Yerington times. [volume], August 03, 1918, Page SIX, Image 6

About Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932

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THAT BOLO KNIFE
SURE CAME HANDY
M_—
flnry Johnson, Colored Soldier,
Split a Lot of Hun Skulls
With the Weapon.
«S ADOPTED FROM MOROS
War Department Now Issues the Ter
rible Cleaver to Some of Our
Troops, and the Germans
Don't Like It at All.
Washington.—A year ugo Henry
Wmson. a colored citizen of Albuny,
M. Y., was peddling ice, coal and wood
to contented obscurity. Today Henry
Jehason, a soldier of the United States,
la wearing the coveted French war
craaa with palms, because he proved
Mmaelf a brave man, and because at
(he critical moment he got his hands
a bolo knife.
The eable has told .of Henry's ex
ploit—how on night duty with a com
paaion in an American listening post
ha “took on” 24 marauding Germans
to a swift rough-and-tumble, killed
aaaoe of them with ids rifle, bombed
others from his basket of grenades,
amt then, even after he hud been
wounded, split so many skulls with his
hoto that all the enemy left on their
•set after meeting Henry became sud
Vulj aud violently homesick.
The bolo knife which Henry wielded
ao well weighs one pound and three
ounces without its scabbard, aud has
o broad 14-inch blnde. It is sharpened
to a razor edge, and near the end
mis abruptly to a thrusting point. But
oae of Its chief virtues as a small-arm
ta its cleaving power. Most of the
weight of tlie knife is distributed algng
the back of the blade.
Americans first ran up against the
halo iu tlie Philippines. Over there it
was originally an agricultural tool, Just
os the machete was in Cuba, and
blacksmiths at country crossroads hain
aiered It out infinitely and in all sorts
forms. Tbe "krls” with Its curly
Wade is a form of bolo, aud the “cam
pifaD” hs ,| bigger bolo.
Was Weapon of the Moros.
it was up amiftig the Moros that it
was developed for war purposes. In
Ihe underbrush It proved a very ter
rible weapon, as many a trooper found
to his cost. A stroke in the tropical
sight—just one—counted for a major
American casualty. After u while our
aoldiers found there was no purtleu
tor knack in the Malay use of the bolo
•hey could not master. Then they be
gaa to capture bolos. And so, after
she war ended, bolos kept coming back
*o the United Stntes as souvenirs.
Bat It was not until 1010 that the
war department tried tlie expeflmdht
at issuing the bolo knife as a regular
part of the American equipment. It
was used nud tested by our men in
Mexico, but there It was employed
rhiefly ns n tool rather than a weapon.
H was not until our klinkl-garbed boys
went down into" the French trenches
that the bolo knife proved its right to
he considered “the last line of defense”
wad a life-saver to the man who un
•bcathed it.
Our colored troops display a siiecial
aptitude and affection for this weapon.
The white fighter is Inclined to rely
upon his automatic pistol in an, emer
gency nt close quarters, but the col
ored man in uniform takes us natural
ly to the bolo knife as lie' does to—
well, as he does to the name of “Mr.
Johnson.” t •
Issued to U. S. Troops.
The bolo knife is issued to our
troops in two sizes—the smaller size
at the type which Henry Johnson used,
■nri a larger knife employed exclusive
ly by field artillery batteries. This
totter is practically a short sword,
«amparuble to the principal weapon
at the old ltonmn legionaries. It is
two feet long and weighs between
three and four pounds. Of course, be
tas Issued ouly to artillerymen who
•re not ordinarily actually at grips
with the enemy, It Is Intended mainly
«a a sort of underbrush cutter. But
ta tbe hands of u desperate man fight
tog for his life it is a terrible per
•oader.
Tbe bolo is in no sense a trench
taife That is issued to every mau
to tbe ranks and is a special tool not
meant for fighting save at the last
gasp. But the 14-lncli bolo knife Is
essentially a weapon. It Is Issued to
six per cent of our Infantry forces—
not. regularly to every seventeenth
man, but as occasion may require or
the Immediate commanding officer may
'direct. Henry Johnson was given his
because he was assigned to particular
ly dangerous duty In a listening post,
i Others may be equipped with bolo
knives—for Instance, as members of
a speclnl detachment to accompany
raiding forces within the enemy lines.
Their work must be quick, silent and
thorough. From Lunevllle to Cantlgny
the Germans have found it so.
The small arms division of the Unit
ed States ordnance department be
lieves that the bolo knife has points of
superiority over any knife In use on
the European battlefield, else it would
not have been adopted for our use.
MARINE SOUNDS GAS ALARM
Buck home, a gong similar to this
was sounded when old man Zeke’s
barn was afire. In the battle zone It’s
quite a different occasion. This Amer
ican marine is sounding the alarm so
that our boys may be prepared to meet
the poisonous gas nttack being launch
ed by the Germans by putting on their
gas masks, which the marine has al
ready done.
Had Asked His Ma.
New Philadelphia. O.—That his
mother, Mrs. Lennox, Is living in
Bridgeport, Conn., at the age of one
hundred and six was what William
Lennox, aged seventy, told Deputy
Probate Judge J. T. D. Bold w-hen
lie applied for a license to wed.
A British scientist has Invented a
microscope that will measure a mil
lionth of on inch.
USE SNAKESJN WAR
California Man Has Scheme to
Kill Off Huns.
“Lonesome Jack” Says Side Winders
Would Exterminate Whole
Boche Army.
I.os Angeles, Cal.—-“Lonesome Jack
Allman, king of all rattlesnake catch
ers, offers to gather 10,000 side winders
or hornet rattlesnakes if the govern
ment will let him, dump them into
trenches vacated to the Germnns by
the Americans and let the snakes do
the rest. The side winder is a death
denier extarordlnary, strikes three
times ns fust as any other rnttler, und.
unlike others, does not act on the heart
but paralyzes the nerves within 20
minutes.
Allman would have no trouble in
gathering them in Arizona and the Im
perial valley, he says. The Germans
If they possessed such a deadjy weap
on would not hesitate to use it, Allman
believes.
"The beauty of my idea is that the
rattler can live five or six months In
captivity without either food or water
and they will be just as effective dur
ing that time,” says Allman. “I have
an antidote for rattlesnake bite that
could be supplied to anyone that han
dles them, but the Germans would
not know what stung them.
“My idea would be to catch them
and then soak their tails in warm wa
ter. Then the shell that rattles and
gives wnrnlng could he removed with
out Injury to the snake. Their fangs
are so sharp that unless the wnrnlng is
given with the rattles n person would
hardly know what bit hint.- Side wind
ers range In size from four to twelve
feet.
SALUTES PHOTO OF PREMIER
Instinctive Action of Officer Reveals
Respect of Trench for
M. Clemenceau.
Paris.—Little unconscious acts often
reveal the real measure of the popu
larity of n great leader
In the photographer’s showcase not
far from the fashionable Parc Mon
eeau there Is among other pictures an
excellent almost life-size head of M.
Clemenceau. A young French officer
who was passing the shop the other
day glnneed cnsually at the showcase.
Perceiving the picture of hts chief he
instinctively raised his hand to a sa
lute and passed on unaware that his
spontaneous tribute had been observed.
In the early days of the long-range
gun bombardment of Paris, says the
Matin, It was stated that the shells
were made from a new type of steel
alloyed with vanadium, which gave ft
exceptional properties. But analysis
has shown that the shells are made of
ordinary nickel and chrome steel, such
as is In current use for making guns
both in France and Germany und
whose properties are well known.
Both adding and subtracting can bo
done with a new calculating machine
that Is about the size of a watch and
can be carried in a "vest pocket.
BALDY OF NOME AND HIS SERVICE FLAG
.... ;
Misses Fay and Helen Allan, daugh
ters of “Scotty” Allan, driver of the
famous Darling team of dogs, with
Bnldy of Nome, and his flag represent
ing his 26 sons and grandsons now In
the service on the Itallun front
Baldy was the leader of the Darllug
team, hut was too old for active wnr
Service. His descendants are among
the dogs that have been Invaluable In
cnrrying supplies and munitions to
Italian soldiers In the mountain
passes, especially during the winter.
TANK CORPS GROWING
tecruits Arrive Daily at Gettys
burg Camp.
tewg Hike* in Heavy Marching Order
Fit Men for Duty With Persh
ing’* Army.
Camp Colt, Gettysburg, l’a.—The
American tank corps continues to grow
aad develop. Iiecrutts are still corn
tag in and the men already here are
teing drilled to within un inch of their
hv««. This Is the preliminary disclp
■m and the physical drill which will
•t the men for the strenuous life of a
"tarter" overseas. Twenty-mile hikes
fe heavy marching order are almost
gaily occurrences.
Although the work Is hard, the men
■ha It. They realise their need of this
hary drlU and exercise. Negotiat
es the gray steel monsters over No
■an’s Land Is distinctly not a Job for
a nan whose muscles are not almost
as hard as steel itself. And for an
erstwhile civilian’s muscles to become
sufficiently hardened takes time and
training.
The daily work, the fresh air, plen
ty of sleep and the excellent daily ra
tions are doing wonders in producing
as fine a bunch of real fighting men ns
can be found anywhere. The officers'
school will he continued Indefinitely.
As fast as men complete the prescribed
course, others will take their places.
From now on, all commissioned offi
cers will be selected from the ranks.
The tunk corps Is a progressive
unit. Every once in u while a bat
talion will disappear overnight, bound
for "somewhere.” Recruits will All
their places and the work of training
will move right along. New officers,
trained simultaneously with the men,
will command the disappearing bat
tnllon.
The members of the Iowa Dental as
sociation recently pledged themselves
“not to use any materials, supplies or
equipment made in, or supplied by,
tierntany” for 50 years after the close
of the war.
SAYS FUSSING IS HUMAN
Brooklyn Court Rules It Does Not
Constitute Cruel and Inhu
man Treatment.
Brooklyn, N. Y.—Squabbles, wordy
altercations, unkind and exasperating
or even insulting words used in the
heat of passion aroused by bickerings
do not constitute cruel and Inhuman
treatment, according to a recent di
vorce case decision by the appellate
division. The court added :
“Unfortunately for our weak na
ture, these things constitute conduct
which renders It unsafe or Improper
to live together.”
Testimony went to show that the
wife, who sought divorce and alimony,
objected to the presence of a stepson
and chased the male members of the
family from the house.
"In these squabbles she (the plain
tiff) seems to have been al le to hold
her own,” said the court "We do no!
think any law requires a doniesu,
exile to support a wife while living
apart from her owu family.”
GOOD
ROADS
ATTENTION GIVEN TO ROADS
No Matter What Construction May Be
Highways Must Be Given Some
Consideration.
I.et no man be deluded into the
thought that such things ns “perma
nent rends” ore possible. All roads,
no matter what kind, require atten
tion and the more they receive the
better they are. A chief cause for
poor roads is the fact that a great
proportion of the road work done the
country over is of so temporary and
make-shift an order. Of course, the
only real satisfactory road In all
weather is a hard road—either paved
- . ■
Hard Road Well Cared for.
or stone, with gravel next In favor,
says Indiana Farmer’s Guide. But
even such roads fall Into disrepair, If
given no attention. .What Is said to
he the worst stretch of highway In
Illinois was once a magnificent mac*
udnm road. Now It Is almost Impass
able owing to the deep hollows nnd
ruts which It contains. Everyone gives
It a wide berth nnd It is “black listed”
In all automobile guides. Concrete
and brick paving also must have over
sight nnd repair.
Autolsts have a saying thnt there
‘Is no better road than a dirt road—
when It is dry. This Is because, in
the case of a well-drained earth road,
passing vehicles smooth out the ruts
left after a rain and Iron It into a
sufficiently level surface to permit of
easy traveling. Here, agnln. It Is n
case of “working the roads,” though
the work given Is of nn automatic
kind and rendered without thought of
the service performed. However, it
sometimes takes a long time to smooth
out the roughness after a rain—espe
cially If the soil Is a heavy clay. And
usunlly the same makeshift attention
Is given the earth road that Is the
too-frequent lot of macadam and
gravel.
In some townships the dirt ronds
are dragged at rather Infrequent In
tervals pnd If a rain comes right after
the dragging the effect of the Intter
Is largely nullified. The best dirt
roads, year In nnd year out, are those
which are dragged whenever possible
at all Bensons of the year. This
should be done ns soon nftcr every
rain ns possible but not when the mud
Is In such condition that it will stick
to the drag. It is best to drag one
side of the road at a time nnd forbid
travel upon It until It Is thoroughly
dry. As a genernl rule the softer the
materia1 of which a road Is composed
the more frequent attention It should
receive. But let no one forget that
good roads of whatever kind are pos
sible only at the price of constant over
sight.
RESULTS FROM GOOD‘ROADS
After Improvement Price of Tillable
Land* Show Big Increase—Chil
dren Benefited.
After Improving toe main market
roads In four counties In Virginia
and one each In New York, Alabama,
Florida and Mississippi during a pe
riod of five years, a survey was made
of the work nnd Its results. It was
found that the price of tillable land
served by the roads Increased from
one to three times the total cost of the
Improvements. The total saving every
year In hauling costs due to this Im
provement In the roads amounts to
$027,409 for a traffic of about 3,500,
000 ton miles. The net saving on the
hauling, after deducting the cost of
Interest and prlnclpnl for the Improve
ments, averages 11.0 cents perton mile.
After the roads were better, the aver
age attendance of children In the pub
lic schools was 70 per cent; before the
roads were Improved It wns 60 per
cent. Ten more children out of every
100 were enabled to get schooling aa
a result of better roads.
Dairymen Are Careful.
Dairymen ns a rule are more careful
with their cows than the average farm
er who merely produces the mlllt for
family use.
Reasonable Truck Hauling.
Every pound of merchandise which
can be added to the truck load makes
truck hauling that much more reason
able.
Heal Damaged 8urface.
When a road la dragged, the dan>
aged surface la sealed and healed.
SHEEP REQUIRE LITTLE CARE
Big Value of Wool and Mutton Give*
Boost to Industry—Business
Now in New Light.
(Prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
The development of the sheep Indus
try will contribute muterinlly to the
nation’s fopd and clothing supply. War
conditions have brought about a re
newed interest In sheep growing In
the United States nnd the high value
of both wool nnd mutton will place
the farm sheep business In a new
light.
The mutton sheep Is n necessary In
strument In highly Intensive and self
supporting agriculture. The still more
Intensive use of land In farms, an ef
fort to secure the more economical use
of every acre, every facility, and avail
able labor, all of which are necessary
under the present conditions, necessi
tate the general Inclusion of sheep In
■ .. ■ 1
Judging a Well-Bred Sheep.
our system of mixed farming nnd live
stock production. This gives the rais
ing of sheep a new appeal in older
fanning areas.
The main factor in determining the
cost of other animal products is the
value of grain nnd mill feeds; pastur
age and roughage are Important, but
both beef and pork require a consider
able use of concentrated feeds. The
production of lambs and mutton re
quire a very much smaller proportion
of fat and therefore gi smaller use of
grain than Is required in these other
meat animals. Sheep are aide to get
a good portion of their feed from
rough, permanent grass pasture and at
the same time keep it clean of weeds.
This increases rather than decreases
the cattle-carrying capacity of the pas
ture. Ab sheep require comparative
ly little of the owner's labor, the labor
cost per dollar’s worth of wool or
lambs Is lower than In any other farm
animal product. While the labor re
quired in raising sheep is not heavy
it is continuous and somewhat differ
ent from that required In the care of
other stock.
Many of the obstacles that have
hindered the progress of sheep rais
ing in Intensive farming districts have
been or are being overcome. The com
petition given sheep growing on farms
by the production of sheep on lower
priced range land is being removed.
A second but only temporary obstacle
to a quick incrcnse In sheep produc
tion lies In the fnet Hint comparative
ly few farmers are as well qualified
to care for sheep ns for other classes
of stock. The needs and habits of
sheep differ from those of horses, and
swine, but present no problems that
will not be met by Interested study
and observations supported by satis
factory returns.
GOOD TEAMS ARE VALUABLE
Mean More to Up-to-Date Farmer
Than Is Generally Believed—
Plan tn Raise Colts.
Good teams moan more to the up
to-date fnrmer than la generally be
lieved. Without good teams It Is a
very difficult mutter to do good fnrm
Ing. But ut present prices farmers
may hesitate to buy heavy draft horses
and mules, notwithstanding tho'faet
thnt they are after all economical.
It would be a good plan to get some
heavy mares and raise colts for sale
or to take the place of lighter unlmals
and old teams on the farm.
CARE FOR FARROWING SOWS
No Feed Should Be Given for Twenty.
Four Hours—She Must Have Wa
ter at Frequent Periods.
The sow should have no feed what
ever for 24 hours after farrowing. She
must have water at frequent Inter
vals; thnt drawn directly from the
Aell Is about the light temperature.
Increase the feed gradually for ten
1nys, when she may be got onto full
feed.
Broedlno Draft Horsee.
Itemeraher, If you are breeding draft
horses, thnt the market buyer Insists
>n soundness, weight, type, substance,
hone, feet, pnsterns, clean hocks, qual
ity and action. •
DEVOTE STUDY TO GARDEN
Properly Planted Land of Value Both
to the Owner and to the
Community.
It Is it wise course to plan food pro.
duet Ion In a systematic way so that
the garden wJJ! give satisfactory re
sults. Study methods of cultivation
on all products. When buying onion
sets, for example see If there are
not other food crops which are better
procured In a state of growth than In
seeds. All gardens need horseradish
and rhubarb, which ure best started
from roots, and these cnn be* bought
from almost any dealer. Khulmrb
will thrive In any odd bit of ground.
It will be ready for use the Recond
year. It Is a valuable crop as well
as being hardy and prolific.
Horseradish also Is commonly grown
from roots or sets and not from seed.
Some claim they have the best suc
cess growing It ufter the early cab
bage, beets, etc. The crop Is dug In
the fall, the small roots being removed
and cut Into sets four to six Inches
long. The top end Is cut square and
the bottom slanting so there will be
no mistake In planting. These are
tied in bundles and kept over winter
In sand. When planting time comes
small, holes are made with a light
crowbar or long stick and the sets
dropped In and covered two or three
Inches deep so that they do not com*
up until midsummer. Any deep. rich,
well-drained soil will answer for horse
radish.
HINT FOR LATE GARDENER
—
How Lot* of Seedling Plant* Through
“Damping Off' May Be Avoided
With Little Trouble.
Many millions of seedling plants are
lost annually by what Is generally
termed "damping off.” It may be ob
served In the sudden collapse of the
little plants ut the neck or ground
level, nnd usunlly occurs while the
seedling* are still la_the seed pun,
though It also may happen even after
they have been transplanted. It Is
due to the work of a minute fungus,
nnd brought about by excessive mois
ture In the soil or atmosphere, a condi
tion the fungus quickly takes advant
age of to get In Its deadly work.
To prevent such conditions, the soli
must he sulllclently porous so that wa
ter will soak Into it quickly. Water Is
given only when needful, and so early
in the day that the follnge of all tender
seedlings will be thoroughly dry before
night; ventilation to keep the air pure
also will tend to ward ofT disease.
“Dumping off also may he checked
by placing a thin layer of sharp sand
over the surface of the soil, or u light
dusting of flowers of Htilphur also may
combat the evil.
Guard ugalnst sowing seed too thick
ly, for, should the majority germinate,
the seedlings will be so close to on*
uoother that they will not dry out
readily.—Country Gentleman.
Old Pie* for Garden*.
"Plantations have one advantage In
• thorn which Is not to be found In most
other works, ns they give a pleasure
| of a more lasting date, and continually
| Improve In the eye of the planter.
I When you have finished a building, or
any other undertaking of the like na
ture, It Immediately decays upon your
hands; you see It brought to tin- ut
| most point of perfection, and from
| that time hastening to Its ruin. On
the contrary, when you have finished
your plantations they ure stIU arriving
at greater degrees of perfection a*
long us you live and appear more de
lightful In every succeeding year than
they did In the foregoing. Hut I do
not only recon u.end this art to men of
estates as a pleasing amusement, hut
as It Is a kind of vlrti ous employment,
and may, therefore, be Inculcated by
moral motives; particularly from th»
love which we ought to have for our
country, and the regard which we
ought to bear to nur posterity."
The extract Is from nr essay by Jo
seph Addison, which appeared In the
London Spectator August itt>, 1711
England did about us Addison suggest
ed, with the result that English gar
dens are noted the world over, and
Englishmen ure better for them.
Not True to Type.
"Smell unjtiling, grandmother?” usk
•d the youngster who was lylug oil the
floor druwlng.
Grandmother assured him she did
not.
The youug artist gave a few finish
ing touches uud repeated his question.
Grandmother sniffed the ulr and again
declared she smelled nothing.
"Well,” suld the boy, "you ought to.
I have Just druwed u skunk !"
Only Real Test of Gardsn.
After all, the true test of a gulden
Is Its actual beauty, and If this qual
ity Is not there In fullness and suffi
ciency the garden Is largely a fullure,
no matter what "Ideals” are at
tained.
Art and Nature In Garden.
Art In garden Is In reullty but fidel
ity to nature, yet both the mind and
the hand of man must place their
murks on the place or we should
have but one uninteresting bit of
the wilds