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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton New Era, 1915-05-20, Page 3Thursday, May 20th, 1915. vomit ..ammi.a. r TSB CLINTON NEW BRA Ita1y May IIave PAGE 'rI?FLEX Entered War Right Now 11S:82o.4oiwwwioiioioro0ro00082040. 00 eeSe2823 on .o sa �o HER RRVY IS Has a Total Land War Strength of 3,400,000— Dreadnaughts Ready. oi.mw.o.a.o.o.de.o .o.o. .o .00.ow�o.o.o.o.wo.o oioio.a.o.oPo.o. • ITALY'S total army war etrengtb is roughly estimated at 3,400,- 000 men, but of these over 2,- 000,000 ;000,000 comprise what is known as the territorial militia, which is practically untrained. There are twelve army corps, each district ex- cept Rome having two infantry di- visions. Rome has three. Recently the corps on the Austrian frontier has been greatly strengthened, and the others since the beginning of hostilities in Europe have been mob- ilizing . to their full war strength. The organization of Italy's perma- nent armyincluded ninety-six regi- ments of line infantry, twelve regi - KING VICTOR EM 4ANUEL. ments of Bersaglieri and eight Al- pine regiments, in all 369 battalions, There are twenty-nine regiments of cavalry and thirty-six of field artil- lery. The army also has a regiment of horse artillery, two regiments of mountain artillery, ten regiments of coast artillery, two of fortress artil- lery and six regiments of engineers. A large battalion of aviators has been organized in the last few years for use in war. Italy also has a fairly large navy. It comprises twenty-one battleships, ten armored cruisers, thirteen pro- tected cruisers, seventy-seven tor- pedo boats, about thirty torpedo boat destroyers and about twenty submarines. Incidentally Italy was the first Mediterranean power to be- gin the construction of battleships of the Dreadnought type. The newest Italian Dreadnoughts, the Andrea Doria and Cafr Duilio, have completed their speed and ar- tillery trials. It is likely that they will be put in commission by May 1. The com- pletion of the two new vessels brings the number of Italy's Dreadnoughts upto six. The first vessel of this class in the Italian navy was the Dante Alighieri, completed in Jan- uary, 1913. hour super -Dread- noughts, carrying fifteen -inch guns each, are projected. ARE SISTER SHIPS. The Andrea Doria and Cato Duilio are sister ships, begun re- spectively in March and April, 1912, and launched In the spring of 1913. Their general specifications are iden- tical with those of the Conte di Cavour, Leonardo da Vinci and Giulio Cesare, which were laid down in 1910 and are now in com- miseton. The leength of these ships on the water line is 575.8 feet. They have a displacement of 22,340 tonsand an indicated 'speed of twenty-three knots. They are driven by Parsons turbines. The protection comprises a complete . belt of armor ten inches thick amidships, tapering to 4,7 inches thick at the ends, with heavily armored turrets, barbettes and conning tower and an armored deck. Each of the new vessels car- ries thirteen twelve -inch, sixteen six-inch and eighteen three-inch guns and three torpedo tubes. Thethree ships begun in 1910 have eighteen 4.7 -inch guns instead of the six-inch guns on the later ves- sels. The new vessels are intended to have a complement of 1,000 of- ficers and men each. The' following pre -mobilization announcement was published in Rome: "The first and second categories of the ten classes from 1889 to 1895 are to be assigned to the first line troops; the third category of the same classes, besides the three cate- gories of the ten classes from 1876 to 1885, are to be assigned to the mobie l and territorial militia." Thus all able-bodied inen between the ages of twenty and forty are to be lecintled. Four clasi:e„ the or 1802, 1393, 1894, 1895—are now with Lhe The three, e , FRA recently t i.i:incl rnd. 'e It 1.0'00 i. e.r, 1 ate 1.101111.1.11,i. liable to All et„iio: s•, ere leo, e to ale( _ [re S.tiic.? ; :n f : p P of Ly,.0 y ...a ., .. .ae•. r000wtee2e2.a.o.aw�o see etieee000w. eo. o. neo on:+ o.o.o•o.o� W FINE AVV AL8O fUPPI0RBlE oa Bersaglieri Regiment Re- garded as One of World's o Best Corps. o .c.o.o.o.o.o.o.o .o.o.o.o.aa a.ow.O.O.q.a.O.O.OYO.O.G.O.O.o.0.0.' w. with the colors, six "en conga," four in the mobile militia and seven in the territorial militia. In case of general mobilization the peace strength of 15,127 officers and 289,- 448 men ds increased' to a total of 3,433,150. The categories of each year's re- cruits are regulated by family con- ditions specified by law. Those be- longing to the first category pass only one year with the colors, but must pay about $200 to $300'an- nually thereafter for exemption. This privilege ceases in case of a call for general mobilization such as is now imminent' in Italy. PICTURES(,1UE ALPINE TROOPS. When the armies of Italy are hurl- ed into the great European conflict some of the most interesting •and picturesque actors of the world's war stage will take up their parts. All eyes will be upon the Bersag- lieri, with their plumes of :cocks' feathers, and the Alpine troops who march up perpendicular cliffs with more eaee than they walk on level ground. And there are the royal carabineers and the Royal Piedmont regiment of cavalry, both holding celebrated positions among all' the fighting forces of the world. Favorites among them all are the Bersaglieri; called "the most pictur- esque of the corps d'elite of the armies of the world." The Bersag- lieri consist of twelve regiments, each of three battalions, with one reserve company. They are the fleetest infantrymen in the world. CHOSE POOREST MATERIAL. This corps was created by General Lamarmora, one of the founders of the Italian national army. The gen- eral asked the king for the worst soldiers In tb.e service so that he could mold them according to his own plans. His first and chief plan was to make his men mentally keen and resourcefr•1. At the same time he wished that they be thoroughly active physically. The Bersaglieri have continued to be a national institution. Their traditions of readiness in emergency have not been allowed to die. No less remarkably trained and no less picturesque are the Alpine troops. The mountains are their home. Whole regiments have been drilled In all the diffieultiessof bat- tling above the clouds or on the steep sides of cliffs, where only avalanches are supposed to travel. In the manoeuvres are to be seen long files of men, small, looking like files on the wall of some terrible ' ' PREMIER SALANDRA. precipice, dragging Mich by inch some big field gun by means of cables and pulleys. The whole idea of such training is that some day it would be neces- sary to meet an enemy equally dar- ing and skilful among. the danger- ous Alpine solitudes. Perhaps that day is now at hand, and the Carnic and Rheatian Alps on the border be- tween Italy and Austria may see battles most strange in comparison with the ordinary aspe warfare. cls of w rt The Kaiser's Train. The headquarters of the German war staff, with the Kaiser as its head, is a specially -constructed train, kept on a certain open line. This train, says The Birmingham Daily Post's correspondent, contains dining sa- loon, andsleeping saloons. The train carries expert telegraphists, and is preceded and followed by an armored train. The war train was specially built some years ago for such a pur- pose, and attached aro well -fitted boxes for the Kaiser's chargers and; his motor -car, spare parts, etc. The whole thing is fitted up as the last word in luxury. • Cost of .a leonibardunent. inwriter in The According to a War A g Budget, published recently, •it would cost the Queen Elizabeth, Britain's now superdreadnought, which le working havoc among the forts of the Dardanelles, $1,290,000 if she were to fire all her guns to full capacity for one hour. The Lion, the flagship of Admiral Beatty, need up' about $075 worth of cordite and shell every time she emptied one of her 13,5 gime at the P,lucl'R:r, The Hidden Death= flow Torpedoes Carry Destruction at Sea How the Lusitania was sunk. The torpedo carried by the large German submarine is about 15 to 16 1-2 feet 'in length and from 18 inched to 2 feet in diameter. The key to the letters ion the torpedo are d A, twin screws revolving at high, speed; B, vertical rudder; C, horizontal rudder; D, propeller shaft; E, buoyancy chamber; starting gear, toadied by catch as eorped'o' leaves' tubes, starting en- gines; G„ starting p'in; 13, engine chamber I, balance chamber ; J, gyrosifope (stabilizer): weight acting on horizontal rudder, con- trolling distance beneath surface: L, compressed air lchamber-3350 pounds pressure 'fol square inch providing motive power for e'n- gines; 111, strong steel head, ercre- ing explosives; N, 200 -pound high explosive; 0, primer, wh'o'a ignites charge; P, stricker, which is driv- en in by contact with s'hip's side and explodes c:carge. Autobiography of a Sham Shoe In the battle thunder do not forget me. If 1 did not distinguish myself at Neuve Chapelle and Langemarck it was not my fault, I was willing enough but I never had a chance. I am one of the sham shoes, My twin—I am the surviving mem- ber of a pair—was incinerated with a lot of other garbage at Salisbury Plain but I escaped to Canada through the good offices of the captain, who was anxious to show the parliamentary committee what the psofit.taking patriots were putting over in the way of shoes for the soldiers. His language as he tied me up and ticketed me was quite unfit to print. The mildest thing he said was "Damn!" I was bora somewhere in August, 1914, at a shoe factory in Montreal. The auspices were happy. My god- father, who is a director and heavy shareholder in the business gave me a tattling good start. Ile looked me over, I remember, and said something about every peg riveting the Empire more firmly together. My godfather is a pleasing speaker who sees sermons in al ones, books in the running brooks and metaphors in everything. He has a patriotic lecture which has been successful at many tea meetings and he is eo intensely dedicated to public Life on the highest moral plane that he has no time to bother himself with sordid details. This probably explains why I went to the bad in short order although I was the object of a good man's prayers at the out set. Too much prayer, perhaps, and too real leather. At any rate I didn't last. 2 hadn't the stuff in pie. I am not blaming my godfather. He is a fine man and evidently has friends on the committee who will not let the breath of scandal touch his name. What 1 sin saying is that he doesn't get down to brass tacks. He is so unwordedly that he doesn't want to know how his shoes or his dividends are made. If you ask me, I would say that the factory superintendent is the man who is responsible for my weakened constitution. After prayer was over I heard him giving orders to the head foreman. "13111," he said, "loyalty is oue thing and three dollars and eighty five cents• a pair is another. We'll have to do the best we can far the firm " After that there was a highly technical conversation, which, being. no anatomist, I did not understand, but I heard Bill say, "We can make sixty cents a pair if we use split leather instead of storm calf," and the superirtendent replied, "well let it go at that." Then they both winked. and 1 had a feeling that I was being humbugged. As far as I could see, I was a handsome shoe with a healthy outdoor tan, but somehow or other I' knew that the elements of strength were lacking. My twin brother and I passed the inspection with flying colors. There, were three inspectors and they were paid by the Government not to hurt our feelings. One iospector,who knew someehin about leather, took u g me p and said "Humph!" He passed me on to the second inspector who knewat much about shoes as I do about glass blowing, and he said "Good!" The tbiid inspector, who knew, still less, said "Very good!" and the ordeal was over. My 'brother and I had been taken from the middle of a great stack of shoes as a !'air sample and the other thousand pairs were passed, se to eak, onour recommendation. At all events, none of those shoes were a ined in mypresence and no shoes examined were pulled to pieces by the inspectors and they didn't want to cut shoes up, which i, a way some ins cetera have when they are anxious to get at the insiden a bad job.Our 'psi i's' f a c i acts i p•erenot lana set. An . cutting u. there was to do they left to the Meld of battle. Y While ie we were 'in stores' my brother and I heard many startling. tales. '.they are old stories now so 1 will not repeat them, The worst eerie was 501a; a 1t,tlii;i,x9regiment hxd been obliged to parade with shingles to tie to their feet, the shoes they had been served with baving gone to pieces inside of two weeks. t could hardly believe it at the time and 1 have since heard Major General Hughes deny the facts and call the officer who made the statement a liar. But that does not settle itin my mind. I know the Major General's airy way of brushing aside disagreeable truths and my own experience teaches me not to regard his as the last word. I'll go on believing my own eyes— I used to have a dozen of 'em before they got ripped out -before I'll believe the Major General, Luckily my brother and I were not served out until the troops were leaving Valcartier Camp. As the Atlantic Ocean is not hard on shoes we were in Line condition on reaching Salisbury Plain. The feet we honored belonged to Private Jones of the Umpty Umpth and he was proud of us for as much as two parades. After that came a route march and when Private Jones returned from a ten mile tramp we had both turned black from sheer mortification. The remainder of our able bodied existence was not quite a month and' we never got our healthy color back, although Private Jones polished and greased and rubbed and gave us plentyof complexion food. WHY YOU ARE NERVOUS About the third week on Salisbury Plain, the hardships began to tell. You will notice that there are three black bars on my instep. That was when Private Jones tried to dry nee out at a stove. I have since heard the lawyer for the defense argue before the committee that a shoe has to let. water in before it can let water out and that the free circulation of water is a good thing for a soldier's shoe. But E'rivate Jones did not think that way, He was mortally afraid of wet feet and whenever I filled up with water he made a point of bailing me out. Finally, it got to a stage where, he couldn't exclude the weather any longer and when my split leather sides glued together Sy hydraulic pressure melted away one slushy afternoon, he almost despaired. Flow ever, hewas a good soldier and he stuck to me as long as he could. It was only when my eyes gave out, and my heel went back on me and the front half my of sole came off in the mud that he took bis courage and went down to the village and bought a new pair out of his own pay. Of course my twin brother was in as bad shape as I was. Both our soles were as rotten as a novel by Gabriel D'annunzio. We kicked around the but long enough after that to hear what we had done to Private Jones. He came down with pneumonia,had to be sent hack to 'a base hospital and had a deuce of a time altogether. The poor fellow had started out on a career of glory but my brother and I did a tot to put him off the track. I am glad to hear that he is fighting in Flanders now and that he has a; pair of shoes thatwill bel him' more than I did. � p My brother, as I said before, found his way to the garbage pile, but I was lucky enough to come under the notice of General Alderson, who has just cabled that the shoes were rotten and had received' a reply from the Minister of Militia that a consignment of overshoes was being sent to replace them. Iheae colonials' the General said, with arim smile,"have a queer p sense of humor. Ca taro Brown," he said, turning to his adjutant, you might cable back that all the overshoes in the `I world will not take the place of the regulation army shoe, or words to that effect, Bundle up a few of these shoos and send them aloug as Exhibit A." And that's how I came to revisit Ottawa and appear before this parliamentary committee, I never. expected to see my native land and my high minded godfather again. I have seed boot and :I cm die happy • now that I have h'acl a chance of telling what I think at' them, .I oan't say, that i have enjoyed myself fur the The nervous system is the alarm system of the human body. In perfect health we hardly realize that we have a network of nerves, but when health is ebbing, when strength is declin- ing, the same nervous system gives the alarm in headaches, tiredness, dreamful sleep, irritability and unless corrected, leads straight to a breakdown. To correct nervousness, Scott's Emul- sion is exactly what you should take; its rich nutriment gets into the blood and rich blood feeds the tiny nerve -cells while the whole system responds to its refresh- ing tonic force. Free from harmful drugs. Scott & Bowae, Toronto, Ont. last six weeks tied up with hundreds of others as dilapidated as myself. We're an awful mess. The lawyer for the defence neyer looks at us, Neither does Chairman Middlehro nor the other Conservative members of the committee. I can never convince them because they won't let me, but !Lir. Murphy and Colonel Macdonald have taken up my ease and I don't doubt I'll get justice in the miniority report. Meanwhile, if it was'nt such a serious snatter I could laugh at some of the arguments that are being put up• One man bad the nerve to say that the soldiers bad tender feet and That was why they had to have tender shoes. They were tender enough- I can vouch for that—so tender that they fell apart without boiling, but I don't think tenderness is a military quality. Another roan swore that the shoes were all right but that the soldiers' toenails were too long and waggled through. He suggested that the medical examine-' nation sbould be extended to bar soldiers with long toe nails. Can you beat that? I have little left to live for but'I am in hopes to serve my country yet. My wish is to fall into the 'hands of a Liberal candidate and accompany liim through the next election campaign. Ile needn't make any speeches. It be will just place me on the table along with the water pitcher and the presentation bouquet, I will do all Che talking. H F. •C AS TO RIA For Infants and Children 30 Years In Use For Over Always bears the Signature of eeNiNe0NeeN<•N0eeNe0e .Sports.. emosis•eeeeeeeeeeeeteeeeeeee At the beginning of Spring the Toronto paper had it all figured out that the Toronto Base Ball team had the Eastern League pennant all but won. At the way thy are playing they have—for last place. Officers of the VVingham baseball Club, elected re^ently, are: Honorary presidents, L Kennedy, L Binkley, W. R. Dyer; president, Herb, Camp bell;. Vice preident, George Jacques; manager , M. Telfer ; Secretary Treasurer, 0, Geddes; committee, Jas Phelan, F. McLean, M. White, 1:5 Brooks, J. f. Brooks. 011110 I"on Ory FOR FLETCHER'S CASTOIA IR That evidence are not wanting that 8915 is g ,ing to be a i•ecot'd. year for tax rates. Strathi'oy has etruck theirs et 30 mills 011 the dollar, St. Themes is reying, it at 25 and Chatham Will be 20 mills; Economy is one word that should not be forgotten by all Mi1 bodies unea a ores, .p ' •ISeeeeeeeeeeeeee:eeeeeeee People SaY ••- ae•eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoeeeoe That the present is•a very suit- able time to intern 'ane's woolle rs That Dame aNture has started her her spring millinery show. The display of cherry blossoms ' is al ready shown. That the Germane well knew that the only chance they had of de-- fealting the Canadians was 'to asphyxiate them. That War is hell, and therefore It is not difficult to discover where Germany gets her supply of sulph • Imola ,gases. That he people who Were prolip- esying an early, peace have been aephyxiaied by the news from the firing line. That as a German naval etutlon Newport News irow ranks' second to Kiel. No Dominion Election in Jnne Ottawa May. 5.—The fomenters of a June election are to -night re- ported in rerteat. The; heavy fire -of protest from all parts cC Canada against the nationtil crime of unnecessary dividing at the present time of clanger and stress the people 'of Canada by the tur- moil and bitterness of an election campaign has had its effect, tem nr arily at least. It is stated tonight in circles In close touch with the Governments that the proposals of Messrs, Rogers Reid, and Cochrane have been shelved. Premier Borden has at lash paid heed 'to the warnings and de - Vice of the betteif elements in his party and is now endeavoring to draw back from the brink to- wards 'which he was being shoved Mr. Rogers has not yet given up his efforts to carry the game through but even he is pausing now, alter the fact has at last dawned on him &hat party defeat' would be more likely 'than victory if ithe Government went be the country in the present temper of the electors Hie bitter pa -Almon speech an Montreal 'on Monady with its direct; declaration for. an election has proved a boomer- ang. The protests ,against an election re ei" yesterday Jed o e y y And today, and the reports of diseatis•• faction, in almost every ridding have convinced a majority of the Cab- inet that their Minister of Election has onrobn� adly snisj;udged public o - But But What About September? A 'June election is now likely but what is in the wind now by an election in September. It is hopeci. that the war situation will be then less eritioal that public exaspera- lion at the peel!'of a June election will hate oo'oled off,and that the prospects sof, good coops will have materialized. There is of course no official announcement' yet as to the postponing of the electien but it is believed tho-night thatprem- ier 'Borden! has ,.lecidied in favor of the deep i preference tothe g sea n t ative. e n The strain which he has beer underfor the past' fortnight has affected his hialth et his home and unable to attend this morn- ing's Cabinet meeting. Whether he. will once more change his Yni11!l as s1pn as clear Mr.11ogers ,'s- ports the coast again clear remain :to be seem. M:ieliwhilc' signs r. the capital poi 15 to e ere e! ",rhea" fly stead olep+, *************?k**** Canadians at the Front * ******************r FREDERICK PALMER, the fa- mous war correspondent who has not missed a campaign since 1897, thus describes a visit to the Canadian trenches a few days ago: "Gangway! Look out for that bunch of wagons!" a voice with an American accent called, and one knew he was near the part of the line held by the Canadians. It was pitch dark and at the hour when the supplies go to the trenches. There was not a light on any vehicle or on any habitation, but after stum- bling along the correspondent passed through on open door and the dark- ened hall of a farmer's house and en- tered the brilliantly illuminated room, with thickly curtained windows of the brigade headquarters. An of- ficer was talking over the telephone. He had just had word that a man had been shot in the back by a concealed sniper' in the rear of the trenches. , The commander and his officers gather around the correspondent from the United States, whose request to go into the trenches had been glad- ly granted. The correspondent soon was on his way down a dark road, with a sergeant from Ottawa, as his guide to the battalion headquarters. Passing through the ruins of a vil- lage, the sergeant remarked: "The Germans are not satisfied yet. They chuck a few shells into the wreck- age every day. The shells make us kind of nervous at first, but we are used to them now, all right." In a peasant cottage, battened as tight as a photographer's darkroom—. an enemy fires at a light—the corre- spondent found the battalion com- mander, who . was from Quebec. He sleeps in the cellar and the other of- ficers of the battalion staff in dug- outs. The officers remarked that a shell had knocked off a piece of the roof the other day, but that the mis- sile did no harm except to make some dust. The colonel was going down into the trenches himself for the night, and took the correspondent bridwith him. and here you are likely to "Loge; okout for that narrow foot - slip off into the ditch," warned the colonel as he advised the correspon- dent to keep close behind him in the inky night. "Right along here Is a favorite place for the Germans to loosen up with a machine gun, for they have a clear Held for fire," the colonel added when an open space was reached. "There is nothing to it but to lie fiat and wait until they are done shooting." A German searchlight's rays swung toward the colonel and the correspon- dent and then rested on the clear spot. "Stand still," said the officer. "That's the rule until it sweeps off. Thus they are not able to spot us." Occasional shots were heard behind the trenches. "That's a sniper in our rear," the colonel said. "Occasionl ly one gets through. We don't know bow. He is always in khaki. We are out after this fellow, and we will get him before morning." „-.., t The colonel and the correspondent kept passing lone soldiers carrying food and ammunition to the trenches or returning from the trenches empty- handed. The colonel spoke to them as "boys," a greeting which one never hears from an English officer. As the trenches were entered a sudden command was given to some- one showing an electric flash to turn it off, as the "patrols are coming in," Several men who had been out crawl- ing up in Indian fashion to see if the Germans were cup to anything new, came hustling over the top of the ;trench. Some bullets swept overhead. The Germans had noted the move- ment and fired, but hit nobody. "We got within seven feet of the 'bunch in that old house and heard them whispering," said one of the patrol. ... , •N,: -•,.,.i When • the strapping, tall Canadians took the position over from an Eng- lish regiment they found the crest too low for their height and had to raise at several inches. The Canadians have shown cha acteristle ingenuity, and initiative in arranging the trenches to suit themselves, and, besides, have made them wholly dry and comfort- able. "This beats Salisbury Plains, they ,kept saying, referring to their exper- lence .in drilling and waiting in Eng- land. "All we needed was to be in," said the colonel. "We came from home to fight and we are 'fighting. There is no trouble about discipline, Every man is keyed up and right on the job." The entire contingent of Canadians was as chipper as a winning baseball team. "We won't care for the fire- works anymore when we return home," said a man from Ontario, who asked the correspondent if he knew Toronto and Buffalo. "We get enough of German flares," the man added as the flares kept rising at intervals, il- luminating garishly the 300 -yards of space between the trenches. "They are worried lest we are going to spring an attack on them, and we shall, pretty soon, too, I hope," the soldier said. Occasionally as the correspondent walked along he could hear distinctly the sounds of snoring. In their shell- proofs the men, wrapped in blankets in frontier fashion, and despite the German flares and firingBich w go on all night, were sleeping until their turn came to go on watch. "The abseuce of exhaustion among ithe menas they came out from tho trenches is the cause of universal comment. "They say we are making good, and I believe we are," the colonel de- claredwhen he bade the correspon- dent good night.