DAUPHIN AVIATOR LEARNS 1 TO SHOOT I.earning how to shoot from an air plane now is engaging the attention ot' Walter Shaffer, the Dauphin avia tor, who.se (raining in France has been outlined in the Harrisburg Telegraph. The aviator's letter home is un of the most interesting he has yet written. Dec. S, 1917. Somewhere in France. Dear Mother: I've taken a chance, something 1 am- quite- accustomed to by. thirf time, and written the name of the •school I am now.training at. Here's hoping it gets through. According to information I picked up from my American the authorities don't seem to care what you address the inside of the letter by, but it's absolutely forbidden to put one's ad dress on the outside of the envelope, as I have been in the habit of doing always. "Mine not to ask the reason why. mine but to do or die," as we remarked as we were sent aloft at Pau to do acrobatics for the first time. Some of us did, too: but I'm slill kicking, so I should worry. Have been having a most wonder ful and interesting time the last few days: in tact, next to Pau. 1 have not found any school so interesting as the one X just finished to-day., viz.: the shooting school. Like Pau, it was run on a systematic basis, some thing so rare in French training that it, always pleases an American immensely ' when we find one run this way. Of course, the French get results in all their schools and good results, too, but how they do it in some schools is still beyond me, as everything seems to be run so loose ly. At Pau and this shooting school the officials took a personal interest in the work and did not regard it merely as a tiresome job that had to be gotten through with somehow. This raised the morale of the pupils immediately and every one chirked tip and tried his best, and, taking it J) all in all, we bad a wonderful time. Hcnt all the Fourth of July's 1 ever had rolled into one and then some, because for once I had all the cart ridges I wished to shoot and didn't cost me anything. As for noise, when 1 walked into lite place for the first time I thought 1 had accidentally butted in on a battle and began looking for the nearest, exit immediately, for guns of all descriptions were blazing awav all along the line. Then I noticed the target and was reassured, then interested, amused and then anxious to have a try at it myself. What amused me was seeing one of the -x2-ft. targets moving rapidly along a long trench. It seemed so uncanny to see this big white target with its black bullseye moving along as if ! -t had legs, while a machine gunner on the opposite bank peppered shots at it at a tremendous rate of speed, iliat I laughed aplenty. He sure was plastering that target and we were wondering whether a man was running with the target or whether i! was worked by pulleys. We soon discovered it. was not worked by man power, as- a man climbed aboard and rode to the other end of the trench after the firing ceased. I.ike Coney Island <Mie could almost Imagine him self in Coney Island in this shooting , Skin ) K rj §f Comfort f For Our Boys CyU Found In 6 at- Cuticora The Soap to Cleanse and Purify the Ointment to Soothe and Heal These fragrant, super creamy emollients soothe and heal eczemas andy^-s_L-^y rashes, stop itching, clearV ihc skin of pimples, the CT >J scalp of dandruff and 'her) ji . hands of chaps and sores. yVc?' J V For cuts, wounds, kmis-—'J es, bites and stings ' insects, sunburn or/ | windbum they are ) \ Vt Y/ /y most effective. 1 ! Sample Each Fro by / \ j /AIRN MmiL Address post- / \ ' card: " Cuticura, Dept. D, Botton." I Sold everywhere. (. J- Sotp 25c. Oint- \ merit 25 and 50c. % Clear the \ alee—Uulckl; Knerr liiitneticM, (.'oufhi, Sore Thro* i. Itionclilila Hd Laryngitis—plraaunt l> flavored toochea—i!s<- the Uoi. Gorgas Drug Stores —LADIES— you will be more than pleased to & own a copy of the Winifred Worth Crochet Book It contains 65 stunning designs. Tea, indeed, all new designs. Dan dy for a new beginner. Has fuil and complete Instructions HOW TO CROCHET. 1 HIS I'RACTICAL CROCI^I BOOK MAILED TO AN* ADDRESS FOR IS CENTS Send this coupon and 15 cents in Btamps or silver to the Harris burg Telegraph, and the book will be mailed to you from tho New j York office of the publishers AI- J >ow a week for Its arrival. .Name Address City or Town :: ' ::: 'MONDAY EVENING, harpisbuegTELEGRAPH JANUARY 21, 1918. school, for we were taken from booth to booth, like a bunch of tourists on u personally conducted (our; for there were some wen o>- eisiit dif ferent booths, with different con traptions HI each t~> mune snooting mora difficult. Goodness knows. It was difficult enough, as out of forty shots from a machine gun if we got two "blancs;" no, that don't mean "blanks." although it may be pro nounced somewhat the same; it means "white." We were taken to the rifle booth first and given an army carbine to shoot, which was as heavy as Kuth and had a kick like a mule. The first kick made one wait for the next one and thus forget all about the sight. However, 1 got one bullet in the bullseye and two "blancs" out of six shots. The next booth in this personally conducted Cook tour was the manipulation one, where we were taught how to fix different types of machine guns when they jammed, which they had a habit of doing quite regularly there. They sure had those guns fixed so they wouldn't work. From the way they worked it would seem some fellow had assembled them and had some parts left over, for one had Iwo important springs missing. We asked the man in charge and so he informed us. That was all that was missing, said he, and that was quite enough, for every other shell missed. Then the old boy would extract a couple shells from the belt when one wasn't looking and pretty soon there would be a dull click— and then it was hunt for more trou ble. This was very instructive, though, as it taught tis how to fix every con ceivable kind of jam—no, this ' jam"i isn't eatable; it's cussable— not that J would tio the latter, tor a Herman was not after 111 c then. Having learned about the things that were liable to happen and how to load and aim the machine gun, we were taken to another booth and given a chance to test our knowl edge. Judging from the results, we had not acquired much, for out of twenty shots 1 hit the target once and it was not a bullseye, either. Working Vnder Difficulties That may cause Pop to laugh, but wait a minute. This shooting was done from one of those movable de vices I spoke of before, it being ar ranged just like a seat in an air plane, and also movable. So just, about the time you had the sight on a dead center someone moved the box and you suddenly discovered there were no targets near your right and you were aiming at a brick wall clue east. Naturally, vou had to aim all over again, and by the time you got another beau and were pressing the trigger and wondering why it wouldn't go off he moved you again. Just about that time there would l>e a succession of violent eruptions out in front, and before you realized that you were not aboard Mount Vesuvius and your linger was still holding the triggei | firmly, there were ten shots missing, mostly over the target. The officials showed quite a lot of forethought in laying out the shoot ing grounds, for the targets are placed in the bottom of a valley. W'e shoot from the side of the hill and if we shoot too high the bullets plow harmlessly into the hillside on the other side. You should see the deep ditches dug by bullets behind those targets and the trees and shrubbery a little higher up. Every thing is clipped off as clean as a whistle. We didn't get a whole lot of shooting the first day, but the lectures and jam instruction kept us interested. However, we got a shot at that moving target and I say it with more surprise than pride that I sure made the bunch sit up ana take notice, for out of forty shots at it I made fifteen blancs and four bullseyes. Some Are Worse That don't seem like a big per centage, does it: but then the aver age was somewhere around two "blancs" and some never hit it at all. Our marks were all carefully kept, totaled and averaged so that the Spad division would know whether we were any good or not. The second day we had rifles YOURSICKCHiLir IS CONSTIPATED! LOOK AT TONGUE rlurry, Mother! Remove poisons from little stomach, liver, bowels * 3ive "California Syrup of Figs" if cross, bilious or feverish No matter what ails your child, a gentle, thorough laxative should al ways be the first treatment given. If your little one is out-of-sorts, half-sick, isn't resting, eating ami acting naturally—look. Mother! see if tongue is coated. This is a sure sign that the little stomach, liver and bowels are clogged with waste. When cross, irritable, feverish, stom ach sour, breath bad ot- has stomach ache, diarrhoea, sore throat, full of cold, give a teaspoonful of "Califor nia Syrup of Figs," and in a few hours all the constipated poison, un digested food and sour bile gently moves out of the* little bowels wi{h out griping, and you have a well, playful child again. . Mothers can rest easy after giving this harmless "fruit laxative," be cause it never fails to cleanse the lit tle one's liver and bowels and sweet en the stomach and they dearly love Its pleasant taste. Full directions for babies, children of all ages and for grown-ups printed on each bottle. Beware of counterfeit fig syrups. Ask your druggist for a bottle of "California Syrup of Figs;" then see that It i made by the "California Fig Syrup Company." again, shooting at moving targets this time w-ith both army and Win | cheater automatics. These Winches ters shot the. sizej bullets that Krn i est's big deer gun shot, only I could • lilt something with them, and when ! you hear that the targets were all j I set at 100 meters distance you'll j | agree tliut was something. Surprised ; myself and the official scorer again . the second day by getting six blancs | | out of six shots at the moving tar j get with rifles, and. going to the j machine gun where they moved one around .while he was sighting, made six whites and eight bullseyes out of forty shots. Pretty punk, thought I until I discovered some never hit it at all. Sure was great sport, though, and any one wishing noise would sure liav.e had his (111 there. They' also had another machine with all the controls of a regular air plane in it, the machine gun in front and the controls arranged by springs and air pressure so that they liad the same functions as if one -. a- in a real airplane. That was the darndest thing to steer and shoot that I ever sat in. One would get the level with his "stick" control quite easily, but the rudder was a sticker. Push just a little too hard and the target would ! fly past so quick you couldn't pull the trigger: push too lightly anrl (he contraption wouldn't move it a.'i. And there one was, juggling his leil, hands, eyes and trying to use his air feel to get a line on tho tar get long enough to pull the trigger. I say with pride that I hit it once out of forty {fines, which was quite enough to get a swelled head over, as a half dozen others never hit it at all. Speed Up Tilings The last day we were 'given the rifles and told to shoot six shots in twelve seconds. Hit the target three times on this stunt. They sp<iedj;l everything up that day. espe -lolly the machine gun shooting, as we were required to shoot forty shots at a moving target while it ran 150 yards. This was supposed to be done regardless of jams and I had ten while I was trying it. Even at that, I got six hits. I don't know wheth er he called that good or not, but when the three days were up, our a\erages totaled and all, the ollicers ill charge said we were all good, but that 1 was the best in the bunch. I only found this out through a mis understanding, because I wantei to know if our marks received for shooting made any difference in re gards to which part of the front we would be sent to, and what esoa drilk. whether one with a lighting reputation in an exciting sector, or a new one in a quiet part of the from. Sim c he spoke a little Knglisli I asked the man in charge of our squad of rubbernecks about it. He misunderstood me and thought I wanted to know who was the best shot in the bunch. That's how I I found out how good I was; at least lie thougiit so. but I didn't an.i still do net. And it amuses me to think that if I am good, what is bad? Furthermore, if only one shot out ot' forty hit the mark when 1 used the dummy plane, it begins to look as if the (Jermans won't need "(lott rn.it them." Yes, indeed, my aver age will have to go higher than that, or your prayers may be given the acid test. Of course. I have not at tually shot from a plane yet. but expect to very shortly, and that may be a little different. Those postals I sent were pictures of a village near the shooting school. If one could buy that land behind those targets he sure would get. rich digging up lead, for the way lead is thrown into that hill side is a caution. 1 must have blazed away some S3O worth of cartridges myself every day. As a Fourth of Juiy celebration I have yet to ,>ee its equal, either in noise or enjoyment. I'll probably see a bigger celebration before Xnias, for I should be at the front by that time. No, I was not hunting a quiet sector of the front, and that was not the idea in ask ing the shooting instructor about my probable escadrille. Merely curiosity on my part, for they seemed so interested in us and so pleased when we made a good show ins that I was curious to discover the reason. Of course, I didn't -et any satisfaction, unless it was to my I vanity; but one only gets things by j asking—or taking. And you know 1 I would not steal unless I happened I to be near a pretty girl on a moon light night. But that's another ' story and doesn't come under a war head. / Declines With Thanks I could write more of my impres- I sion of the shooting school, but my hands are too numb to write more, and this is my stenographer's day off—yes, it's Sunday, and the old lady whose house we are staying in now wanted to take me to church this morning. She called it "mess," and thinking she was referring to the French army meal, I declined with thanks. later my roommate ! explained the word, which was j "mass." I don't wonder the old I lady was shocked, but, then, my re- j ligious principles always seem to shock people. In fact, flying does ! not seem to make me any more re ligious. We had "repos" this morning, so stayed in bed late, and now 1 can smell the savory fumes of boiled rabbit arising from the kitchen, \ which is "tres bien," because we are invited to dine with the old couple to-day, and they have killed the fatted rabbit in honor of the occa sion. They are quite an amusing : couple and treat we two Americans like long-lost sons, probably because my roommate talks to them quite a lot. he speaking French quite fluently. They also have a lot of fun listen ing to me taking a stagger at it once in a while, too. This morning the ntadame brought in a great big rab bit, carrying it by the ears. We thought it was dead until she let it on the floor and it began hopping around. Sure was a fat boy! After letting us view it for several min utes. comment on its price and toothsonicness, she picked it up by the ears and went out the back door. Two minutes later she returned with the rabbit still dangljng by the ears, only when she let it down on the floor this time he lay still, for he had "mort pour la France." I guess the idea was to show us we w-ere getting fresh meat. Anyway, we had quite a little meal off him, and then we had to beat it for "appel" (roll call). Alwnvs the Mud It was raining like the dickens and the mud was thick and deep, |1 assure you. 1 begin to understand why the French peasants cling to their wooden shoes. Nothing could be better for this muddy climate. They are big and don't leak, so the mud never reaches over icy tootsies, and as for a puddle, if one gets 9 good start he can ski across like a skater over thin ice. I thought Avord had no equal for mud, but I seemed to have been mistaken. There one lifted an acre of real estate, at, every step. Here you lift your foot out of your shoe, and lucky if you catch the shoe before it goes down with its tongue out. It's awful writing, I know. Moth er. but there's a reason. The censor will surely tire of translating such scribbling, for I can't read some of It myself. Hope you can. Still raining. What's good for a cold— and cold hands? 1 , WALTER. JSoamanUi HKI,., IWH—nv. I'M'l'Kll MAKRISBtIRO. MONIXV. JANUARY 21. 1018. FOPKOEn 187 ANNUAL IE P Prc-Inventory Sale ij! J Commences I Tuesday, January 22nd VAn announcement awaited by many of our patrons —for well do they know from past I experience the real good savings it stands for. E A 5-DAY EVENT N N r Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, X Friday and Saturday Q Five Dags of Cont RThis is the greatest house-cleaning period A ,in storekeeping. It's the time when surplus stocks must J\ be absolutely moved at some price. It's the time when Y laggards must go—when odd lots, ends of lines—must be cleared out regardless of the price-sacrifice. '' | And so—inventory time must find We do not in- a house of clean merchandise. Intel- I _ tend to put on the Ijgent preparations have been made in C anythin°Kdiatan soing.the stocks, and repricing to find other owners suc " a generous extent that the next 71 before that time, five days will record very spirited A and we believe selling. chandise at"re- All Through the Store "Pre- I I s^nbep"c c kedup! Inventory" Sale Tickets Beckon M There | You to Wonderful |* * Etime in the year when : your dollars will get Come to-morrow bright and early! P more for you than just rich prizes, in the form of high grade |J before stock-taking. and desirable merchandise at very )> small prices await you. 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers