Interesting War Notes.

Lake County Press, Issue 2636, 15 June 1916, Page 7

Interesting War Notes.

CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL i ARSENAL. "Directness—Woolwich" is tho teleBraphic address of Sir Frederick onaldson, who lias been Chief Superintendent of the Uoyal Ordnance Factories, Woolwich, since 1903, and who, for the duration of the war, has taken over work of greater urgency at the Ministry of Munitions. • "Directness 7 ' is the keynote of the character of Sir Frederick, and his knowledge of engineering and munition work is unequalled. To the general public ho is little known, but ''the man behind the guns" at Woolwich is recognized in the arsenal town as the man who gets things done. j Son of the late Sir Stuart DonaldI son. tho first Premier of New South J Wales, Sir Frederick showed his bent j for engineering by going to Edinburgh ! and Zurich after leaving Cambridge, I and gaining theoretical and practical • knowledge before entering the London j and North-Western Railway Works at ; : Crewe. i From 1884 to 1887 ho was employed I on harbour and railway construction in I India, and then came homo to take a I share in the construction of the Manf Chester Ship Canal, afterwards becom-. iug Chief Engineer of the London and India Docks Joint Committee. He was appointed to Woolwich in 1899 as Deputy Director-General, which led to his appointment as Chief Superintendent. Sir Frederick is temporarily succeeded by a man, Mr. Vincent Raven, who is equally interesting. The son of a parson, Mr. Raven became an engineering pupil of the chief mechanical engineer of the North-Eastern Railway, and after completing his pupilage he went on from position to position, until his appointment as assistant mechanical engineer in 1902. Five years ago he was appointed chief mechanical engineer, when he assumed complete control of a department of 18,000 hands and also of the engine, carriage, and waggon building shops, together with the provision and maintenance of the electric and hydraulic machinery at the docks. SOLID OILS FOR TRANSPORT. A [latent has been obtained in France for an improved method of handling petroleum and derivatives by obtaining a product of gelatinous consistence which can lie easily carried and loses its explosive properties such as often make handling of such material dangerous. Tho mass can be burned by lighting ii with a match, in which ease it- burns slowly. The new method consists in producing a soapy paste into which the oil is incorporated by stirring or otherwise mixing up in the proper manner.. Such paste is made, in the first place, by taking about equal amounts of ordinary soap and water, and it enters into the composition of the final product in the proportion of 1 to 5(1 per cent., according to the case. The oil, etc., can afterwards be brought to the original state by treating with alcohol or other solvents. GUN FIRING. Tho factors which affect the range of the shell at anv given elevation of the gun, and which act before the shell leaves the gun muzzle, are the variations in the temperature of the cordite and the wearing of the gun barrel, with consequent leakage of pressure past the sides of the shell. There aro also several conditions liable to variations during the time of flight of the shell which must be taken into account, for the resistance which the shell meets with depends upon the atmospheric density at the time of firing, the shape of the shell nose, the altitude which the shell reaches with consequent decrease of air density, and the force and direction of the wind. Increase or decrease of range due to alterations of weight and shape of shell can be predetermined and corrected for before the shell is issued for firing, but variations in barometer reading and wind must, be corrected for at the time of firing. LONC-LIVEO BULGARIANS. Bulgarians have a reputation for longevity. They boast of possessing more centenarians than any other peoplo in Europe. Among these is "the oldest woman in the world," Mrs. Baba Vasilka, who is, or was quite lately, still living at her native village of Bavelsko, which she has never left. She was born of peasant parentage in May, 1784, and there is no doubt about her age because the record of her baptism is preserved at a neighbouring monastery. According to the custom of a country where women are employed on most kinds of manual labour, Mrs. Vasilka worked in tho fields for more than a hundred years. When she was born Bulgaria was merely a province of Turkey. FLACS OF FLAME. When the day of peace arrives and the Army is assigned the "honours" gained in the greatest war of all times, many regiments will be laced with a difficulty—that of finding room for the new records of gallantry on their colours, already, many of them, crowded with proofs of willing sacrifice made when the Empire called. The greatest task of this kind will be presented when the Gloucestershires aro awarded their new "honours," for their regimental flag already bears no fewer than thirty-three names, from Ramillies to South Africa. The Highland Light Infantry run their English rivals a close race for premier place, as they can point to thirty historic fights.' Several corps tie for the- third position with twenty-eight—the Royal Scots (the oldest Regular line regiment in tho Army), the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the South Staifordshires, the South Lancashires, the Black Watch, and the Gordon Highlanders. i | RUSSIA'S COLD. I The largest hoard of gold in the | world is that held in the vaults of the Russian State bank, amounting now to about £170,000,000. j Ordinarily a visitor may travel from one end of' the Russian Empire to the other and not see enough gold coin to buy a pair of shoes. Paper currency is used universally. The cheque system, ! lis it prevails in the United States and Fnu'and, is practically unknown in Russia. . , Although the larger cities have many

fine banks, the provincial business' man distrusts banks, and there . are 'hundreds of thousands of prosperous Russians who have never had a banking account in their life. Their working '* capital is represented by paper cur- * roncy of big denomination wlugh they - carry in a leather bag suspended by a ■ thong around their neck. I In Russia the visitor may meet 3 shaggy men whoso dress and appearfc anco suggests the artisan clasß, who are carrying with them constantly ' from five" to ten thousand pounds : m > currency. • • A WONDERFUL MACHINE-GUN. Referring to our recent article* on machine-guns, a sergeant in the Australian forces sends us some interesting facts concerning the. latest machinegun adopted by the War Office. , It is known as the Caldwell machine-gun, being named after its inventor, a mechanic of Victoria, Australia. Jt can fire at the rate of 1,000 shots p<&: minute (it is said the speed has been increased to 1,800 shots per. minute) - % has two barrels, which can .both be fired independently of the other; and is air cooled, which does away with " the necessity for carrying water jto the barrel while working. --'s»£ c'Jiii Caldwell, according to our pane* spondent, sold the patent . riJslii* of this gun earlv this year to the War Office for the'sum of £65,000 and £5 royalty on each gun manufactured, and has been appointed manager of the work-shops where they are turnedat a salary of £I,OOO a year. ' .... . WHO'S AT WAR WITH WHOM? The following table shows who is at war with whom: — : - Germany at war with Great Britain. * - France. Russia. ■ Belgium. Servia. Japan. Austria at war with Great Britain. Franco. Russia. Belgium. Servia. .Montenegro. Italy. ; Bulgaria at war with Great Britain. France. Russia. Italy. Servia. Italy at war with Austria. Turkey. Bulgaria. Great Britain and Franco at war with Germany. Austria. ; ... Turkey. " Bulgaria. Russia at war with Germany. Austria. Turkey. Bulgaria. ~ NAVAL ETIQUETTE OF NELSON'S DAYS. .. ;< Midshipmen are known throughout the length and breadth of the Navy as "snotties." . The story, g oes —mind, I do not vouch for its truth—that when one day Nelson was inspecting a certain ship he noticed that each of the midshipmen had a dark stain on their cuffs. He wanted to know why . this was there, and was toldJthat," in that particular ship, there was always a middy at the masthead— ■ either for punishment or for the purpose of keeping a good lookout. In these high altitudes the. cold wind had the effect of making - " their noses run, and as they were. clinging to the rigging with both hands they could not get at their handkerchiefs, with the result that' their cuffs became stained. Nelson sent for the sailmaker, and there and then made, that worthy _ ; sew three buttons on each cuff, and also presented each of the "snotties"—as he himself christened them—with a square yard of caTico to be used as a handkerchief. And the three buttons still. ..• stand on the middy's cuff, and the name clings throughout the ages —although manners are more precise in these days, even a.t sea . .; The name "midshipmen" came from the fact that when a man or bov first joined a ship he was.put .. t to" work between the main and mizen masts, and to learn the ropes in the "midship" portion of the vessel. Hence midshipmen—or as they call even themselves—"Snotties." . . Sailors invariably receive their pay on their caps, and never in the - ~ \ bare hand. .-. : ---»- •' THE FIRST V.C'B. In presenting the Victoria Cross to soldiers actually "in the field-, King George may, to some extent, have been influenced by the original order, which provides that under conditions stipulated the . coveted decoration shall be conferred "on the spot where the act . to be rewarded by the grant of such decoration has been performed." The ftrst presentation -> of the Victoria Cross, however, . took place in Hyde Park in June, 1857, when Queen Victoria, with . - her own hands, pinned it on the coats of sixty-two Crimean heroes It is re'eorded that the Oucen wore a red and white - feather at the side of her round. hat "a scarlet body made nearly like a military tunic," and a dark•blue skirt. She was on horseback, with Prince Albert on her left, ". who made a profound obeisance to each wearer of the V.C.