HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1914-9-10, Page 6FIRING SAL11TE FOR FI1IS'•1' VICTIl1IS (!'F TIlk. WAR.
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Burial of British and Germans In Common Grave.
The top scene shows the burial of the first English victims of the war.
The men are in the act of firing a salute over the graves of four German
and four English soldiers who perished when the Ampaion and the
mine -laying Koenigin Luise were destroyed. The other photograph is
from Folkestone, England, and shows 200 German reservists who were
taken prisoners as they were about to leave England for the Continent.
GERMAN ESPIONAGE CRAFTY
20,000 SPIES SCATTERED OVER
FRANCE.
Secret Agents Masquerade as
fessional Men and
Artisans.
In view of reported cases of Ger-
man espionage in Canada and of
the excitement produced in various
centres throughout the Dominion by
the movement of supposed spies, it
is illuminating to learn something
of the scale upon which the German
systems of espionage is known to be the authorities. That theree are
organized in the theatre of the war agents of hostile powers in Canada
in Europe, is admitted, - Owing to the strict -
At the conclusion of the 1866 cam_ness of cable censorship it is difli-
paign against Austria, Stieber, the cult for them to get their reports
Prussian ce'gaeu of Police, was across the ocean promptly, but in
sent Oen an organization mission to the absence of e, censorship over
Francs. Between 1866 and 1869 he land wires and mails, communiea-
made four journeys to France, -bra,-San of a ort is open through the
versed the length and breadth of mails to neutral countries.
the country, and strewed 20,000
paid German spies throughout the
land. These spies were organized
territorially, under four inspectors,
having headquarters at Brussels,
Lausanne, Geneva, and Berlin,
Stieber instituted the peculiar
system of "fixed posts," which is
still maintained.
The Spy in the Fixed Post
attracts no attenbian, since he lives
as an inhabitant and usually plies a
trade or profession.
Under cover of his trade he covin
make inquiries 'without incurring
suspicion, and has opportunities of
• getting in touch with anyone capa-
ble of giving valuable information.
German spies in France included
entire globe live under the nags of
porters, shopkeepers, sommercral
travellers; waiters, waitresses,
newspaper reporters, telegraph
operators, 'domesties, etc.
Among other duties assigned to
the director of the German spy ser-
ves during- the War of 18'10 were
the following:
1- Information in regard to the
situation, strength and mavemenbs
of each group of the hostile army.
2, In regard to the age, character
wad reputation of all hostile: com.-
manders;
3. State of public feeling in the'
districts about to be traversed by
the (Berman army and their re-
sourcee,
4. To procure persons in each of
these regions capable of furnishing
useful information.
In spite of French vigilance, it ie
known that Germany elaborated
Iter espionage syetem. Stieber fur-
ther ettablielreeti e.
11;lineh of "Secret Police's
to de it with "politieal aeturahs."
Pro -
,BCIRIAL VAIIIPHION
+ an TIME +
This term included the destruction
of strategical railways. In his book
on the German spy system in
France, Mr, Paul Sanoir points out
that German espionage interests
itself in everything and everybody
possessing in any capacity a parti-
cle of authority or oelebrity. In-
formation as to telegraphs, tele-
phones, railways, bridges, culverts,
forges, provisions and supplies,
shipping, hospitals, water supplies,
discontented people, and citizens
susceptible to monetary temptation.
How perleet a spy system has
been introduced by Germane in
Canada is not stated, but it is
known there have been German
spies in the country within the past
five years, and that some of them
have been identified and tracked by
farriers, market gardeners,railway
1'
HALF WORLD AT WAR.
435,000,00'0 People in British Em-
pire Alone.
The total area of the warring
countries, including their colonies
and dependencies, is more than
27% million square miles, or a fu11
half of .the land surface of the
globe, including five million square
miles of uninhabitable wastes in
the polar regions.
The proportion of the population
of earth involved more or leas di-
rectly in the tremendous struggle
raging in Europe is equally great.
More than half of the people of the
the belligerent powers.
The British Empire alone con-
tains 435 million human beings, of
whom 320 million live in India. The
population. of..the Russian Empire is
at least 175 million. Frame, with
her densely populated possessions
in Indo-Obina has more than 92 mil-
lions subject. Germany, with its
African possesalon s, eon brit abet
about 82 'million to the war's total.
Holland and the Dutch Possessions,
ehiefly in .the Eat, Indies, contain
over 41 million inhabitants. Bel-
gium, with the Congo State, counts
for 28 million more. TThepopultubfon
of Austro-Hungary exceeds; 52 mil-
lion, Little Servia has ,about four
million inhabitants,
aF-
The Differentia.
"My, but isn't fishing just con-
tagius othis time of the year I"
"Y•es, it's contagious, but it
isn't catching,"_
THE BLACK SIDE OF LIAR
MEN MURDERED AND WOMEN
ILL-TREATED.
JMODERJtIAR MORE HUMANE
Belgian People Who Got to Paris
Are.inving on What They
Can Pick Up.
The Cirque de Paris, where the
crowd of Belgian refugees has
grown to 20,500, has taken on the
aspeot of a human stable.
The floors of the wide foyers are
all covered with straw, and the
homeless and poverty-stricken peo-
ple enay be seen lying about, many
in attitudes of sad dejection.
Trained nurses of the Red Cross,
priests, soldiers end doctors are
constantly moving among the
crowd, ministering to their wants.
Inside the amphitheatre were
children of all ages, sizes and des-
ariptions. The scarcity of baggage
was noticeable, everyone apparent-
ly having taken only the few things
that could be easily carried in their
hasty flight. The evening meal con-
sisted of a [huge slice of bread, with
a piece of beef on top, and after-
wards coffee was served.
German Rapacity.
An old man sitting in a corner on
a sack of straw, told the following
story
"People call me Jean Beaujon. I
have a little wine shop just across
the river from. Liege in the town of
Grivegne. When the mobilization
order was announced my two sons,
both fine fellows, went off to join.
their regiment. My daughters, I
have two, this one here and an-
other, remained with their old
father."
The girl he motioned to was a
bright-eyed girl of about 16, but
only her eyes were visible, as the
rest of her face was swathed in
bandages.
He continued: "You see her poor
dear face? Well, a German was
the oause of that. When they came
they demanded wine, which I gave
them, and one man triedto insult
her. When she resented this he
stru•ok her and slue fell against'the
counter and broke her jaw."
The old man then told of their
flight and the !hardships they en-
dured.
Widow with Five Children.
Another refugee, Manu. Agnes
Bourssault, of Walkenraedt, in
telling her story of the flight from
Belgium, said :
"Please don't ask me to tell the
horrible things I saw while coming
here. I have lost any husband and
brother, who died in the noble
cause, and now you see me alone
with my five ohildren. The greatest
suffering I underwent was from
hunger. We could get hardly any-
thing to eat for three days, except
a little stale bread. The thing that
hurt me most was my inability to
satisfy the wants of try little ones."
Georges Just, a restaurant -keep-
er of'Chenee, told the story:
"When we heard the Germans
approach, my wife and I fled across
the river into Liege. It ser mrs now
much like a dream. Just before they
entered there we left rmlong with
many others.
"Never tiall I forget the sights
we saw along the roadside • where.
mutilated corpses and wounded and
dying strewed aur pathway."
Many other refugees continued to
arrive during the night. The Gov-
ernment ie doing everything possi-
ble -to aid thorn,
No Ailments to Discuss.
Ib is nice to be perfectly healthy;
but it doesn't leave you teuoil to
talk about. •
DISEASE WILL NOT LEVY A
• HEAVY TOLL.
Fate of Nations Depends on Sani
talion Is Lesson Taught ,
by history.
United States army surgeons
agree that the present war will be
settled in much shorter order than
most persons believe possible, and
that it will be the most humane ever
waged, There will be no lengthy
mortality list from disease and no
army of cripples will result, they
are convinced.
Reoent advances in surgery and
sanitation will be the cause. The
high power, . quick -firing military
rifle and the deyelopnvent in artil-
lery will, however, tend to make
bhe mortality list greater than in
any previous war. . These who die
will die quickly. Deaths will be.
due to 'accuracy, long range and
rapid firing, and not to disease of
infected wounds.
"Gangrene and infection," de-
clares an army surgeon who is re-
cognized as an authority, "will be
practically unknown quantities in
the wars of the future."
Until- the Russo-Japanese War
black powder and a Iarge calibre
bullet comprised the ammunition of
the armies of the world. The bul-
lets were of unsheathed lead,.
greased to overcome friction in the
barrel. Their muzzle velocity was
less than.one-haR than of. the mis-
siles in arms now employed.
Up to that time •.bayonet and sa-
bre charges, ,prolific of hideous and
dangerous wounds, were common.
Such charges are now considered
mediaeval. The bullets now used
are of less diameter than the ordi-
nary lead pencil and are jacketed
with steel or 'nickel, They have a
tremendous velocity and low trajec-
tory.
Wounds Now Clean Cut.
Beyond 350 yards the wounds in-
flicted by such bullets ere clean cut,
frequently passing throne bone tie -
sue without splintering. The arter-
ies .are seldom injured by such
wounds, as the bullet going through
the flesh, pushes the blood vessels
to one side.
The advance in surgery, more-
over, has been such that wounds
which were formerly fatal, or at
least necessitated amputation, are
now healed without suoh an opera-
tion. Formerly a bullet wound
through a joint, such as the knee or
elbow, necessitated the amputation
of the limb. Now such a wound is
opened and dressed and heals with-
out amputation.
Every army division is supplied
with four field hospitals, each capa-
ble of oaring for 108 patients, There
arealso two evacuation ;hospitals,
with a capacity of 700 each, for
each division. These may be from
twenty-five to fifty miles in the rear
of the army, and it is from them
that the more seriously wounded
are shipped back to the hospitals at
home.
Besides the hospital corps,
which has bearers on the field of
battle ready to rush the wounded
back to the field hospitals, each
officer in the European and Anueri-
can armies is instructed in first aid
treatment, so that there need' be
no delay in oaring for the wounded
and no excuse for allowing infection
to set in, even in the heat of battle.
Disease Main Factor.
The prevention methods and im-
proved sanitary arrangements whish
have developed within the last gen-
eration in the armies of the world
are generally regarded as even
more important than the treatment
of the wounded. In the Civil War
eight soldiers died of disease to
every one who succumbed to
wounds. Experts have figured that
in the present European war not
more than three will die of disease
to one killed in battle.
Neglect of proper sanitary pre-
cautions is aio•w regarded by every
world power as duicidal. History
shows that the fate of nations and
dynasties may hang upon smite -
tion. In 1792, when the disciplined
Prussian troops marched to the re-
lief of Louis XVI., they were met
and repulsed by the raw levies of.
the young republic. The report of
General Du Mouriiez, the comman-
der of the French troops, shows be-
yond .a doubt that owing to neglect
of ordinary sanitary precautions
pestilential dysentery had attacked
the -Prussian army and rendered it
unfit for service.
The camp, pestilences have always
been typhoid' and dysentery, Un -
about fifteen years ago the
causes of these diseases and the pre-
vention were Hort known, Now both
havebeen ascertained and are eee-
tively fought, The typhoid germ is
attacked by 'vaccination and the
dysentery parasite by sterilizing
drinking water.
?at--"D'a you [believe in dreams,
Mike 1" Mike--""a4th and X do 1
Last nightI, dreamt that: was
awake, an' an the, teltning my
dreiel isseama iihrub va
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LEST YEAST IN, THE WORLD. "}L�
rg DECUIPJE TiIE NUMEROUS INFERIOR
IMITA-li1ONS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED ..,
AWARDED HIGHEST HONORS AT ALL EXPOSITIONS
E.W. G,ILLE-rT COMPANY LIMITED.
WINNIPEG TORONTO ONT, MONTREAL.
ARTILLERY MAY DECIDE LIAR
EUROPE'S RACE FOR SUPRE-
hIACY IN GUNS.
France Has Made Great Strides in
Improving Her
Armament.
The seat of war in Belgium is
described in the Iron Age by one
who• signs himself "An .Occasional
Contributor." The article deals
largely wibh,:the artillery in use in
the present campaign.
"The determined defence of
Liege," he says, "was made dou-
bly .necessary .by reason of the im-
portant artillery and small arms
works located there. The Belgian
Government is almost entirely de-
pendent upon bhe Liege district" for
arms and armament.
"The great Cockerill Works are
located close to Liege at the sub-
urban town of Seraing. Ordinarily
the Cockerill Works give employ-
ment to more than 10,000 men. The
principal output consists of military
and coast defence material. The
standard Belgian field artillery gun
is of Cockerill design and is known
as the Cockerill gun. In addition
to field pieces, 'Cockerill turns out
large calibre guns for coast defence
positions. The plant is easily the
most important in size and output
in Belgium.
"The Fabrique Nationale d'Armes
de Guerre is located at Rental, a
suburb of Liege, and .gives employ-
ment to more than 3,000. persons.
The rifles, carbines and revolvers
used in the Belgian army come for
the most pant from the Liege dis-
trict. In and atbourb Liege are
about thirty-five firms engaged in,
the production of sporting arms,
the largest being probably the Pie-
per Works.
Liege Is Armory Centre.
"Liege boasts of two impor'bant
machine tool works, namely, De
Longdoz and Fetue-Defize. The
great machinery works, known as
the Meuse Works, are just outside
the city of Liege, while within the
city proper is the St. Leonard Lo-
comotive Works, one of the oldest
and best known in Europe.
"The greatest importance is as-
cribed by military men to the part
which field artillery will play in
the . present struggle, In 1870
Fraunoe was clearly outclassed by
Krupp wedge bleak field guns. The
French pinned great hopes on ;the
mi'trailleuse, a form of machine gun
but the weapon ltailed miserably at
the very outset of the war. Private
firms in Europe, like Krupp, .Skoda,
Schneider and Co., and [Cockerill,
have carried forward [the develop-
ment of field artillery year [by year.
"[Some idea elf the advances made
was first gleaned by the work of ,the
French guns in the Boer War.
These pieces easily outbranged the
standard English field pieces. The
French guns in the hands of the
Boers were ddhneider pieces manu-
factured at Oreusot, France. In
the late Balkan war the Servians
did remarkable work with still la-
ter makes of rSebneider guns.
"There is a popular impression.
that the French army is equipped
with field guns of Ibbs type made,
familiar by the lServians and the
Boers. This is erroneous. The
French government gun is manu-
factured at the Government arsen-
als and under no eircumsbanoea can
it be purchased. The greatest •se-
erecy surrounds the manwfao'ture.of
this weapon, and it is a rule to keep
the •guns well covered with tarpaul-
ins when on parade.
118e. Long Recoil System.
"Field guns in use throughout
the European aservices to -day all
employ the long recoil system ; that
is to eay, the gun •carriage is im-
movable, The effective develop-
menb of the long recoil, field car-
riage only began after 1897, when
Prance had adopted her andel of
that year,
"When the long recoil was first
attempted hydraulic bransmfssfoe
was [tried, but the . conipl• a'bions
proved to be too great and spiral
springs were tried. These 'springs
ere applied fn the recoil cylinders
Ehrhardt, a German artillery man-
ufacturer, tried to do without the
tubes by winding the springs in the
opposite direction, but this system
has not been followed to any great
extent. In the late Krupp guns
the action of the recoil is transmit-
ted 'directly on a single spring.
"The object to ,be obtained in
modern field artillery is effective
shrapnel fire. The majority of the
European field pieces have a cali-
bre of 2.95 indhes and throw a
shrapnel projectile weighing about
14% ,pounds. This shrapnel shell
is fitted with 260 bullets and experi-
ence shows thea these 'bullets to do
effective work against men and
horses must have a striking energy
of 700 foot- pounds. • I't . is under-
stood that the new French guns
have an effective shrapnel range of
6,000 yards.
"Instead of the caissons being in
the rear, the Frehc1a and Belgians
place the gun caissons alongside
the guns and not more than two or
three feet away. Ths guns are pro-
vided 'With shields,, and alter the
first shot the gun is rightly planted
in the ground. Two men operate
the piece, one to train and fire and
a second to load and ejeot the
empty cartridge case.
"In the Belgian and French plan
of placing tete caissons when in ac-
tion alongside of the guns there is
gained great rapidity of service,
and a rate of fourteen to fifteen
aimed shots a minute is readily ob-
tainable. By keeping the caisson
close to the guns there is avoided
any exposure of amen in running
with ammunition to the guns.
"It was Gen. Langlois of fhe
French army who is regarded as
the 'father of the present day
Frendh field practice. This officer
for several years urged upon the,
government the developing of a
gun which would be superior in
range and .rapidity of fire to any
field gun in the world. His argu-
ments and claims that the thing
could be done resulted finally in
the War 'Minister taking the matter
up in earnest.
"Gen. Langlois, as a .practical
artillerist, indicated what was re-
quired, and Col., .Dupont, a re-
nouned ordnance engineer, was as-
signed to work in conjunction with
him. These two officers have evolv-
ed the field piece which France now
possesses and on whioh France de-
pends for her armies to win in the
field."
The Aims of Germany.
The London Times in a, leader -re-
garding British effozlbs for peace
says:—'Germany could have :en-
sured the peace of the world had
such been her desire. But it was
not her desire. She wishes to domi-
nate .the world, and for that end
she desired to sepanato the Powers
of the Entente and to defeat them
and ,abuse their weaker neighbors
until England, alone, discredited
and disgrauoed, was left for her to
deal with. She wished to treat
Frazee and then treat us as a great
Aueitrien statesman once wished to
treat•her—to rob un of our own ors
dit and our friends, and then to
wrest ahs trident,• from our grasp.
The plot was as transparent as it
was oynloa•1. The honesty and
straightforward common-sense of
Sir' Edward Grey have defeated it.
All nations of the Empire are ready
to spend their last shilling and their
last man in supporting the conse-
quences, be they what they will."
Bread -Making A.nts.
Some remarkable stories are told
of a species of ant common in Dal-
matia. According to Dr. Neger, of
the Dresden Forestry School, this
ant not only cuts leaves and gath-
erarseeds, but aetually makes broad
or biscuit, It seems that the seeds
are first sprouted, carried lobo, the
sun and dried, then taken back to
the underground chambers, where
they are chewed into a dough. This
dough is then finally made into
tiny cakes, which are baked in the
sun, then carefully placed in Ater-
age'for future use.
Mrs. Fischer, widow of Professor
Flasher, haus {hive honor cd being the
only woman art direetgr of a mlr-
seum in the world, having, succeed-
ed her husband .as director of tete
East Asiavt±o Aire in Cologne, Ger-
It layers, wbbh telescope 'tubes. many.
FROM ERIN'S GREEY ISLE
NEWS B1 MAIL FROM IRE.
LAND'S SHORES.
lfappenings In the Emerald Isle of
Interest to Irlsh-
men,
Sir Christopher Nivon, Barb., ex -
president of the Royal College of
Physicians, has just died.
Mr. Walter Long has received a-
cablegrasn from South 'Australia
promising support .to Ulster,
Sir James Ross, chief commis-
sioner of the Dublin Metropolitan
Police alike 1901, has resigned his
position.
Mr. Pierce Maloney, son of the
ex-M.P. for .County Kildare, was
found shot dead in a lake in his
father's grounds.
Mr. Matthew Flanelly, of Casble-
han, who was prominent in the '65
and '67 movements has just died
at the age of 92.
Mrs. Turner, wife of Captain
Turnor, staying at. Ardmore, Co.
Waterford, was seriously injured
by falling over the cliff side.
The Galway county council
threaten proceedings against the
Ballinasloe urban council on ac-
count of outstanding liabilities.
The death of Patrick Nagle, who•
took a prominent parb in the Fen-
ian movement, is reported from
Kilmallock, at the age -of 76.
As the Belfast steamer Duke of
Argyll was entering Fleetmore liar -
'her, a steam trawler crashed into
her. No one was injured.
During the past few days the
Marquis of Conyng'ham'•s otter
hounds have been hunting Gorey
diebriet. Excellent sport is being
enjoyed. `-
The Lord Lieutenant has ap-
pointed Mr. William A. Reddy, of
Rutland [Square, Dublin, to the •
commission of the peace for the
[borough of Dublin.
Mr. C. H. Peacocke, J.P., Bel-
mont, has been re-elected chair-
man of the Wexford .County Com-
mittee of Agriculture for the tenth
year in succession.
:Col. Hasler, second in command
of the Buffs Regiment, stationed at
Fermoy, was seriously injured by
being thrown from his horse while
on parade,
Private Bland of tthe Duke of
Wellington's . Regiment, stationed
at Portobello Barracks, shot him-
self in the head with a revolver in
the barracks.
reonporal Welch, of the Duke of
Cornwall's Light Infantry, risked
his life in jumping into the Newry
inland canal and saving a•little boy
who had fallen in.
Lisburn Road Church, Belfast,
has received a cheque for $350
from the rCarnegie United Kingdom
Trust towards the fund being rais-
ed for a new organ.
While arranging a [belt of the ma-
chinery at Ballyvistea Creamery,
Emly, John Carroll, assistant man-
ager, got caught in it and received
fatalinjuries.
Robert Gibson, aged 40, of Bel-
fast, was instantly killed at Done -
gall quay, Belfast, ;by a log which
was being discharged from a vessel
striking him on the head.
While endeavoring to control a
vicious 'horse, the anianal snapped
at Robert Davis, farmer's son,
Enagh, Limavad-- mangling the
forefinger of one of his hands,
The establishment of classes for
the instruction of teachers in Irish
throughout county Leitrim, was
decided on .ab a meeting of the
Leitrim technical ,,committee.
A fresh case of foot -and -,mouth
disease has occurred near Roscrea,
County Tipperary, and Irish cattle
into Great Britain has been pro-
hibited by the Board of Agricul-
ture.
SURGERY ANI) WAR.
Half of the Fatalities Conte From
the Artillery.
Modern warfare,, with its rneehine
guns and ;other death dealing in- .
struments, has added to the de-
structiveness sof war and has great-
ly multiplied the problems of the
physician and :the surgeon in car-
ing for the wounded,
Some idea of the grewsonrne task
before the army doctormay be had
from [bhe reading of the experionces
of Professor Laurent, who passed
eleven months with Bulgarian
troope.during'the war in the Tial
kans, Professor Laurent reports
that more flat half of the fatali-
ties caane from the artillery. It
still takers, however,: a man's weight
in .lead to kill him, as many million
bullets were fired for the t[hournods'
who were killed or wounded,
The new arms, with their high
velocity proj•eotdlse, make differen•b
wounds from the old musket and
cannon backs., and the'talk of the
surgeon is different than it wars in
former wars, Modern surgery has
meds groat advances, however, and
the hospital corps of the modern
armies -euro smolt marc efTiiienb than
they wore in the paslt,
Misfit kisses aro the kindg irls
ltivii h on each other,