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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1943-03-11, Page 7THE $EAFARTH NVIY.S Britain's Underground Movement Underground! That word spells illegal newspaper, freedom radio, Sabotage and explosion in German- occupied. Europe, all of them ealeul- ated to bring an end to Hitler's mad career of aggression. In. Great Britain there is also an underground movement, whose med- ium of expression is somewhat dif- ferent, but whose 'objective isthe same, Take a country road "somewhere' in England," hedgerows and spinn- eys ori either side. Gaze on the placid scenery, the waving fields of ripen- ing wheat, the scattered farm -steads, land -girls pitching hay. It is a com- mon enough sight. And yet under that very road you travel, under those rolling acres, lies one of Bri- tain's super -equipped troglodyte factories guaranteed by the best en- gineering. brains to be absolutely 'bombproof. You are allowed to pass the vari- ous controls by showing a variety of differently stamped and colored passes. The factory security officer takes you around, allows you to see just what You may, and no more, He's mighty proud of the establish- ment he has to guard. "Let 'em send a thousand Luftwaffes," he says, with fine disregard of German noun - endings. "Let 'em pepper us with the' worst they've got. We'll just go on turning out ." he panes—"well, just whatever we go on turning out." You descend by one of the eight silent elevators which give access to this factory. If you are quick enough at estimating distance, you can count perhaps a hundred feet. Then you are in a Substrata basement 'cover- ing nearly 2,600,000 square feet. It may be months, more probably years before the full story about this as- tonishing development can be told. But the little which has been releas- ed is enough to whet your appetite. There's an interesting financial' consideration, important enough in war when you are spending 860,000,- 000 a day. To convert this ancient stonequarry cost about three dollars to the four it would take to build a surface factory. . ' Years ago when men decided to raise for themselves fine stone cities and build handsome sidewalks, they relied onhandpicks•and hard muscles to cut and cart the stone. Some of the quarries which have now been converted tato !eateries helped to built[ Britain's cities of today. Many of these quarries later fell'. into dis- use, The coming of cement' and other building materials supplanted We - gent stone in public taste. Experts, guided by old quarry- men, were given the job of rediscov' ening them, The extent of these und- erground workings can be imagined from the fact that when surveyors came to plain the site, one of the boys with the theodolites, who had wandered away on his own, spent an. uncomfortable two days trying to find an exit) In all, 8,500 amen were used on the construction. Preliminary investiga- tions found mountains of debris. Soniething • like •a million tons of stone rubble had to be clearer[ before anyone could think of factory lay- out, Even today, as you wander along the long boulevards of this stone city, you can see the handiwork of the quarriers of otehr days. They had skillfully "eaten away" the best stone and left queer angular -shaped islands, of not -so -good stone to serve as roof -supports.' The construction engineers have left those fantastic. shapes almost as they found them, Despite primitive tools and block- and pulley gadgets, the old quarriers knew all about the intricate science of "overburdens," that is, the amount of roof these pillars would support with safety. The whole roof has been te-tested. Men go round •periodically tapping it with long steel rods. They know by the quality of the sound the exact "health" of the thousands upon thousands of tons of rock which go to make up the roof. Remarkably few of the pillars need "corsetting," that is, building around with brick and cement to give extra support to the sides. Both ceiling and pillars have been sprayed. with a pale yellow paint to prevent any particles of dust from getting into the delicate parts of precision machinery or the equally delicate noses of the women opera- tives. There were many other things to be done before the underground fac- tory could be habitable for twenty- four hours out of twenty-four. A million tons of rubble were crushed to cement mile's of corridors,, galler- ies and broad roads in the factory,. as well as to provide a base for the 'machines. Artesian wells were sunk to give an independent water supply.., m� ' The World's News Seen Through THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR An International Daily Newspaper is Truthful—Constructive—Unbiased—Free from Sensational- ism—Editorials Are Timely and Instructive and Its Daily Features, Together with the Weekly Magazine Section, Make the Monitor an Ideal Newspaper for the Home. The Christian Science Publishing Society One, Norway Street, Boston, Massachusetts Price $12.00 Yearly, or $1.00 a Month. Saturday Issue, including Magazine Section, $2.60 a Yost. Introductory Offer, 6 Saturday Issues 23 Cents. Name Address 1y SAMPLE COPY ON REQUEST Air-conditioning is all-important, The health of men and machines de- pends upon e-pendsupon it. The health of the leen and women workers has been main- tained at a consistently high level. The same can be said of the mach - Ines. Condensation is a serious menace to fine machinery. 'When you are working to one ten -thousandth part Of an inch—or about one-third of a Yuman hair—the slightest coating of rust means scrap. To prevent this, giant air -linos were eonstrueted, three to suelc in air and four to ex- pel it when used, The draught in these wide air tunnels resembles a hefty cyclone. The intake shafts are consructed on a curve so that a bomb is bound to strike obliquely without penetrat- ing to the factory proper. Enormous lids of concrete, many feet thick, cover the entrances to the shafts. The air inside the factory is warm- ed or cooled as the season demands, Automatic thermostats keep an even temperature of between, sixty 1 and' sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Equal temperature is vital in the special jib and boring roobs, which houses partieularly delicate instruments. Variations of temperature make these aristocrats of the mechanical world temperamental. Lighting is skillful. Eye -strain has been obviated by fluorescent lamps which throw an even, anti -dazzle, shadowless light. There are no hid- deous discolorations of faces to un- nerve you in this perfect imitation of daylight. Indeed,.' even after a considerable number of hours under- ground, the transition to natural light is barely noticed. There is also another important factor. Blackout is unnecessary. There is no physical or psychological transition from nat- ural light to electricity. Automatic control would bring the factory's own electricity system into play if the outside electrical grid stopped working. One of the most enduring impres- sions of this underground factory is its palatial spaciousness. Wide gang-' ways run between the machines. The old quarry walls seem to absorb much of the traditional "murmur of industry." Noisier machines have "caverns" of their own. Walking along one gallery nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, ;you come to the control room. In this high=ceilinged room, three of whose walls arc covered with, prog- r,ess charts reside the `super brains of the organization Up on a bridge sits the managing director. He or his deputies can tontact any engineer, shop supervisor, foreman or worker, by means of telephones, loudspeak- ers and microphones. There is some- thing Wellsian in the low-pitched voices which suddenly float over the air in some part of the factory sum- moning this or that manager to a conference. Be it said, in all justice, that there is nothing of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" about this institution. The remote control is very human. The organization is run on trade union principles. Shop stewards play an important role in the discipline and well-being of the factory.' Sixty-one per cent of all the oper- atives in this factory are women. The machines they now handle with ease would have greatly taxed the ingenuity of their munition -leaking or engine -turning mothers of the last war. Surface hostels and canteens have been built. When all six of the hos- tels have been completed,they will house six thousand men and women in each. These house the unmarried workers. Each room is shared by two people, but a partition is put up if desired. Neat little bungalows, com- plete with electric machines and other labor-saving devices, are let at extremely low rentals to married, couples. So on the face of Britain a new town is rising, above and below ground. Here in complete safety are being turned out the latest instruments to build ,up Britain's offensive power; RETURN STEEL DRUMS Farmers and others who have empty steer drums and similar con- tainers on hand are being asked by the Administrator of 'Used Goods to return them to the company whose name they bear, or to dispose of them to the appropriate Handlers promptly. By cooperating fa this way, farmers will assist in the con- servation of steel for other essential purposes, The MOPS Come Marching On Taking their cues Ervin the WAAOS and WAVES, lioinemakees who are doing their bit behind the frying pan, washing machine and basinette, are banding themselves together in the "Maternal Order, of Patriots", <MOPS to your Read about them in The American Weekly with this Sunday's (March 14) issue of The Detroit Sun- day Times, Want and For Sale Ads, 1 'week 25c. C.P.R. FORCES WIN BATT E OF ELEMENTS • Tinge snowdrifts lining the Canadian Pacific Railway's right-of-way from one end of Canada to the other stood as vic- torious monuments to the com- pany's courageous maintenance forces, train crews and other ranks, who for the better part of a month battled one of the most sustained and severe blizzards that ever played havoc with Cana- dian transportation. And they kept the lines clear. The storm attacked the com- pany's transportation facilities with blitz -like fury, piling tons of snow over its vital steel highways, sheathing its telegraph wires with ice to the thickness of a man's wrist, snapping poles, and hurling an ivy challenge to Canadian P9cific forces who literally "dared The situation would have been bad enough under normal traffic conditions, The Canadian Pacific, however, was engaged in handling the heaviest volume of traffic in its history—more than double the amount carried by the railway in 1939, This, coupled with limita- tions on manpoyer, placed an add- ed burden on the company's re-' sources. Snow -plows powered by three, sometimes four, powerful locomo- tives made almost continuous as- saults at the mountainous snow- drifts that reached particularly appalling dimensions in Ontario and Quebec where the above scenes were photographed. Other blizzard -borne "gremlins" attack- ed the railway in the form of ice that sheathed engines, coaches, .arhy.s and retie: driving snow that reduced visibility to zero stymied turn -tables, hampered yard operations and even froze coal in the chutes. Time and again rails would be cleared only to have the track again blocked by the driving snow. With few exceptions the trains were kept moving. Passengers accepted the situation in file spirit and were full of praise for the company's tireless personnel and their efforts to keep the lines clear. Above scenes show how the railway's powerful plows bucked the immense drifts and how the snow was loaded onto cars for disposal. Engine crews attend loco- motive's ice -sheathed mechanism (lower left) while scene at lower right shows plow emerging vic- toriously from newly cleared cut. SENSATIONAL :READING bARGSINS _ , = THIS NEWSPAPER (1 YEAR) and THREE GREAT MAGAZINES For Both $2e50 Newspaper and Magazines GROUP "A"—Select One (l Better Homes & Gardens 1 Yr [;.True Story Magazine .... 1 Yr [3 Photoplay—Movie Mirror 1 Yr [I Woman's Home Comp 1 Yr [l Sports. Afield 1 Yr [] Magazine Digest 6 Mos, ii Fact Digest 1 Yr (]American Home 1 Yr (] Parent's Magazine ' 6 Mos (l Open Road for Boys 1 Yr [] The Woman 1 Yr [1 Science & Discovery 1 Yr • GROUP "B"—Select Two (] Maclean's (24 issues) 1 Yr. []Canadian Home Journal 1 Yr [] Chatelaine 1 Yr [] National Home Monthly 1Yr (] Family Herald & Weekly Star 1 Yr, [] New World (Illustrated) 1 Yr [] *Farmer's Magazine 2 Yrs. [] Canadian Horticulture & Home 1 Yr, [] Click (Picture Mthly.).., 1 Yr. [] Canadian Poultry Rev1 Yr [] Rod & Gun in Canada 1 Yr []'American Girl 6 Mos. (],American FrUit Grower 1 Yr SAVE MONEY! Enioy the finest magazines while saving tires and gas. Only through this news- paper can you get such big reading bargains. Pick your favorites and mail coupon tows TODAY. THIS NEWSPAPER (1 Year) and Your Choice . THREE POPULAR MAGAZINES For Both Newspaper and Magazines $2.00 (1 Maclean's (24 issues) 1 Yr U Canadian Home Journl 1 Yr. iI Chatelaine 1 Yr (l National Home Monthly 1 Yr [1 Family Herald & Weekly Star 1 Yr. [1 New World (Illustrated) 1 Yr (] *Farmer's Magazine 2 Yrs [l Canadian Horticulture & Home .. 1 Yr i] Click (Picture Monthly) 1 Yr (] Amerlaan Fruit Grower 1 Yr. [] Canadian Poultry Rev1 Yr [I Rod & Gun in Canada •, 1 Yr. [] American Girl 6 Mos: 'Farmer's Magazine sent only to farm addresses itt Eastern Canada. THIS NEWSPAPER (1 YEAR) and ANY MAGAZINES LISTED Both for Price Shown All Magazines Ata For 1 Year U Maclean's (24 issues) . 61.50 (1 Canadian Home Journal 1,59 [i Chatelaine 1.50 [] National Home Monthly, 1.50 [) Family Herald & Weekly Star 1.50 [] New World (Illustrated), 1.50 []'*Farmer's Mag. (2 yrs.)..,, 1.25 r] Canadian Horticulture & Home 1.25. ] Click (Picture Monthly) 1.50 [] Canadian Poultry Rev1.50 1] Rod & Gun in Canada 1.50 (1 Better Homes & Gardens 2.00 (1 True Story ' 2.00 [] Woman's Home Comp, 2.00 [] Sports Afield - 2.00 [] Liberty (Weekly) 2.50 [] Magazine Digest 3.50 (3 Silver Screen 2.50 [] Screeniand 2.50 [] Look 3.50 [] American Home 2.00 (] Parent's Magazine 3.00 []Christian Herald 3.00 [1 Open Road for Boys, 2.00 (] American Girl 2.50,. (] Red Book 3.50 [] American Magazine 3,50 (] Cplliers Weekly 3.50 (] Child Life 3.25 U N PILL IN ANS MAIL, TO LAW r \ THIS NEWSPAPER TODAY Check magazines desired and enclose with Coupon. Gentlemen: 1 enclose $ Please send nie the. offer checked, With e year's subscription to your paper. NAME POST OFFICE «. STREET OR R.R. PROV, Duplicate Monthly ' tatem a is Ham' We can save you money on Bill and Charge •Forms, standard sizes to fit Ledgers, white or colors. It will pay you to see our samples. Also best quality Metal Hinged Sec. Clonal Post Binders and Index The Seaforth News PHONE 84 Air-conditioning is all-important, The health of men and machines de- pends upon e-pendsupon it. The health of the leen and women workers has been main- tained at a consistently high level. The same can be said of the mach - Ines. Condensation is a serious menace to fine machinery. 'When you are working to one ten -thousandth part Of an inch—or about one-third of a Yuman hair—the slightest coating of rust means scrap. To prevent this, giant air -linos were eonstrueted, three to suelc in air and four to ex- pel it when used, The draught in these wide air tunnels resembles a hefty cyclone. The intake shafts are consructed on a curve so that a bomb is bound to strike obliquely without penetrat- ing to the factory proper. Enormous lids of concrete, many feet thick, cover the entrances to the shafts. The air inside the factory is warm- ed or cooled as the season demands, Automatic thermostats keep an even temperature of between, sixty 1 and' sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Equal temperature is vital in the special jib and boring roobs, which houses partieularly delicate instruments. Variations of temperature make these aristocrats of the mechanical world temperamental. Lighting is skillful. Eye -strain has been obviated by fluorescent lamps which throw an even, anti -dazzle, shadowless light. There are no hid- deous discolorations of faces to un- nerve you in this perfect imitation of daylight. Indeed,.' even after a considerable number of hours under- ground, the transition to natural light is barely noticed. There is also another important factor. Blackout is unnecessary. There is no physical or psychological transition from nat- ural light to electricity. Automatic control would bring the factory's own electricity system into play if the outside electrical grid stopped working. One of the most enduring impres- sions of this underground factory is its palatial spaciousness. Wide gang-' ways run between the machines. The old quarry walls seem to absorb much of the traditional "murmur of industry." Noisier machines have "caverns" of their own. Walking along one gallery nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, ;you come to the control room. In this high=ceilinged room, three of whose walls arc covered with, prog- r,ess charts reside the `super brains of the organization Up on a bridge sits the managing director. He or his deputies can tontact any engineer, shop supervisor, foreman or worker, by means of telephones, loudspeak- ers and microphones. There is some- thing Wellsian in the low-pitched voices which suddenly float over the air in some part of the factory sum- moning this or that manager to a conference. Be it said, in all justice, that there is nothing of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" about this institution. The remote control is very human. The organization is run on trade union principles. Shop stewards play an important role in the discipline and well-being of the factory.' Sixty-one per cent of all the oper- atives in this factory are women. The machines they now handle with ease would have greatly taxed the ingenuity of their munition -leaking or engine -turning mothers of the last war. Surface hostels and canteens have been built. When all six of the hos- tels have been completed,they will house six thousand men and women in each. These house the unmarried workers. Each room is shared by two people, but a partition is put up if desired. Neat little bungalows, com- plete with electric machines and other labor-saving devices, are let at extremely low rentals to married, couples. So on the face of Britain a new town is rising, above and below ground. Here in complete safety are being turned out the latest instruments to build ,up Britain's offensive power; RETURN STEEL DRUMS Farmers and others who have empty steer drums and similar con- tainers on hand are being asked by the Administrator of 'Used Goods to return them to the company whose name they bear, or to dispose of them to the appropriate Handlers promptly. By cooperating fa this way, farmers will assist in the con- servation of steel for other essential purposes, The MOPS Come Marching On Taking their cues Ervin the WAAOS and WAVES, lioinemakees who are doing their bit behind the frying pan, washing machine and basinette, are banding themselves together in the "Maternal Order, of Patriots", <MOPS to your Read about them in The American Weekly with this Sunday's (March 14) issue of The Detroit Sun- day Times, Want and For Sale Ads, 1 'week 25c. C.P.R. FORCES WIN BATT E OF ELEMENTS • Tinge snowdrifts lining the Canadian Pacific Railway's right-of-way from one end of Canada to the other stood as vic- torious monuments to the com- pany's courageous maintenance forces, train crews and other ranks, who for the better part of a month battled one of the most sustained and severe blizzards that ever played havoc with Cana- dian transportation. And they kept the lines clear. The storm attacked the com- pany's transportation facilities with blitz -like fury, piling tons of snow over its vital steel highways, sheathing its telegraph wires with ice to the thickness of a man's wrist, snapping poles, and hurling an ivy challenge to Canadian P9cific forces who literally "dared The situation would have been bad enough under normal traffic conditions, The Canadian Pacific, however, was engaged in handling the heaviest volume of traffic in its history—more than double the amount carried by the railway in 1939, This, coupled with limita- tions on manpoyer, placed an add- ed burden on the company's re-' sources. Snow -plows powered by three, sometimes four, powerful locomo- tives made almost continuous as- saults at the mountainous snow- drifts that reached particularly appalling dimensions in Ontario and Quebec where the above scenes were photographed. Other blizzard -borne "gremlins" attack- ed the railway in the form of ice that sheathed engines, coaches, .arhy.s and retie: driving snow that reduced visibility to zero stymied turn -tables, hampered yard operations and even froze coal in the chutes. Time and again rails would be cleared only to have the track again blocked by the driving snow. With few exceptions the trains were kept moving. Passengers accepted the situation in file spirit and were full of praise for the company's tireless personnel and their efforts to keep the lines clear. Above scenes show how the railway's powerful plows bucked the immense drifts and how the snow was loaded onto cars for disposal. Engine crews attend loco- motive's ice -sheathed mechanism (lower left) while scene at lower right shows plow emerging vic- toriously from newly cleared cut. SENSATIONAL :READING bARGSINS _ , = THIS NEWSPAPER (1 YEAR) and THREE GREAT MAGAZINES For Both $2e50 Newspaper and Magazines GROUP "A"—Select One (l Better Homes & Gardens 1 Yr [;.True Story Magazine .... 1 Yr [3 Photoplay—Movie Mirror 1 Yr [I Woman's Home Comp 1 Yr [l Sports. Afield 1 Yr [] Magazine Digest 6 Mos, ii Fact Digest 1 Yr (]American Home 1 Yr (] Parent's Magazine ' 6 Mos (l Open Road for Boys 1 Yr [] The Woman 1 Yr [1 Science & Discovery 1 Yr • GROUP "B"—Select Two (] Maclean's (24 issues) 1 Yr. []Canadian Home Journal 1 Yr [] Chatelaine 1 Yr [] National Home Monthly 1Yr (] Family Herald & Weekly Star 1 Yr, [] New World (Illustrated) 1 Yr [] *Farmer's Magazine 2 Yrs. [] Canadian Horticulture & Home 1 Yr, [] Click (Picture Mthly.).., 1 Yr. [] Canadian Poultry Rev1 Yr [] Rod & Gun in Canada 1 Yr []'American Girl 6 Mos. (],American FrUit Grower 1 Yr SAVE MONEY! Enioy the finest magazines while saving tires and gas. Only through this news- paper can you get such big reading bargains. Pick your favorites and mail coupon tows TODAY. THIS NEWSPAPER (1 Year) and Your Choice . THREE POPULAR MAGAZINES For Both Newspaper and Magazines $2.00 (1 Maclean's (24 issues) 1 Yr U Canadian Home Journl 1 Yr. iI Chatelaine 1 Yr (l National Home Monthly 1 Yr [1 Family Herald & Weekly Star 1 Yr. [1 New World (Illustrated) 1 Yr (] *Farmer's Magazine 2 Yrs [l Canadian Horticulture & Home .. 1 Yr i] Click (Picture Monthly) 1 Yr (] Amerlaan Fruit Grower 1 Yr. [] Canadian Poultry Rev1 Yr [I Rod & Gun in Canada •, 1 Yr. [] American Girl 6 Mos: 'Farmer's Magazine sent only to farm addresses itt Eastern Canada. THIS NEWSPAPER (1 YEAR) and ANY MAGAZINES LISTED Both for Price Shown All Magazines Ata For 1 Year U Maclean's (24 issues) . 61.50 (1 Canadian Home Journal 1,59 [i Chatelaine 1.50 [] National Home Monthly, 1.50 [) Family Herald & Weekly Star 1.50 [] New World (Illustrated), 1.50 []'*Farmer's Mag. (2 yrs.)..,, 1.25 r] Canadian Horticulture & Home 1.25. ] Click (Picture Monthly) 1.50 [] Canadian Poultry Rev1.50 1] Rod & Gun in Canada 1.50 (1 Better Homes & Gardens 2.00 (1 True Story ' 2.00 [] Woman's Home Comp, 2.00 [] Sports Afield - 2.00 [] Liberty (Weekly) 2.50 [] Magazine Digest 3.50 (3 Silver Screen 2.50 [] Screeniand 2.50 [] Look 3.50 [] American Home 2.00 (] Parent's Magazine 3.00 []Christian Herald 3.00 [1 Open Road for Boys, 2.00 (] American Girl 2.50,. (] Red Book 3.50 [] American Magazine 3,50 (] Cplliers Weekly 3.50 (] Child Life 3.25 U N PILL IN ANS MAIL, TO LAW r \ THIS NEWSPAPER TODAY Check magazines desired and enclose with Coupon. Gentlemen: 1 enclose $ Please send nie the. offer checked, With e year's subscription to your paper. NAME POST OFFICE «. STREET OR R.R. PROV,