Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, June 14, 1919, Page 5

SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 14, 1919 THE BEMIDJI DAILY PIONEER HAD DEVICE T0 . WARN OF SHELLS Listening Instrument Operated With Uncanny Accuracy. GREAT WORK OF ENGINEERS —_———— War Department Relates Astound. ing Achievements of Corps at Home and Abroad—One Device Spotted 117 German Gun Positions in Single Day—Corps Also Produced Most Powerful Searchlight in Use. . The war story of the engineer corps at home and in France is told officlally for the first time in chapters of the war department’s brlef history of American war efforts, made public in advance sheets. Many of the record- ed accomplishments of the engineers have been published before as isvlated incidents, but this is the first com- plete and connected story which gives any idea of. the extraordlnary scope of the duties modern warfare laid upon engineering troops. 4 Probably the best illustration of this ja‘fnr as the troops in France are con- cerned is the technical organization of _ the units of the engineers which reached the other side. There were seven regiments and two battalions of rajlway construction engineers, five battalions for maintenance of way; two battalions for maintenance of rail- way equipment; four regiments and one battalion to operate the main American rallways in France; three regiments to operate light raiflways and their repair shops; two regiments to operate the regular railway repair .. shops ; two regiments and six separate battalions on general construction work ; -two regiments for storing and transporting engineer supplies; a for- estry regiment; a light railway con- struction regiment; a road building regiment; a water supply regiment; a mining regiment; a quarrying regi- ment; a technical regiment for sur- veying and sound ranging; three sur ; vey and printing battalions; two rafl- .+ way transportation battalions; an elee- trical and mechanical regiment; sev- eral separate companies to operate cranes; a camouflage service; five in- land waterway companies to operate canal boats and the like; flve pontoon trains and a pontoon park; a rallway transportation and stores battalion and a searchlight regiment. And Then There Were the Sappers. These special units, all composed of men trained in civil ltfe in the United States for the work they did in France, were in addition to the fighting en- gineers with each division, the sappers, who formed about eight per cent of all of the combatant ttoops in France. One section of the report is devoted to the development of American rail- ways Iin France and to the production of railway equipment in the United States to meet the call from the front. There were shipped to France 1,303 locomotives before the armistice was signed, of which 908 were in service at that time. In addition, 18,318 freight cars were shipped abroad, both engines and cars having been pro- duced specially for service in France. ese were employed upon the 937 miles of standard guage track laid in France by the engineers with equip- went shipped from this country, and the rolling stock was in addition to great quantities of light railway equip- ment for front line work that was also sent abroad. Hospital trains were obtained in England, 19 of them with a total of 804 cars having been completed by December, 1918, with 29 additional trains under construction. They cost tore than $18,000 per car, but it is es- i timated that to have produced them in ; the United States and shipped them | would have cost $40,000 per car. The report lays stress on the fact that great progress was made during] the war in the developinent of road bullding, railway, and other engineer- fng equipment which will be of value commercially in peace time. The mo- torized machine shops alone, it is stated, are practically certaln to bring about in this country the use of moving shops of this character in agri- cultural communities as farming ma- *Wyhinery increases. “The day has come,” the report #ays, “when the traveling machine shop will be a familiar sight upon our rural highways.” Among the motorized shops created were the photolithograpkic press trucks, which were able to produce maps from original sketches within.12 hours, as compared with four days required by similar French and Brit: ish units. A special chapter is devoted to lisr tening instruments developed during the war to locate hidéen guns. Im- proving upon allied designs, the en- gineer corps produced machines for this purpose which operated with “un- canny accuracy,” one of them having spotted 117 German gun positions in a single day. Subsequently these were followed by instruments of even greater power, and at the close of the war there were 12 complete cuifts, erach covering a five-mile stretch of front. at work on the American lines. Similar development of instruments for locating hostile airplanes were carried out until it was possible to determine the location of a raider at pight within an angle of three de- grees. The American types produced T were easily portable and quickly set up to aid the scarchlights. A hint [l - _Npy Bt the scientific developments which were in sight in-connection with these sound-ranging devices is contained in the following paragraph: “When the fighting stopped our mil- ftary scientists and others co-operat- ing with them were working on the de- velopment of a sound-ranging appara- tus intended to give troops warning of shell fired by the enemy in their di- rection. The preliminary experiments found that at 4.1 miles these mechan- 1sms could detect the firing of the gun as long as 19 seconds before the shell arrived, thus giving troops ample time to get under cover. Such a develop- ment was possible because of the far greater speed with which earth vibra- tions travel than those of sound fin the air. “Except for lack of time in the brief seconds between the firing of the gun and the arrival of the shell it would be quite possible with this pro- posed apparatus to calculate almost exactly where the shell would land. The Most Powerful Searchlight. The corps produced also a new form of searchlight more powerful than any that had preceded it in any army, and with which the Second Fleld army had been partially equipped. “It weighed,” the report says, “one- eighth as much as lights of former designs, cost only one-third as much, was abdut one-fourth as large in bulk, and threw a light ten per cent strong- er than any other portable projector in existence.” The engineers were at work when the fighting ended upon a mechanism which would enable them to control searchlights from a distance. The chapter devoted to the work of the engineer corps in France draws a vivid picture of the duties of the com- bat engineers who played their full part in the fighting from the begin- ning to the end. It also tells in de- tail of the building of the railways, the cutting down of French forests to con- vert them into barracks for American troops; of the miles of highways bullt and constantly rebuilt as shellfire tore them to pieces; of cement mills taken over in France by American troops to provide trench materials; of the great map-printing plant, where the en- gineers: finally were able to produce not only all maps needed for the American army but even supplied the French Seventh and Eighth army with base maps for their fronts. In this huge plant at Laagres in November over 1,900,000 lithographic prints were made and over a million sheets of type work done. There is told also the story of a camouflage factory at Dijon where material to blind enemy airplanes’ eyes and to confuse the en- emy’s pickets was turned out in vast quantities. : “Utilizing and applying the new knowledge and scientific achievements of recent years,” the report says, in concluding that portion devoted to the engineers, “drawing upon the fund of experience acquired by the regular army in its theoretical studies and past wars, making available the vast amount of technical skill which has assisted this nation to its present com- mercial and industrial status, the en- gineers of the United States army worked and fought, planned and ac- complished in France a work which in magnitude exceeds any similar un- dertaking recorded in American his- tory. From base ports to first waves of an assault upon the enemy’s posi- tions, engineer troops have been con- stantly in action, first to last, and have ‘carried on’ always with the high ideals of the professional and with the motto of the corps of engineers: ‘Essayons’ (Let us try), before them.” NO PRIDE IN DEATH Cemetery Directors Insist That Graves of Rich and Poor Be Allke. Pride, haughtiness, distinction—Iin death? The thought alone is a Chris. tian sacrilege, much less the dead it- self. So reasoned" the directors of the Lakewood, Park Cemetery association of Lakewood, O., who demand that the resting place of the rich man and the poor man hereafter must be uni- form—a modest headstone, rising not more than a foot above the cemetery lawn. “It does away with the atiempt of well-meaning people to outdo each other in the size of their monuments,” sald George Thorne, president of the associatior Some women are not as bad as they are painted. TN Neatly Pressed Suits Always Look New Regular and frequent dry cleaning and pressing keeps your clothes in splendid ap- pearance and fit as long as the cloth will wear, and lengthens also the length of wear given by the material. THE MODEL DRY GLEANERS Phone 537 309 Third Street A H RIS H IR TSR = e PAGE THREE e It does make a difference where you spend your money. When you buy furniture you are buying something for years of service. items you spend money for when you consider length of service, beauty and usefulness. Fiber, upholstered with Tapestry, Chairs and Rockers $7.50 to $20.00 Tapestry upholstered Reed Chairs and Rock- ers $22 to $27.50 " : Fern Boxes $10.50 to $12.75 Reed Tables $10.00 and yp. Gold Seal Congoleum Rugs vee....$8.75 s ..10.60 6x9 9x10%% ... 9x12 & Congoleum, per yard $1.00 Deltox Grass Rugs All sizes and colors $1.25 to $12.75 A new line of Wilton Rugs— Just in 27x54 . .$4.00 to $10.25 36x72 . .$7.50 to $25.00 In the New Home Furnishing Department Some unusually attractive offerings are now on dis- play in our Annex. This is the place where, any day, and every day, you can get things for less. This is a regular department of our store. We plan for it and buy for it with the greatest care. Our buying and selling facilities are such that the every-day prices in this busy place are really interesting. Come and see. This is the way to be convinced. A new and beautiful line of Draperies and Curtain 9x12, Special. .$70.00 Goods just arrived, and at prices that are very low Aluminum Ware is when quality is considered. especially desirable s . . when prices are low as Swiss Mull, 36 inch wide, per yard Scrim, per yard ...... . s, e these. Percolator,sfil ” Voile, per yard CUP csvivviis ST Pt S s Sl ] # 2_%;]3“ covered keg_l = gl;x;g:;f::t;ex;e;gf;d ................. (T - s b4 Tapestry Cloth, per yard. ... 4'%111: rt Preserve k;;".ls Duplex Tapestry, peryard ........... """" et Vira Marquisette, per yard ............ Sguaspmcn by 3170 Bath Towels, . . . - 15¢, 25c, 35¢, 50¢, 75¢, 90c all kinds 20c to 35¢; Large line of Bed Spreads. . . .$3.60 to $11.00 No. 3 Gai\;éxiized Wash Sheets, large size, Mohawk........... $2.00 ’i‘ub onl $1.25 Pillow Slips, per pair......... caw ey $1.00 Exton henny Dates Pail Comfortables . . ... .. $2.50 to $4.50 e el i Table Cloths . .$2.50 to $20.00 a > Yoons Napkins, per half dozen.....$2.00 to $10.00 SULKIES Just arrived, a large shipment of the Hey- wood-Wakefield line of Collapsible Sulkies and Reed Pullman Sleepers, and moderately priced: Sulkies . $6.00 to $23.00 Sleepers,........... % $13.50 to $48.00 Refrigerators ..... . $18.50 to $70.00 Place Winter Clothes in a MOTH PROOF . BAG Absolutely Moth Proof VENTILATING PORCH SHADES Bag, with- hangers, $1.25 and $1.75 Have solved the porch comfort problem, because they are equip- ped with the hang easy device and no whip attachment, and are . substantial as well as artisticc. Come in two colors, brown and green, and nine different sizes, and are moderately priced. COTTAGE Width, drop Width, drop HEATERS || 3%x7%* $ 250 TUXTY% ... $ 6.90 4 xT% 315 8 xT% .~ 750 2k 5%xT % 475 9%xT% © 9.00 Cottage air-tight 6 X% 5.60 10 x7% ... ©10.00 heaters $2.00 to $10.00 12 x7% . 12.50 *Dimensions Set. FREE!! Huffman & O’'Leary -:- ————— ————— The Pioneer W uffman& O’'Leary The Store of Big Values—Where You Get Value Received for Both Sides of Your Dollar At Huffman and O’Leary’s we give the very best possible merchandise to be had for the money. Our prices, too, are as low as good merchandise can be sold for. Furniture today is one of the cheapest During the month of June every returned soldier or sailor who secures his home outfit here, amounting to $150 or more, will be presented with a beautiful Fifty-Piece Dinner This practical family dinner set sells for $13.98, with four patterns to choose from, and consists of SIX EACH, Cups and Saucers, Bread and Butter Plates, Breakfast Plates, Dinner Plates, Fruit Saucers, Soup Plates, and ONE EACH, Gravy Bowl, Vegetable Dish, Covered Sugar, Creamer, Platter, and Covered Dish. Total, 50 pieces. Our only bid for your patronage is Service, Quality and price; once a trial always a customer Bemid;i e ant Ads Bring Results Maple Porch Chairs $3.75 to $5.00 Porch Hammock $15.75 Folding Sanitary Couches $8.75, $9.50, $11.50 Baby Beds and Kiddie Koops $7.00, $13.00, $22.50 2-in post steel bed, Sagless spring and all cotton matlress, at $35.00 A new folding Sagless spring bed, just the thing for cottage or sleeping porch, priced very low: 26at .......... $7.50 3-0 at .. : .$9.00 4-0 at .............$12,50 Imported Japanese Tea sets . .$2.00 to $15.00 50-piece Decorated Din- ner Sets. $7.50 to $50.00 A complete line of Iridescent and Libby Cut Glass. Open Stock White Ware —a complete line. Cups and Saucers, one- half dozen $1.40 Plates ....75¢c to $1.60 Fruits . ouscammes 50c A large line of Old Hickory Chairs and Porch Furniture at at- tractive prices. Curtain Stretchers. . $1.50 to $2.75 Ironing Boards. ..$1.35 Step Ladder Stools ..... $1.75 40-watt Electric Lamps . ...... 25¢ 0O’Cedar Oil Mop. 50c White Enamel Bread BoX iuwsivsses $2.25 Baby Bath Tubs. .$2.75 Copper Bottom Wash Boilers . .. .... $4.00 Knives and Forks, et wn ek ads $1.75 Jardinieres .. . ... .25¢ Clothes Baskets, wil- Jow . oo ..$2.00 Vacuum Washer. . .50c RANGES Garland Ranges $70.00 With steel polished BODI s % i/l g s $85.00 Combination wood, coal, or gas. .$110.00 o D e s