing j
the diseased nortions.
After you have taken Hall's Ca-j
!!"vrh Medicine for a short time you j
.vill see n gr^at imnrovement in vour|
general healt/h. Start taking Hall's i
Catarrh Medicine t\t onre and fret)
id of catarrh. Send for testimonial-, I
free.
F. J. CHENEY & CO.. Toledo, Ohio.
Sold hv all druggists, 75c.?Adv..
1-Mmo.
S. V V V s. v'vv VVVVVVJ
^ V
k. DUE WEST. V
(
Due West, March 27.?The Ora-j
or'cal contest to decide wno woum i
ivnrcsent Erskirie at the Intercolle-j
content at Greenwood came;
aft' b>?t Saturday night in the Mem- j
vial Hall at the Woman's College..
Three youn;: men took part, present-!
inj" most creditable addresses. The:
followinjr arc ih?? names and subject-;
of those taking part:
D. K. McGill?Challenges to Scr-j
rice.
L. II. McDaniel?America's En-'
>
trance Inevitable.
Torn F. Ballard?A* Test of Ideals
Mr. D. K. McGill of Smyrna, S.
C., was chosen as Erskine's representative
and was so announced in
Chapel Monday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Brownlee of
Anderson, have been the guests the ,
last few days of friends in Due
West.
Mr. Jrio. R. McGee met with the
misfortune to have a shoulder dislocated
by a frightened horse.
Miss Kate Kennedy lef^ last Monday
morning to take a position in
the Anderson public schools.
Mrs. Lila Agnew returned last
week from a visit of some days to
friends in Anderson.
Mr. Scoggins of Atlanta, is on a
visit to his~brother, Mr. J. J. Scoggins
of this place.
Dr. W. C. Brown of Newberry, S
C., was a visitor in Due West last
Monday.
Lieutenant J. Roddy Devlin left
Fort Oglethorpe lest week for Fortl
Sill, Oklahoma.
Mrs. w. w. urr 01 unariotte, in.
CM is visiting friends in Due West.
On last Sabbath afternoon Dr. E.
W. Pressly of Camp Sevier, brdught
a message from' the camp to the
Erskine Y. M. C. A. Dr. Pressly
spoke on the subject: "Be ye strong
quit yourselves like men." The address
was eloquent and brilliant. It
received the closest attention from
the first word to the last. The ad-j
dress was full of patriotic fervor |
and met a responsive chord in ev- j
ery heart, whose privilege it was to
be present. Dr. Pressly has many
nf the phnraeteristics of his distin
guished father, Dr. W. L. Pressly. I
The lecture took place in the Y. M |
C. A. arid a large audience wasi
present. Dr. Pressly spoke in full |
uniform.
1
The Spring Milliinery Opening of
Mr. W. W. Edwards' took place
last Thursday and Friday. Miss Wessells,
the new milliner, was in special
charge.
The citizens of the community
are invited to meet at the Y. M. C.
A. room Friday afternoon at 3
o'clock.
The County Demonstrators wffil
be present and discuss War Garden
and Poultry Clubs. Mr. Rowell and
speakers from Clemson will urge
H./v i m v\r\ i-fonno nf fViia work. The I
liiv niiyvi buuw * >.?
public should avail itself of this op-1
portunity to get needed information j
Mrs. Alpha Davis Brooks of near]
Belton, spent last week-end with herj
mother, Mrs. Delia Davis.'
Joint Meeting Adeiphian and Nikan-j
ian Literary Societies.
The two literary societies of thei
Due West High School held a joint I
public meeting last Friday evening
at the High School building. Prayer
was offered by Mr. Nelson of the
Seminary. The welcome address
was nicely given by Miss Josie
Nance. She then stated that the
program as printed and distributed j
would be followed. The members]
all did splendidly and the evenings
exercises were followed with interest
and frequent applause. The
school seems to be getting on well
under the guidance of Prof. W. > S.
Reid and his efficient co-laborers.
The debate was of chief interest. It
proved to be quite spicy. Much interest
developed. The debaters entered
into the discussion, with zeal
and determination and each side
was backed up by enthusiastic
friends who offered much applause.
By the close vote of 1 to 2 the discussion
went to the negative. This
fact in no wise changed the opinion
of the friends of the affirmative!
I
that their champions had won the I
debate. The following is the pro-!
gram:
Prayar
Address of Welcome?Josie Nance!
Pres. (Adelphian.)
Essay: Food Conservation and Its
Importance.?John Scoggins, (Ni!<anian.)
Reading: Papa and the Boy?Cor-!
nelia Staley, (Nikanian.)
Essay: How the Hierh School Stu-|
dents can Help Win :he War?Jean j
Apnew, (Adelphian.) . j
Declamation: Heroes of Inker-'
nan.
Debeta
Resolved: That military training
should be substituted for athleticsin
our colleges during the war. |
Affirmative: ,(Adelphian)?Katie:
lone Galloway, Bessie Baldwin,!
Willie Mcore Boyce, Sarah Carwile. I<
Negative, (Nikanian)? Carrie J
Donnald,' Bertha Pressly, Harriet |
Edwards, Alton Botts.
Marshals
(Adelphian)?Blanche Ellis, Clifton
Davis.
(Nikanian)?Selma Watt, Lawrence
Nickles.
V V
V SANTUC NEWS. V
> ">
?>>>\\>>\>\>>>>
Santuc, March 27.?Mr. and Mrs.
C. M. Cochran called 'on Mrs. Jessie
Boyd Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. George Link were
the guests Saturday and Sunday at
the home of Mr. Lindsay Link.
Mr. Alvin McClain and mother
spent Wednesday at Mr. Joe Abies.
Mr. and Mrs. Furman Martin
were the guests Saturday and Sunday
of Mr. and Mrs. James Haddon.
Misses Margaret and' Sara Mae
Abies spent Friday evening with
Misses Annie and Louise Kay.
Mesdames Jessie Boyd and Charlie
Cochran were shopping in the
city Thursday afternoon.
Mrs. W. J. Milford and Mrs. J.
R. Smith were the guests Saturday
at Mrs. Jessie Boyd's.
Mrs. E. V. Bell of Due West,
spent the week-end with her daughter,
Mrs. Thos. Stevenson.
Mr. and Mrs. Edd Botts spent
Thursday with Mr. and Mrs. M. S.
Lane'ford.
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Haddon were
the guests Monday at Mr. Richey's.
PRESERVING EGGS IN
WATER GLASS SOLUTION
(By Miss Mary B. Martin.)
During the spring and early, summer
when eggs are abundant and
reasonable in price, attention should
be given to preserving them for
winter use. Fresh eggs properly
preserved, may be kept for 8 to 12
months in excellent condition and
used with good results.
Eggs laid during April, May and
early June have been found to keep
hot+Ar than those laid later in the
season.
If satisfactory" results are to be
obtained, the eggs should be fresh
and clean and, if possible, infertile.
3ggs that float when placed in the
solution are not fresh and therere,
can not be preserved. When
an i egg is only slightly soiled, a
cloth dampened with vinegar can
be used to remove such stains. Under
no circumstances should badly
soiled eggs be used for preserving;
if put into the jar wnne airiy mc^
/ /
will spoil, and washing removes a
protection coating which prevents
spoiling.
Th best method for the preservaof
eggs is the use of soclum silicute
pr water glass. This preservative
may be bought at McMurray's
Drug Store, arid it is well for clubs
to go in together and buy the
amount needed, thereby getting it
much cheaper. If the price of sodum
silicate is about 30 cents a
quart, eggs may be preserved at a
cost of approximately 2 cents a
dozen. It is not desirable to use
the water glass solution a second
time.
Use 1 quart of sodum silicate to
9 quarts of water that has been
boiled and cooled. Place the mixture
in a 5 gallon crock or jar.
This will be sufficient to preserve 15
dozen eggs and will serve as a guide
for the quantity needed to preserve
larger numbers of eggs.
Select a 5 gallon crock and clean
it thoroughly,, after which it should
be scalded and allowed to dry.
Heat water to the boiling point
and allow it to cool.
When cool, measure out 9 quarts
of water, place it in the crock, and
add 1 quart of sodum silicate, stirring
the mixture thoroughly.
Fresh clean eggs may be dropped
fi-nm rlnv to dav as
ill Liie 3uiuuuh i.ivii* v
they are -obtained, making sure that
the eggs are covered by about 2
inches of water glass solution. Cover
container and place where it
will not have to be moved. Look at
the eggs from time to time and if
there seems to be danger of too
much evaporation, add sufficient
cool boiled water to keep eggs cover
ed. Remove from the solution as
needed and rinse in clean cold water.
Before they are boiled holes;
should be pricked in the large ends:
v/ith a needle to prevent them'
cracking. This is done to allow the1
air in the egg to escape when heat-'
ed.
Women'i Club Work for 1918.
l * u
An effort is being made through
! the Womente Home Demonstration
i Clubs of Abbeville county to in|
crease Food Production to the maxj
imum and to do their bit in making
| Abbeville County Self-Producing..
i In order to increase; this interest '
j and stimulate a friendly rivalry beI
tween the communities, two prizes
j are to be offered in the Women'3
I Club Work for the coming year.
I The money for these prizes was libI
erally given by the business men
j of Abbevile. These men are' interested
and enthusiastic in your work
and are expecting the utmost to be
| accomplished in your communities.
Up to the present time, nine woi
men^s Homef^Demonstration- Clubs
I have been organized and reorganI
ized in Abbeville county in the folI
lowing communities: Arborville,
I Antreville, Calhoun Falls, Sharon,
Warrenton, Brownlee, Monterey,
| Cold Springs and South Side Club
! which meets at Mrs. W. P. Wham's.
ine -nrst prize is to De or \
I a Steam Pressure Canning Outfit - 'i
! and the second prize $15.00. It is
our object that these prizes be of
' such nature that every family in
| the winning communities may be
! benefited by them.
Each club is required to keep an
.
! accurate report of ?11 the demoni
r,
1 stration work carried on in its coip
- X
I munity, and each individual member
is required to hand her Secre
! lary ai eacn meeting a repuxu uj. x
work done the preceding month.
The following is the Report Form
that is being used * for Abbeville
i County Clubs:
I * :J
j Y. Membership.
Enrollment of club. ?.
I Average Attendance.
I New Members.
II. Meetings. ,
Number regular meetings in 1918 _ .
Number call meetings. * %
Number public or community
meetings. .-*
III. Work Accomplished. v
1 Number members keeping reports
Number winter gardens.
Amount canned in tin.
Amount canned in glass.
i ? / '. i
i Amount preserved. s
j Amount dried. , , [fl
Amount brined/ '
i Amount pickled. f ')
'I Amount poultry raised in 1918. V
j Number eggs preserved in. water %ll
j glass. ,
' Number members keeping milch^,. ^
cows.
'j Number pounds butter sold.
I Number gallons milk sold.
^IV. Home Conveniences. .<
1 . Number Fireless Cookers made. i I
Number Iceless Refrigerators I
made. , I
j Number Sewing Screens made. I
' j Number Butters workers and pad- %
'| dies.-. /. 'J
;| Number Houses Screened in com'!
munity.
I V. Other Work Accomplished".
I The Secretary and President of
i each club are also urged to write a
| little article for the papers after
j cach meeting so that the work' of j
all clubs may be kept before the
j public. The interest and . cooperaI
tion that is being manifested in
some communities is extremely en
couraging, while in other communi- '
ties, some drones are found who B
_ a;
i haven't yet waked up to the fact
that their communities could be fl
winners and leaders if everybody
did his part. H
! In some of the clubs every mem
ber agreed to double their garden
! areas this year, while in others fl
! only a few were interested in this H
' plan to increase food production. H
! All of above metioned clubs are H
1 specializing on some product out- H
! side the regular garden' work. H
1 Lima beans, peanuts, and pimen- 9j
| tos seem to be the most popular o H
I the special products. In the clubs
1.U..4. ' "' inn nirmont-nn 100 nlantS SB
j Lfli.lL ttic tai\ni5 pii?*v?i?vwy ? jj
; are being worked by each member.
; Eight rows of lima beans or pea'
nuts are being used as a unit for
j other club members. By every
j member in each community speci- gfl
> alizing on the same thing a good |H
, commercial standard product for
market can be obtained.
Watch the papers for monthly
reports in this club work, and BB
praise ^he communities that are
keeping ahead. Nfl
The prospect for the 1918 wheat
crop in Japan is said to be very
good by a report to the Department
of Commerce. The 1917 crop is es- MR
timated at nearly 35,000,000 bush