THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
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SHE C0IV3PUTES FOR SAILORS
lotorcycics
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- ""T ' " TTi.' Jfc.ff'T 'r.?If "t 111 ." 1l?fWtiiA,r Till X
XV
Mexican campaign shows their use
fulness over army mule and cavalry
horse Flesh and blood can't
pete with steel and gasoline
on the desert and mountain
'
corn
down trails
SOUUOWFUL and prophetic nrniy
imilo stood beside a Soto cnctus near
tlio American end of tlio Inn;;, (lusty
road from Columbus, New Mexico, to
Niimlqulpn, Old Mexico, so writes V.
0, McOeohnn In tlio New York Tri
bune. Down tlio trail from the base of the
punitive expedition swept a train of
,'10 auto trucks. They wore heavily
laden with the variety of cargoes that
are required for an army hi the Held.
JCueli truck carried four or live troopers in olive drab
ununited Insecurely on top of the load.
The road wiih uneven, It wuh full of ruts, hut the
into truck trnln glided along ut the rate of from eight
to ten uillen nu hour. The vehicle kept n perfect
alignment. The troopers swore softly hut earnestly
ns tlio trucks Jolted.
Uvea as tlio army miilo watched, the sweating, swear
ing truck trHn disappeared Into a cloud of dust be
yond the border line. Then the niulu tilted back his
dejected head and gnve vent to a secret sorrow In one
far-reaching vocal effort. As though mocking his
grief, the horns of the auto trucks tooted back de
risively In the distance.
The grief of that army mule was tlio grief of Othel
lo with his occupation gone. He sunk behind the Soto
cactus and subsided Into painful meditation. He had
just seen his finish.
Uo realised at that moment that the army niule
would never again hold a high place among tho fac
loi i which win battles. Ho realized that practical
pootB would uo longer sing of the virtues which the
nrniy mule could display upon great emergencies. He
Was nlready obsolete, down and out.
Even the 'mulo skinner," with tho picturesque vo
cabulary and tho hard words.-y hud abandoned him.
Tho mulo skinner was now driving one of those
nuto truckH, and was addressing It with strained
politeness when he spoke to It at all.
It was all wrong. liy tho martyred mulo of
Mntnnzas, of which tho army bards sang during tho
.Spanish-American war days, It was all wrong I
J'here wns no uso to pull against tho auto truck.
He had tried It when they hitched him to the rear
of one. llo decided to drag tho thing back over tho
desert. Hut, Instead, ho was relentlessly dragged
on his haunches for a tulle, and ho gnvo It up.
The Columbus expedition has demonstrated that
In the matter of army transportation "tho mulo Is
dead, long live tlio auto truck!" It had already
hern demonstrated at the battle of tho Murno,
when motor vehicles checked the Gormun advance
and saved France.
Hut our war department moves with excessive
deliberation. It clung tenaciously to Its faith In
the mule until the (list auto truck train went
galumphing Into Mexico, making threo times tho
distance that a mulo could make over roads, which
no motbr-drlvcu voUVlo could bo expected to
tut vol.
The consequence was a rush order for auto
uncles and drlvors. Tho auto trucks are standing
up wonderfully well. They plow through tho alkali
dual up to tho hubs, they Jolt over tho reeky
places, they flounder through tho sandy wastes that
grind tho bearings, and they puff through tho
mountain passes. They go anywhere tho mulo will
go, und they get there In better time.
While the long trail from Columbus to Numl
julpa Is lined with tho carcasses ot mules and
horses, the auto trucks go rumbling on In their
work of keeping the Held army supplied with food
and nmmunltloii. They perform now miracles
upon every now oniorgency.
There are several hundred auto trucks nt tho
army hnso at Columbus. On a pinch those trucks
could move an entlro brlgudo In ono day twice as
far an nil the horses and mules In the world could
move 11. This Is true, despite tho fact that many
of tho trucks uro badly rucked because of bnd
driving.
Not only does the successful test of tho nuto
truck' spell tho pissing of tho mulo train. It
also means tho passing of cavalry, the most pic
! turesquo branch of tho service. Even cavalry olll
1 ccrs lu the punitive expedition will admit that
threo or four nuto trucks will get n company or in
fantry twice as fur on a forced march ns the best
mounted troop of cnvalry could travel.
Cavalry chargos are ruro In theso days of rapid
tiro rifles and mnchlno guns. Tho horses are used
only to get the men to tho front, where they op
erate as Infantry. When tho gasollno-fed mounts
can got them thero so much faster than the horses,
It begins to look bad for tho cavalry horse.
Tho United States army of tho near future will
travel extensively on gasoline. There will he few
more heart-hreaklng Infaptry hikes, and there will
bo few more wild cavalry rides, leaving In their
wnko dend and dying horses. Even Held artillery
cun ho carried by the auto trucks.
All of tills should have been realized boforo. Ono
of tho lasting bcnetlta of the punltivf expedition
will ho tho modernizing of the nillltiuy transpor
tation branch. The auto truck has passed tho
rtcm test.
For tho present the auto truck trulns with tho
army In Mexico are not working under any definite
system. Tho organization of tho truck train of tho
United States army bus not been decided upon.
Neither has the type of truck to ho used In tho
organization been decided upon. Captains and
lieutenants are busy taking notes us to not inlle
tlge mid gasoline requirements ; also, ns to stability
and reliability if the different makes of trucks In
I ho service.
The drivers uro n mixed lot. Homo are regular
K iA'AAVJiwrvfn tP1
To know Mrs. Kllzabeth Itrown
Davis and her work should be snfll
clent to dissolve the last shred of
doubt concerning the ability of a bril
liantly Intellectual woman to advanco
year after year In the course of her
chosen profession, und at the same
time to carry, with obvious success,
the full responsibilities of marriage,
which In her case comprise over 2ij
years of wifehood, motherhood and
homemaklng.
Mrs. Davis is said to ho the great
est woman authority upon astronom
ical mathematics In this country, prob
ably In the world, and has been mak
ing computations for the Nautical Al
manac, published annually by the
United States naval observatory nt
Washington, for the Inst 29 yenrs.
Sirs. Davis began this work soon
after her graduation from the George
Washington University, under Prof.
Simon Newconih, tho distinguished as
tronomer, who had charge of the Nautical Almanac for many years. During
the early years of assisting Professor Newcomb she took a post-graduate courso
In astronomy and mathematics ut Johns Hopkins university, whose doors
opened to her before they were regularly opened to women, upon the recom
mendation of Professor Newcomb. From that time to this Mrs. Davis has mado
the computations for tho Nautical Almanac.
Mrs. Duvls flnds her greatest relaxation and her favorite recreation In
different branches of mathematics. She keeps In touch with the latest current
mathematical literature and Is ever seeking new problems on which to try her
strength.
Although devoted to her own scientific work, Mrs. Duvls takes the keenest
Interest In that of her husband, Mr. Arthur Powell Davis, director of the United
Stntes reclamation service.
UMiaBMMiaai
CANADA'S GOVERNOR GENERAL
army enlisted men, detnlled to drive the type, ot
truck tentatively adopted. Tho others nro chauf
feurs of all sorts, adventurers from all over the
country, college men In search of experience, and
even ox-tnxlcnb drivers from Now York city. With
some of the trucks under probation arc men from
the factories.
It is a moro plcturesquo body than any as
semblage of mule skinners. The types nro more
varied and tho views upon things In general are
moro Interesting. Moreover, the army chauffeur
in tho aggregate Is naturally more Intelligent than
the mule skinner, whoso close association with tho
mule has given him some of tho traits of that noble
animal.
To the average army chauffeur tlio stolld-looklng,
lumbering auto truck Is n beautiful and a living
thing.
On tho road to Nanilqulpn I listened to a colored
sergeant of tho Ninth cnvalry who had been de
tailed to drive a live-ton truck. lie was addressing
his vehicle.
"1'cs, Hctsy, old girl," ho was saying, "Ah knows
that this hero cheap government gasoline ain't the
proper nourishment for u high-toned lady truck
like you. Hut when wo gets to Corallltas Ah'm go
ing to put somo of that nice cool spring water In
your radiator. That'll freshen you up a whole lot,
Hotsy.
"Does yon-all want a llttlo moro oil In your hear
ings, Hotsy? If you does, Jes' say so. 'Tnln't no
trouble nt all for me. Ah Jes' thought you mlgitt,
because your pretty engine was breathing a little
hard on that last hill. Ah don't want any ot them
fresh Now York chauffeurs to think you was com
plaining, Hotsy, because mo and you knows that
you don't complain." m
The colored trooper adjusted some pink nnd
green ribbon which was tied to the truck radiator.
The whistle of tho truck master blew. The ser
geant whirled the crank, listened solicitously for
an Instant to his motor, and swung Hotsy Into line
with her mates.
Ono of tlio dllllcultlcs which tho captain ot an
nuto truck encounters Is lu maintaining discipline
with a mixed company of civilians nnd soldlwrs.
Civilian drivers have their own notions as to how
auto trucks should bo driven. It Is the theory of
the captain that tho auto train should have a per
fect alignment, with tho trucks a hundred yards
apart.
Tho civilian drivers cannot seo tho necessity for
this. Some of them want to show that their trucks
can travel tho fastest. Others Insist that their
trucks be carefully handled, The result lu that the
captain, fuming Inwardly, has tp bit a diplomat
when ho Is In command of a mixed tinJn of trucks.
One of theso trains started out at tfle rate of 12
miles an hour. A short distance out ot Columbus
It encountered bad roads. A now tnick sloweo
down and began to pick tho going.
Tho captain shot cross-country from tho rear lu
his standard runabout to see what was cutting bis
train In two.
"What's the trouble?" ho demanded of tho ci
vilian driver.
"No troublo at all," replied tho driver. "But
eight miles Is all that I iihi going to do with this
load and over this sort of road. You can go ahead
with those Harney Oldllelds If you want to. I'll
catch up with you after half of those trains nro
wrecked."
Tho captain was a trifle angry. Ho reminded
tho driver that nil trains wore ordered kept Intact.
It was no 'cross-country race. It was a military
truck train. Tho driver was obdurate, and the
train had to slow down to a reasonable pace. The
driver was right, though very unmllltary. The
loads which the trucks were carrying were not
needed In u hurry. Hut If ho had happened to be
nn army driver ho would
bo In tho guardhouse for
a considerable period for
Insubordination.
More than once the nrmy
In Mexico has been forced
Illegally but practically to
discipline some of the ci
vilian drlvors. The most
startling Incident of this
sort tinnninpil In n liimch of New York taXlCaD
drlvors who were shipped out to handle a train
made un of a certnln uniform make of truchh.
They got 00 miles Into Mexico, nnd then decided
that they did not llko tho country nt all. They
agreed that tho United States government was
foolish to go In nt all.
Their spokesman went to the captain and In
formed hlrn that they had decided to go back. They
did not like the food, the water wns not Iced, and
there wns no beer In tho godforsaken place,
Whereupon the captain gave orders to the sergeant
of his guard. The noncommissioned ofllccr In
formed the drivers that tho first of them who
turned hack to Columbus would be systematically
shot up.
The drivers protested that they were American
citizens and wanted their rights. The sergeant
listened unmoved as he drew up his squad into n
convenient place for tho shooting. . The drivers
Anally concluded thut they were too far awuy to
consult their attorneys, and the trnln proceeded to
Nnmiqulpn.
' Camping owl away from n garrisoned town, the
truck trains tako the sumo formation that was
used by tho emigrant trains when they were forced
to guard agnlnst Indian attacks nt night. The
trucks are distributed In a circle, with tho captain's
runabout, tho cook truck and tho ammunition truck
In the center. Placed in this formation, the truck
train Is lu a dllllcult position tor a bandit band to
rush.
No doubt, many a band has been watching those
vnlunblo trains of food nnd ammunition, longing
to pounce upon them, but they refrained. A well
ordered truck truln could get Into battle formation
In a few mluu'es, nnd tho Springfield rifles would
be covering every point of attack very effectively.
A quarter of a million dollars In gold wns
shipped In with ono trnln, guarded by 50 plcknd
marksmen. Hundlt bands, knowing ot this, prob
ably longed to rush It, but they did not make tho
attempt. At night, In Its proper formation, with
Its outposts alert, tho well-conducted trnln should
bo Impossible to surprise. Hut civilian drivers are
hard to couvluce of tho necessity for remaining
alert. They will lock their ammunition In the tool
boxes; und, while they are painfully solicitous of
the mechanism of their trucks, they have no re
gard for the mechanism of tho Springfield rllles
which are Issued to them.
They have no respect for shoulder straps. A
typical Incident was ono near Kspla. Tho truck
train drew Into tho place hot and dusty. The news
was spread that there was a renl swimming hole
!!0 feet deep In tho place.
Soldier guards and civilian drivers made a dash
for It. As they neared It they heard a delicious
splashing, but n sentry halted them. "Sorry, boys,"
ho said, "but tJinro's an olllcer bathing thero now,
and tho orders nro that nobody Is allowed In till
ho gets through."
A big ex-taxlcab driver from Now York proceed
ed to peel off his nrmy uniform. In another mln
ute ho dived Into the pool with a mighty splash
Ho came to tho surface and grinned cheerfully ut
the Indignant expression of the second lieutenant.
outraged at the fact that his privacy hud been dis
turbed, apparently by the enlisted mnu.
"Oh, that's all right I" shouted the auto driver
"I don't mind If you uro n llttlo bit dirty. Come on
In. Tho water Is fine."
Hut one of theso days tho truck train will he sys
temntlzed. The drivers will nil ho enlisted men
Tharo will bo u fixed rate of speed, and tho trucks
will all bo up to determined specifications.
When tho truck train Is perfected, the mulo train
will go. Also, tho pride of tho cavalry will bo
trailed In Uie gasoline-scented dust of tfio uuto
truck train.
Tho appointment of tho duke of
Devonshire as governor general of
Cunada In succession to the duke of
Connnught has given n good deal of
gratification In ofllclal circles In tho
Dominion.
Known ns one of the richest peers
In England, the duke of Devonshire Is
nn Intimate friend of King George,
while the duchess, who was Lady Eve
lyn Emily Fltzmuurlce, daughter of
tho filth marquis of Landsdowne, Is
also said to be Queen Mary's closest
friend. She received the appointment
of mistress of tho robes In 1010, whllo
the duke, during 1900-3, wns treasurer
ofghls majesty's household.
Tho duke, who Is the ninth duke
of Devonshire, Is In his forty-ninth
year and succeeded his uncle, the
eighth duke, In 190S. Ho was educated
at Eton and Cambridge university nnd
during 1891-08, was member of parlia
ment from West Derbyshire., At the,
termination of his connection with his majesty's household, the duke wns
appointed financial secretary to the treasury and served for two years. He Is
lord lieutenant of Derbyshire and chnncellor of Leeds university.
The duke, who Is said to be very democratic, owns an estate of about lSd
acres, on which are valuable mineral deposits. In addition to owning tha
famous Devonshire house In London, he has five estates, at which there nro
three picture galleries, a statue gallery, and nn Immense library.
HETTY GREEN'S HEIR
Col. Edwurd II. It. Green quit
Texas n few years ago and went to
New York at tho request of his mother,
Mrs. Hetty Green, to prepare, under
her able guidance, to assume the finan
cial responsibilities so long borne by
herself. Mrs. Green's recent death, at
tho ago of eighty-two, found him still
a student of the management of the
reputed fortune of $100,000,000 which
gave his mother tho title of "world's
richest womnn." He Is Joint heir with
Ids sister, Mrs. Mntrhew Astor Wllks,
of the bulk of this great estate.
Colonel Green Is forty-eight years
old. He was born In London, Eng
land, on August 22, 1808, whllo his par
ents were tourlnff Europe. He attend
ed public school lu New York city, and
later was graduated from Fordham
college. He also studied law lu Chi
cago, and was admitted to the bar
after passing his examinations with
high honors. In lOOIl he took charge
of the Texas Midland railroad, and Is now president and general manager of
that line.
Ho Is unmarried. "When It comes to women, I find It best to give ull of
them a wide berth," he says. "I think I've got along easier by doing that. I'vo
seen so many of my friends get bumped becnuso they didn't sidestep soon
enough."
GARDNER AND THE TRAMP
They were telling a story nbout
Itepresentatlvo Gardner and his fer
vent preparedness campaign.
It seems that a begging tramp ap
proached a group of congressmen, und
ono of them pointed out Mr. Gnrdner
and said:
"Nothing doing here, Weary, but
thnt gentleman there Is very charit
able, and If you tackle him you'll bo
apt to make a haul."
"T'anks, boss," said the tramp,
huskily, nnd he hurried to Mr. Gard
ner, whllo tho others looked on with
Interest.
The tramp and tho statesmen
were seen to talk earnestly together
for somo time. Then their hands met,
a pleco of money plainly passed be
tween them, and tho tramp stepped
Jauntily away.
"Well, did you land him?" a con
gressman asked tho tramp.
"No' tho traini) nnsworoil nlww.r.
fully. "No; I gave him a quarter towards his splendid nntlouul prepurednesd
campaign."