a —
Bellefonte, Pa., January 18, 1918.
Shrapnel.
A short time ago a man was haled
to the police court for having under
his arm a package containing a shrap-
nel, incorrectly referred to as a shrap-
nel shell. It is safe to assume that
had passers-by known the contents of
the package, at least one side of the
street would have been shunned,
while had the package dropped to the
sidewalk a wild panic might readily
have ensued. As a matter of fact the
package the man carried was as safe
as a box of candy, for shrapnel with-
out a fuse is harmless and the fuse is
fitted to the shrapnel only on the bat-
tle field.
The dictionary defines shrapnel as
a shell filled with bullets and having
a bursting charge to explode it at any
time in its flight.” This definition is
credited to a British officer, but, while
accurate, is somewhat misleading.
So much for what a shrapnel is.
What a shrapnel does is clouded by
even more general misunderstanding.
Consulting the dictionary again, we
note that the shrapnel carries a burst-
ing charge to explode it, and the gen-
eral belief is that this charge, carried
in the powder pocket in the base of
the casing shatters the steel shell and
scatters the charge of shrapnel bul-
lets.
On firing a gun loaded with shrap-
nel, the cartridge case is left behind,
just as is the shell when discharging
an ordinary shotgun. The complete
shrapnel, with its time fuse, etc., is
projected at a high rate of velocity,
revolving rapidly in its flight, and
travels as a unit until such instant as
the flash from the fuse reaches the
powder pocket. When ignition of the
powder charge occurs, the diaphragm,
separating the powder pocket from
the section containing the shrapnel
balls, is driven forward. This strips
the fuse body from the end of the
shell casing, while the forward travel
of the casing is seriously retarded, if
not arrested or reversed. On issuing
from the casing, the diaphragm plows
through the mass of shrapnel balls
and scatters them in all directions,
the rosin which bound them together
having been melted by the heat of the
explosion and the friction created in
driving the collection of shrapnel and
partly melted rosin from the shrapnel
casing.
The blast of the gases formed by
the explosion of the powder charge on
issuing from the open end of the cas-
ing scatters the shrapnel still further
and imparts to the balls a velocity
which makes them very destructive
within a radius of about 60 feet of
where the shrapnel “breaks.” Part
of the gases generated in the powder
pocket are apt to escape through the
powder tube and this strips the fuse
cap from its body, or, if the fuse body
is stripped from the shell casing be-
fore this takes place, the fuse body is
pulled from the end of the powder
tube. After the break of a shrapnel,
the head of the projectile continues
in advance, with a certain accelerated
speed, followed by the diaphragm,
powder tube, ete., and the spread of
scattering shrapnel. The casing, hav-
ing lost much of its momentum, drops !
to the ground.
Shotild the force of the explosion
within the powder pocket not be suf-
ficient te strip the threaded connec-
tion: between the fuse body and the
shell casing, the steel shell would ex-
plode, but only in such a case. To re-
tain the effectiveness of the shrapnel,
the fracture would be limited to a sec-
tion near the mouth of the casing,
where its walls are comparatively
thin, and the shrapnel would be scat-
tered from the remainder of the cas-
ing as before. The shattering of the
steel casing takes place only when
shrapnel fails to break properly. It
is not what shrapnel does ordinarily,
but what it may do in the case of an
emergency. :
A shrapnel which breaks properly
during flight simply scatters shrap-
nel balls, not fragments and pieces of
jagged shell such as fly from an ex-
ploding high-explosive shell. \Vhen a
shrapnel, through failure of the time
fuse to respond, does not explode un-
til it comes in contact with the ground
or some other firm object in its path,
then, and only then, the steel shell is
fractured and pieces scattered in all
directions. Damage frequently de-
scribed as caused by flying pieces of
shrapnel casings, therefore, is more
probably correctly to be ascribed to
fragments of high-explosive shell.—
Popular Mechanics Magazine.
Verdun Field of Wasted Steel.
The encrmous quantity of ammuni-
tion which has been used by both sides
at Verdun has strewn the field with
steel and lead to such an extent some
statisticians are figuring on the val-
ue of the land as a result. Thous-
and of shells and bullets of all kinds
are imbedded in the earth, and a cor-
respondent of the Swedish periodical,
Indistritidnin Norden, who went over
the ground, contributes an interesting
article on the subject. While no ex-
act figures are available as to the
number of shells and bullets actually
fired in this great battle, this corres-
poudent figures the steel around Ver-
dun as enormous and will be a fruit-
ful source of industry after the war.
It is estimated that a million shells
a week have been fired by both sides
since the beginning of the German of-
fensive at Verdun. The correspond-
ent of the Industritidnin Norden,
therefore, figures 1,350,000 tons of
steel are lying in Verdun. To trans-
port this immense quantity of steel,
135,000 freight cars would be requir-
©
He says the entire field is like one
great coating of metal. Recently sev-
eral engineers made an inspection of
the ground and they were amazed at
the wealth of steel which is lying
there and imbeded in the earth. The
lend has become so valuable as a re-
sult that offers have already been
made for its purchase, but thus far
none of the offers have been accepted.
—Subscribe for the “Watchman.”
I sis on the value of sugar in packages
| interested in having the sugar supply
| The Berlin government’s only reply
Sugar More Plentiful Soon.
Today everybody is interested in
sugar. The housewife is eager to
know when sugar will be more plenti-
ful. And from a different point of
view, the business man is following
the sugar situation, interested in the
success of the plan adopted as an
emergency war measure by the gov-
ernments of the United States and the
Allies to regulate and control supply,
demand and price.
These facts lend particular impor-
tance to the following interview with
Earl D. Babst, head of the American
Sugar Refining company and one of
the three United States members of
the International Sugar committee.
First he spoke of the prospects of the
immediate future, which most con-
cerns the housewife. Said he:
“Sugar will soon be more plentiful,
with the new crop of sugar cane be-
ing harvested in Cuba and Porto Ri-
co. Everything is favorable to a suf-
ficient supply of our needs but not
enough to use sugar extravagantly
or wastefully. There must be no
overbuying or hoarding.”
“And what about the price?’ he
was asked.
“Ordinarily, the so-called law of
supply and demand is a most import- |
ant factor in regulating the price of
sugar, as of every other commodity.
But this law has been more or less, if
not entirely, suspended as the result
of the control of the sugar situation
by the act of six governments, includ-
ing our own.
“After the new supplies are receiv-
pastry.
Fats (butter, lard, ete.) .—Dairy
fat and the glycerine necessary for
ed from Cuba and refined, and prices
are lowered under the proposals of |
the food administration sugar will be
one of the cheapest, if not the cheap-
Su, foods to go on the American ta-
ble.”
Mr. Babst agrees with Mr. Hoover
that if the Allied nations had not en-
tered into joint agreement to conserve
the available sugar supply, the price
to the consumer would have soared.
Said he in explanation: |
“The facts are these: Europe’s pro-
duction of sugar was not only greatly
curtailed when the opposing armies
swarmed over the sugar beet fields of
northern France and Belgium, but
England and other foreign countries
were forced to turn to other sources
for sugar. The logical source was
Cuba, from which the United States
gets the bulk of its cane sugar.
“This developed competition, which,
until the international agreement was
reached, caused a serious advance in
price, both of raw and refined sugar.
But with the international committee
acting for the Allies and the food ad-
ministration in control in this coun-
try, the supply will be equitably dis-
tributed and prices stabilized.
“Great quantities of raw cane su-
gar are locked up in far away Java,
unavailable because ships cannot be
spared to transport it. Hence the
European Allies are asking Cuba and
the United States as a practical pa-
triotic duty to supply them with su-
gar. The United States is making
every effort to comply with the re-
quest for the very interesting reason
that if we save the Allies from the
necessity of transporting 400,000 tons
of sugar from Java, it will release
shipping sufficient to carry about 200,-
000 American soldiers to France.”
Among other things he laid empha-
as an economical means of distribu-
tion. In reply to questions, Mr. Babst
said:
“Yes, I presume the public, being
conserved, is equally interested in
knowing why sugar in packages can
be more economically distributed than
loose sugar. And this is the reason:
“In the first place package sugars
are weighed and packed by machine.
This saves the grocer’s time and stops
his loss by spillage which occurs when
sugar has to be scooped up by hand
out of a barrel, carried to the scales,
weighed and tied in paper bags. And
when he counts this saving, plus the
value of his time and the cost of pa-
per bags and string, he finds he can
handle package sugar more economic-
ally.”
German Coal Bins Empty. No Re-
lief Given.
The German coal bins are empty.
to the frozen cry of the populace for
coal, wood—anything to keep them
warm—is a proclamation saying re-
lief is impossible, according to advie-
es in Washington.
The Kaiser has called upon his peo-
ple to “accept this privation also, in
the consciousness that thereby they
are giving our soldiers at the front
the things they most need—guns and
shells.” It declared that without ci-
vilian sacrifice of coal “the Italian
victory would have been impossible.”
Despite this the Austro-German pop-
ulace is becoming increasingly res-
tive and angry. The Berlin Land-
lords’ Association has so advised the
government and counseled it “to go
easy.”
The Austro-German coal crisis is
just like that in this country—broken
down transportation. Most of the
coal produced goes to the munitions
factories.
Some of these are running only
part time for lack of coal. Poor and
inefficient food and lack of tools have
seriously reduced the miners’ output.
Eighteen thousand men were with-
drawn from the front to help.
Mountains of coal mined lie un-
touched at the mouths of the shafts
for lack of wagons to haul it. Prac-
tically every wagon in Germany and
Austria-Hungary has been sent to the
front. No one is allowed to bathe in
warm water more than once a week,
the advices state. The Eisnach-Ras-
tenburg railroad quit running for lack
of coal. The Scheenburg town coun-
cil appropriated $144,000 to buy coal
for the poor “whenever possible.”
The Dusseldorf gas supply is so
short it is cut off from 8 to 11 a. m.,
from 1:30 until dusk, and from 11 p.
m. until. 5:30 a. m. The gas is odor-
less and dangerous to use. The gov-
ernment is tearing out gas, light and
heating fixtures in all but two rooms
and the kitchens of private houses to
prevent prohibited lighting and heat-
ing.
——For high class job work come
to the “Watchman” office.
Home Card
UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP WIN THIS WAR.
See other side showing why you should do it.
Our problem is to feed our Allies this winter by sending them as much
food as we can of the most concentrated nutritive value inthe least shipping
space. These foods are wheat, beef, pork, dairy products, and sugar.
Our solution is to eat less of these and more of other foods of which
we have an abundance, and to waste less of all foods.
Bread and cereals.—Have at least one wheatless meal a day. Use corn,
oat, rye, barley, or mixed cereal rolls, muffins, and breads in place of white
bread certainly for one meal and, if possible, for two. Eat less cake and
As to the white bread, if you buy from a baker, order it a day in ad-
vance; then he will not bake beyond his needs. Cut the loaf on the table
and only as required. Use stale bread for toast and cooking.
Meat.—Use more poultry, rabbits, and especially fish and sea food in
place of beef, mutton, and pork. Do not use either beef, mutton, or pork
more than once daily, and then serve smaller
meat cold or in made dishes. Use soup mc
nearly the same food value as meat.
left-over
they have
portions. Use all
freely. Use beans;
Milk.—Use all of the milk, waste no part of it. The children must have
whole milk; therefore, use less cream. There is a great waste of food by
not using all skim and sour milk Sour milk can be used in cooking and to
make cottage cheese. Use buttermilk and cheese freely.
butter has food values vital to children.
Therefore, use it on the table as usual, especially for children. Use as little
as possible in cooking. Reduce the use of fried foods to reduce the consump-
tion of lard and other fats. Use vegetable oils, as olive and cottonseed oil.
Save daily one-third of an ounce of animal fat. Waste no soap; it contains
explosives. You can make scrubbing
soap at home, and, in some localities, you can sell your saved fats to the
soap maker, who will thus secure our needed glycerine.
Sugar.—Use less candy and sweet drinks. Use less sugar in tea and cof-
fee. Use honey, maple sirup, and dark sirups for hot cakes and waffles
without butter or sugar. Do not frost or ice cakes. Do not stint the use of
sugar in putting up fruits and jams.
Vegetables and fruits.—We have a
They may be used in place of butter.
superabundance of vegetables
Double the use of vegetables. They take the place of part of the wheat and
meat, and, at the same time, are healthy. Use potatoes abundantly. Store
potatoes and roots properly and they will keep. Use fruits generously.
Fuel, —Coal comes from a distance, and our railway facilities are need-
ed for war purposes. Burn fewer fires. If you can get wood, use it.
GENERAL SUGGESTION.
Buy less; cook no more than nec-
essary; serve smaller portions.
Use local and seasonable supplies.
Catronize your local producers and
lessen the need of transporta
© tion.
Preach and practice the
of the clean plate.”
We do not ask the American people
to starve themselves. Eat plenty.
but wisely, and without waste
‘‘gospel
Do not limit the plain food of
growing children.
Do not eat between meals.
Watch out for the waste in ihe
community.
You can yourself devise other
methods of saving tc the ends
we wish to accomplish. Under
various circumstances and with
varying conditions you can vary
the methods of sconomizing.
Speaking of Superstition.
A writer in the current number of
the Indiana Magazine of History
calls attention to the quaint supersti-
tions that prevailed in Southern In-
diana during the time that Abraham
Lincoln was growing to young man-
hood in Spencer county. It is recall-
ed, says the Indianapolis News, that
many people did not believe it safe to
start any sort of important enterprise
on Friday. For a dog to cross one’s
path was considered an ill omen, un-
less one retraced his steps and began
his journey over again. Breaking a
mirror was almost certain to bring
bad luck. Certain plantings were
made in the dark of the moon, while
the light of the moon was the proper
time for others.
While these old superstitions were
quaint in their day and of sufficient
importance to be chronicled by the
historian now, a great many of them
still persist. The average person who
| breaks a mirror is almost certain to
remark that he is in for seven years
of bad luck. There are plenty of peo-
ple who would not think of carrying
a rake or hoe through the house, be-
cause the old belief is that this means
a death in the family. Raising an
umbrella in the house means a death
within a year. Whenever a little,
lonesome hoot owl comes to the city
and sings his mournful song in the
trees people within the sound of his
hoot, move uneasily and announce
that a death in that block will occur
within a year. There are enlightened
| people who will retrace their steps
I'and go round the block rather than to |.
keep on in a certain direction after a
cat has crossed their paths. The gift
of anything with a cutting edge is
frowned upon, because a knife is like-
ly to cut one’s friendship or love in
twain. Many people have the custom
of giving a cent in return for such
gifts,"thus putting the jinx out of bus-
iness.
Walking under a ladder brings bad
luck, so the old saying declared, and
this belief still holds. Seeing a new
moon through brush is a bad sign, al-
most as bad as dreaming of muddy
water, because when such dreams are
experienced, the belief is that the next
day will bring trouble. Many are the
girls who still chant the “star bright,
star light, first star I’ve seen to-
night,” then link their little finger in
some other little finger—perhaps on
a hand that is perfectly willing—after
which a wish is made. When two
people are walking and one passes
on one side of a post while the other
on the other side it is still customary
to hear one say “bread and butter,”
in order to prevent “a fuss” resulting.
And as for planting in the sign, well,
there are many war gardens in Indi-
ana that were planted according to
the light and the dark of the moon.
Superstition still holds its sway, even
though we are ultra modern, and re-
ally do not believe in signs.
——Subscribe for the “Watchman.”
CASTORIA.
CASTORIA.
NNN
.
TT eT
The Kind You Have Always Bought, and which has been
in use for over over 30 years, has borne the signature of
and has been made under his per-
sonal supervision since its infancy.
Allow no one to deceive you in this,
All Count -{lits, Imitations and ‘‘ Just-as-good ” are but
Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children—Experience against Experiment.
What is CASTORIA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Paregoric,
Drops and Soothing Syrups.
It is pleasant. It contains
neither Opium, Morphine nor other narcotic substance. Its
age is its guarantee. For
more than thirty years it has
been in constant use for the relief of Constipation, Flatulency,
Wind Colic and Diarrhoea ;
allaying Feverishness arising
therefrom, and by regulating the Stomach and Bowels, aids
the assimilation of Food; giving healthy and
natural sleep.
The Children’s Panacea—The Mother’s Friend.
GENUINE CASTORIA Awways
Bears the
lJ
In Use For Over 30 Years
Signature of
The Kind You Have Always Bought
A
THE CENTAUR COMPANY. NEW YORK CITY,
Shoes.
Shoes.
A RE
{EAGERY SHOE STORE
Big Reduction on the
Prices of Shoes
Saturday, January 19th,
FOR
ONE DAY ONLY
This is a new kind of a sale to the people of this com-
munity, it is called
AN HOUR SALE.
Every hour from Z in the morning until 10 at night
I will have a different shoe on sale, these shoes can be
purchased ONLY at the hour mentioned, not before or
after.
7 until 8 a. m. Ladies $9.00 Shoes reduced to $5.00
J yg Boy’s $3.00 Shoes reduced to Ti 1.98
g 10 Men’s $5.00 Rubber Boots reduced to 3.48
10... af Ladies $4 Gun Metal Shoes reduced to 2.48
IY orm Men's 1 Buckle Artics reduced to . 1.19
12 “1 p.m. Children’s 50 cent Rubbers reduced to .19
eg ke Ladies $4.50 Nurse Shoes reduced to 3.23
Zoe a Children’s $2.00 Shoes reduced to . .98
3 eq Ladies $1.00 Felt Slippers reduced to 48
4. m0 Men’s $5.00 Work Shoes reduced to 3.50
5 6 soc Soft Soled Baby Shoes reduced to .18
fhe us Boys’ 85 cent Rubbers reduced to . .59
weet GH Men’s $8 High Cut Shoes reduced to 5.50
8g.“ 9" Men’s $7 & $8 Dress Shoes reduced to 5.00
g ‘10 Ladies first quality Rubbers reduced to .59
CASH ONLY. NO EXCHANGE.
REET EO
YEAGER'S SHOE STORE
THE SHOE STORE FOR THE POOR MAN
Bush Arcade Building 58-27 BELLEFONTE, PA.
Come to the “Watchman” office for High Class Job work.
LYON & COMPANY.
The following conversation took place in our store:
“The price of this bed spread is much less than I ex-
pected to pay.” This is not only the story in bed
spreads but in every department.
Dove Undermuslins
Envelope Chemise from 48c. up. Night Gowns
from 50c. up. Petticoats from 50c. up. Corset
Covers from 25c. up.
Table Linens and Napkins
Our stock of Table Linens is wonderful. In these
days of linen scarcity we can show a big assortment of
all Linen Table Damask. Napkins to match. Also
mercerized Table Damask. ~ A big assortment of Un-
bleached Table Linens.
A Big Reduction on All Winter
Apparel.
Ladies’ Coats and Suits : : g
Misses’ Coats and Suits At Sacrifice Prices.
Odds and Ends, Short Lengths in
Silk, Wool and Cotton
Enough for one dress or a waist in each piece, at
half the price.
The Best Values, The Lowest Prices.
but come at once for these bargains.
Don’t wait,
Lyon & Co. ... Bellefonte.
w