Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1918)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA. BAYONET SAVES AMERICAN LIVES Escape German Shell When One of Party Stops to Dig Up Relic. SEE SCENES OF DESOLATION Once rtlchly Cultivated Valleys Speckled With Happy Villages, Now But a Sodden Panorama of Churned-Up Soil. With the French Armies In the Field. If one of the party hndn't stopped to dig up n Uoclio bayonet from the road side, this piece wouldn't huvo been written. Tho French offlccr-chnpcrono nnd his charges had tarried on tho way buck to Verdun from ono of the outlying forts to chat with u bunch of lied Cross men, nnd Incidentally to watch the antics of a flock of German air planes as they dodged In and out among tho feathery puffs of shrapnel. The usual dally artillery strafe had been on for some hours. Hundreds of tons of metal had been bowling above our heads from both sides, far up und down tho line. At times there was a shot for every second. Hut so far tho ttochc targets hud been located a com fortable distance awuy. Our olllccr had given tho word to re sume the journey, nnd tho chauffeurs were cranking up, when the oppor tunity of gathering In another battle field souvenir Intervened. It Is still there. Careful figuring, conducted very shortly thereafter In ono of tho Red Cross dugouts nearby, convinced tho wholo party thnt If It hadn't been for the bayonet episode our cars would have collided with the big Bochc she'll Just at the moment of Its explosion about a block down the road. Tho experlcnco had merely supplied n vivid final touch to Impressions al ready acquired of what tho soldiers o Verdun hnvo been undergoing In tho last eighteen months. In this re gion Nnturo has been given no oppor tunlty, ns sho has, for example, on tho battlefield of the Somme, to rcimlr ns best she can tho ravages of war, From tho top of ono of tho battered forts that now forms an unbrcuknblo ring about Verdun recaptured from tho Germans with a valor und at a sncrlflco of life that will make' Its name Immortnl In history stretches out, ns far as ten-ply, mudc-ln-Gcrmnny binoc ulars can reach, a vlstn of utter devas tntlon. Scene of Desolation. ' Onco thickly forested hills nnd rich ly cultivated valleys speckled with happy villages; now n sodden, grayish monotonous panornmn of churncd-up soil, criss-crossed here and thero with trenches, nnd only an occasional stump or pllo of crumpled stones to ovldenco Its former beauty. It's Ilka Notro Dnmo do liorette, Vlmy, Wytschotc, Messlncs nnd Passchendaelo llldgo all scrambled together. All tho forces of nature Are, flood, hurricane nnd earthquake could not have wrought such havoc. Only mnn could do It. Even looking backward, the only discernible color Is the green of the distant hills, the shattered red- tiled roofs of the fortress city, und the clusters of purple-wreathed graves where sleep the men who made thu motto of Verdun "On no passe pas" (No trespassers allowed I) a reality. Tho Germans now occupy much tho same line as thnt from which tne crown prince launched his costly but futile attack upon this stronghold. Pre viously wo had traversed the vnlley of the Murnu whoso landscape bears um- pie testimony to tho characteristic French traits of dash, mobility and re sourcefulness; just as Verdun's piti fully harrowed hillsides will always bo u monument to the hitherto less famil iarly known French qualities of tire less energy and dogged stubbornness. Land Grimly Held by French. Then on through the forest of the Vosgcs down to where Franco In tho early days of the war plucked, and still tightly clutches, u bit of whnt used to bo hern. It's only a few square miles Just about equal to tho plot of I ground that Belgium now holds of her own ravished country but entirely suinclcnt to exemplify nnd Justify nn other fine French trait, Intense prldo of accomplishment. "Alsace ltcconqulsol" proudly rcuds the sign over a little shop fronting the bndly scarred old church In the public square of Tlinim. Nearly all the old signs have been changed from Gcrmnn, but some have been retained Just for souvenirs. In this corner of the "lost provinces" there Is no doubt how tho people stand. Are the people of France wnr-wearyl Yes; so nro those of nil Europe. Hut they arc not weary to the point of even thinking of giving up tho strug gle, despite, or, rather, because of, the fact that of all the allies Franco's bur dens and her sncrlllce In blood and des olated homes has been the greatest. In a tour of the war zone und of the provincial towns behind the lines, from the chnnnel to Switzerland, ono muy llnd everywhere abundant evidence of n relentless determination, among both soldiers and homcfolks, to see the thing through. Hut the predominant sentiment In France today Is one of Intense grnti tude that America has come In to help. Any Hooting doubts ns to tho outcome were dispelled with the arrival of tho Sammies. ai ihe CAPITALS UCSftMm Wr W iU )IUW THE SKYLARK. ETC ETC, FLYERS BREAK ALL AERIAL RECORD :e Allied Aviators Perform Sensa tional Speed and Dis tance Feats. GO FROM ENGLAND TO ITALY Cadorna'a Call for Airplanes and Pilots Is Answered by Great Britain and France Few Ac cidents Are Reported. Paris. So many Bpccd and distance records hnvo been shuttered nnd set and then surpussed again by allied uvlntors thnt It Is doubtful If tho best performunccs will ever bo straightened out nnd set down on tho olllclnl books. Hut nvlntors have been flying from points In England and In France to the Itullan front every day, as the British and French war olllces have outdone themselves In their efforts to rc-enforco tho French aviation serv ice. Pilots Just breveted and there were a certain number of Amcrlcnus among them soared Into tho air, and following tho load of an Instructor or some veteran aviator, set their course for Italy. Youths who hud not sat In nn air plnno two months before, duplicated tho feat of Roland Garros which startled tho world n few years ago; tho traversing of the Italian Alps. Flights of 400, 000 nnd COO miles with out stop wero common occurrences And In all cuscs the average speed maintained was considerably more than 100 miles an hour. Ono of General Codornn's first re- NONE TOO OLD TO SERVE FRANCE That service to ono's country recognizes no age limit Is evident rrom this photograph showing Frenchmen too old to fight constructing trenches nnd dugouts behind tne buttle lines, vmvw man, a volunteer, nnn roicnscu a younger man for duty at tho front. Many of these men served France In 1S70. quests to tho Freneh nnd Hrltlsh was for re-enforcements In airplanes und pljots. Tho Germans had assembled several score of their best fighting nnd bombnrdlng cscudrlllcs on the Itnllan front nnd hud struck ruddenly In u body. In ono dny the German forma tions hud practically cleared tho air of Italian fighting aircraft, and they followed up this advan'ngo by s nd- Ing over Into the Italian lines squndron after squadron of bombing machines. Incendlury bombs nnd aerial torpe does wero rained on tho Italian nvla tlon fields nnd the hnngars and Itnllan Ircrnft burned together. Roth tho French and British general staffs realized that without Its "eyes" the Italian uriny might wander Into traps and pitfalls. And they gnvc tho order at onco to rc-enforco tho Itnllan, nviatlon service with their own es- cadrllles. Tho order went out to nil tho aviation enmps nnd schools in Snglnnd and Franco. Within n few hours the orders were being executed. Pilots having passed their brevets wero mustered out on tho fields. They were told to wear two leather and rub ber union suits Instead of thoflslnglo garment they usually wear. Tho gaso line tnnks were filled nnd they were Instructed to follow the lender. Then they soared off in long coveys, nil headed toward tho Itullan Alps. Cover Vast Territory. Some of tho British mnchlnes went clear across England, traversed the channel, then sonrcd over France nnd scaled the Alps and proceeded straight on to tho Tngllamento lino without over descending. French mnchlnes Hew from remote corners of the re public over tho grent mountain rnngo and across tho plains of Lombardy td Udlne, arriving thero before tho Ital ians wero forced to retreat from that strategic rullwny center. I mny not even vaguely Indicate tho number of nlrplnncs that were sent from France and England, but I can state that the number of nccldonts was as low as tho average total for n day at any of the big nviatlon schools. Uncle Sam's Pay Roll in Washington Gets Bulge HI ASI1INGTON. Approximately 20,000 employees have been added to the it government's pay roll in Washington since the war began. It is estimated that tho population of tho national capital has Increased more than 40,000. The grent expansion of tho government's operations, not only In Washington but throughout the country, Is revealed in the certification of the civil service commission. Since the outbreak of tho war the commission lias certified for appoint ment, in tho Held and departmental services, between 120,000 aud 125,000 persons. While Uio number of appointments Is far behind the number of certifica tions, the figures indicate the prepara tions made for tho extraordinary demands of war. Appointments nro rando uaiiy rrom tins list and the civil service commission continues to hold examina tions. Civil service certifications for tho servlco in and out of Washington embrace all clusses from wutchmen and messengers to expert accountants and cnemists. Tho war department lends in tho additions to clerical forces slncO tlio beginning of the vvnr. Since April 0 the vvnr department has added approxi mately 5,200 names to thu roster of Washington employees. Tho clerlcnl force of tho navy department Is today substantially double thut nt the beginning of tho war. About 2,500 employees have been added, this number including nround 800 "yco-vvomen" who have enlisted in the navy and are now assigned to clerical duties. Independent bureaus have employed many hundred clerks, typists and stenographers. Tho food administration now uses a force of nearly 1,000. The war trado board employs more than 700; the fuel administration now employs about 100 clerks, and the council of national defense nnd the Red Cross hnve approximately 1,400 persons who are divided about equally between thu two organizations. Wnr-tlmo printing hns added materially to the large force of tho government printing office, and It is estimated that additions to other departments will run the total number of new government workers to 20,000. Tvo nlwnys been extremely thank ful," said tho skylark to his mate, "that I was not an earth worm." "W o 1 1, well," eald Mrs. Skylark, "you couldn't have been more differ ent If you hud tried for years nnd centuries and forever nnd a day!" "T lint sounds like a mighty long time," eald tho skylark. "But 1 urn so glad that I um not an earth worm. To bo sure an earth worm is I always feel es- Singing as Flew. They rery different, but peeinlly sorry for one." "And why?" nsked Mrs. Skylark. "1 never judged you felt sorry for them before this." "Perhaps not," said tho skylark, "but It is their name their family nnmc. I feel so sorry for them be cause of It. It must mnkc them very sail, and it must always keep them down on the earth. They can never rise to great heights of happiness. "You know folks never talk about happiness as being something down low it's always something high something above them that they reach for and then, when thoy get it when they are happy, how glorious it is I" "You talk just like a skylark, nnd you don't know at all whnt the earth worm may think," said Mrs. Skylnrk, "Do you sunnose they could think Good 'Reason for Investment in Silk Stoekinas JL V7 OUfc. 0UIVS U1U AIJMfeWa "-,T would be very much afraid of going up "CI SHE had just bought a pair of fine black silk stockings and sho didn't look llko a silk-stocking woman, either. Another woman who had joined her as the clerk was taking the purchase to bo wrapped, smiled surprise at the woman who had bought the silk stockings. "Getting giddy, Jen?" Jen resented the charge. "If I was, I wouldn't be buying one pair nt a time. Eut I only need one pair to be killed in." To tho friend's smiling surprise was added'Q friend's solicitude for de tails "Oh, nothing to be alarmed at; no operation or anything like that only, well, you see, I'm going on q long trip, and I got them to wear on the train." "Butfmy soul and body, Jen, your everyday stockings aro all right to travel in!" "That's what I thought until a friend put me wise. She read about it wreck, don't you know, in which two unidentified women wero injured. Ono was shabby nnd tho other wore fine clothes nnd silk stockings. The poor woman had good enough treatment, of course, but Silk Stockings had the best room In the vllluge where the accident had occurred, with the. doctor popping in every hour and everybody running around to help out in tho nursing so that when relatives in keeping with the stockings could be located those who had been kind would be properly rewarded. Both women died before regaining consciousness, poor things, nnd while the shabby ono got some little old corner in tho churchyard, Silk Stockings hud a choice grave in the middle of every thingand I sure do wnnt a cholcy grave I I will wash them as soon as 1 get there and put them aside until I'm ready to conic home, and you just ought to see my longy-rce I" Players in the Enchanted Land of SVSake-Believe i seemed to the nuked eye that their caps and aprons were mude of tissue paper, but- Gold Nuggets Worth $1,155. Coffo Creek, Cal. Three gold nug gets, with a total valuation of $1,155, wero portions of a cleanup made re cently by Pntrlck Holland in his placer mine near here. One of the nuggetf was valued at $000, another ."S-I0O nm' the third $155. These are the largest nuggets found In the county for sev eral years. The remainder of the cleanup, which amounted to $000, was In small gold, several pieces of which wero valued at $5 each. COULD TEU 10U 50MF- .TWrflAWflJl HE FLIHTS f l"i"H"H"M"l"W4 CONQUEST AND KULTUR I From nil this it appears that the Monroo doctrine cannot bo T justified. ... So It renmlns only what we Europeans have T described ns an inspiration. And f f so it remains only whnt wo Eu- I X ropeans almost universally con- f sldcr it, tin import inonqo. mm a n nolsv cry thoy try to make an f impression on tho world and .. succeed, especially with tho stu- ; ; nld. Tho Inviolnblllty of tho .. American soil Is invoked with nnf thero being at hand the " slightest means of warding off '. '. tho attack of a respectable- Eu " ropcan power. Johannes Vol- Jjert, AUUUUlSCllu inuum 17, 1003. h H HH I HI t' Usually regarded as a modem dls case, appendicitis was known In Egypt more than 5.000 years go and was accurately described in records that ttlll exist. WORK FOR MAIMED Plan for Re-Education of Dis abled American Soldiers. To Be Helped to Rehabilitate Them selves as Useful Citizens of the Republic. Washington. Now that our troops have begun to actually tako purt In the great war, a great problem will Boon have to be faced. It will soon have to bo faced. It will liuvo to do with tho re-education of disnhlcd sol diers. It will not bo enough for the government" to place those who are permanently disabled In soldiers' homes and allow them to complete their cxlstcncu In material comfort, hut those who nro partially disabled so ns to make them unable to return' to tho occupations and trades which thoy left to servo their country will hnvo to he re-educated In some employ ment which will enable them to rchu- Seek Help of Children. Washington. Plans for enlisting the services of tho children of the country in the campaign to save coal aro being cut by tho conservation di vision of the federal i'iR'1 administra tion. Boy scouts and school children generally are in n position to nld In the coal conservation campaign, by making use of waste products which can be utilized as fuel. bllltuto themselves us useful citizens of thu republic. Although tho plans have not pro grossed enough to make a formal announcement of their scope, It Is known that the war department, tho surgeon general's office. Is working on the theory that the re-education must commence in the hospital while tho patient Is convalescent. Tho government will probably fol low closely tho plans of the Canadian government, which Is to continue Its military control over tho bndly wounded until a competent board con sisting of officers, doctors and lay men pronouncu tho re-education com plete nnd the soldier ready for new endeavors. According to accepted theories, the re-employment of the faculties begins In thu hospital bed with games and puzzles which excltu tho luterust and tnke the mini off misfortunes. Tho badly maimed often lose courage and hope, and havu often after previous wars Insisted upon being supported by thu government In soldiers' homes witnoui eiiori ou mar own ucuuu. "If the mathara don't wnlth my wngth I'm gdlng to get another ther vlth plathe wouldn't you, Thuthle?" "My nnino Isn't Susie. If you can't call mo mamselle, you needn't speak to mo because I don't understan' a word you say. I thank you to know I'm a French bun nn' you are nothln' but n lnnld." "You oughter be tlinmcd yourthef to tell u thtory ltku thut, mumthell, when you know my name ith Mlth llothabel. Yetli. lndeedy. I'd lenvth thchouth tlilth lnthnnt. then I love tho buby tho muth that I'Jutht can't go" "Oh, mono jew, you know you mean the sho-feer. Say, Rosabel, I could tell you somethln nawful bout how he tllrts only you don't unnerstan Frenciv "I do tho mean the baby, then. I don't thee how the umthum can wunncr wound an' neuleth tho thweet llttlo fellow thu way sho dooth." "Oh, mono Jew 1 You don't catch mo worryln' ceptin' when they eut ull the turkey uu'lce cream nt the first table Leaves danced down from treos to sun-Ulckcd gravel, but the small girls did not notice, nnd everywhere uround wero other children ut noisy play, but tint small irlrls did not henr. For they were not little girls at all, but two real nurses nnmed Mamsello aud Rosabel. And they were trundling real babies In real perambulators along tho glamorous high roud of Make-Belleve, which, geographically, is situated In tho Kingdom of Childhood that lost Atlantis, neighbors, which was onco our homo, but which we can never go back to, because thero is a high, high wall. And we arc on the outside. Capital Officials Discourage Meat "Camouflage" the n'eid mrks and In the nlr so high as we do. They would hate to leave the earth. Th earth Is so solid and they arc so sure it won't give way." "Neither will the air," said Mr. Sky- lark. "That's because we have wings," said his mate. "Right you are," said Mr. Skylark. "You are n very wise bird." "And they probably do not mind their name of earth worm because they hnve always had it" "Perhaps not," said Mr. Skylark. "It does seem so strange to think of creatures liking the earth when thero is the sky the great and glorious sky. How I would hate to have been named earth worm no matter what you mny eay, Mrs. Skylark. "It would have been too terrible. Yes, it would have made mo sad In deed. I simply could not have stood It. I would have flown away and never have wanted to see a soul." "If you had been an earth worm you couldn't have flown away," said his mate. "And you would have crawled along through life qulto hap pily." "I don't see how I could nave," saia the skylark. "I am sure I would "have died of grief." "Well, well," said the sky fairies who were flying nround visiting tho cloml fairies, "why aro you making yourself so mlserablo over something that has not happened and will never happen?" "That is so," said tho skylark, "l was feeling sorry for the earth worm and then I began to think how drend- ful it would he to live as nn earth worm instend of as n skylark. That made me sad. It was the thought of It." "Yes," snld tho sky fulries, "It was the thought of It, for it couldn't never really happen. And don't spend your time thinking and worrying uhout the things thut will never happen. Think of nil the joys yon huvol" "Ah, yes," snld the skylark. "For wo fly so high and we are called after tho sky." And Mr. nnd Mrs. Skylark soared far up In the eky singing as they flew: Wo fly bo high, night up In the sky. AnU ImrHI Hnrk! Our name is Skylark. It's because wo can sins. When rlKht on tho wins. Ho!gh-lfo. helGU-ho, up, up, up wo go! For the skylark family can sing as they fly and they go far up in thu air They arc relations of the meadow lurks, tho pipits, CAMOUFLAGING meat Is tho latest wur-tlmo diversion of unscrupulous local j market men, according to Health Officer Win. O. Woodward, who, in nn offi cial statement, gave wurnlng uf tho Infliction of drastic punishment upon all offenders. Goat meut aud horse steaks, Mr, Woodwurd ndrolts are rellshablo articles of food which may lawfully be sold In Washington to all who care to purchase. But substitution of these two products for luuib or mutton or beef is n gross infraction of health regulations und is punishable. Wnshlngtonlans who In the course of their bnrgiiln foruys about thu moat stnnds huvo tested nnd found gout meat good nro encouraged by tho health depnrtment to enjoy the edible. To eat goat meat us gout meat, or horseflesh when knowing Its origin, bus tho official O. K. of tho health depnrtment. But for ilealors to puvvn off theso commodities upon Innocent buyers under false pretenses will not bo toleruted in the national capital, lmmedlato apprehension of all who mnko this a prnc tico Is now the object of a number of officials whoso uttentlon has been called to such r.llegcd methods. Official notice of this is phrased as follows : "The fraudulent salo of goat meat for lamb and mutton Is practically an established fact in the District, and the health department Is postponing prose cution only in order that the evidence ulrendy in hand may be re-euforcctl br laboratory findings." different species, or families of sky larks. And ns tho sky fairies had told tho skylark never to feel sad about something which couldn't happen he was always cheer ful after that. .1 A 1 ami u.cm- " Thc sky FaIrle3. arts noted for Ping ing sri happily and gully as they fly up In the air. For they nro all so glad thoy are not earth worms I Skjinr.s aro so very, very different 1 Think Pleasant Things. Tho source of ngreeablencss or dlsu greeubleness Is In tho thought-life we lead, It is in thought that tho social climate is made. Think pleasantly and you will act pleasantly, and this Is tre mendously vital, for it affects not only your own character, hut also the char acters of those around you. Glrl'g Companion.