SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11510, 5 October 1915, Page 7

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR.

FOR THE CAUSE, I met a mari whose right hand was shot away. Ho was returning to Australia as soon ns he got well. " l.lovv far inland did you got?" T asked. " Not, at all," faid he, with a. cheerful sm le. " I was shot in one of (he landing boats. I never set loot on the land." " Did you sec the man wdio shot you:" '■ I never saw a single Turk, ' said lie, and he wax perl colly choerlul. It's rather runt to 1:01110 all iho way from Australia, bo shot in the first hali-hour, never see tho enemy, and then go ba r, k homo again without my right hand. But it's all lor 1 ! 'e cause.'' PONY THAT LIES DOWN TO SMELLS. The antics of a Uist pony named Polly in Gal! poli are a. source of delight to a Tobermory lady, who owned tho animal before it wus commandeered. To tho intonso annis-cment of certain sections of tho transport service, Polly lies down when she hears tho scream of a shell coming in her direction. She stretches out her forelegs, down goes her head to earth, her eyes strut, and she is instantly "dead." She leans over to the left, and under that side is a safo hiding placo for her rider till the shell has passed. Then Polly vises again. While many of her companions in the peninsula, have really bit the dust, Polly from Uist only goes through the forni, and still stoutly carries her gunner from Tobermory. OUTWITTED THE GERM AN. Mr H. J. W. Cox, engineer of tho steamer Southport, was at Cardiff lately presented by tho Government with il piece of plate, m recognition of the courage, resolution and skill he displayed when he restored tlio ship's engines, disabled by tho crew of tho German cruiser Gctr at Ivusiae, in the Caroline Islands. Tho enemy took some coal from the Southport and left her, intending to return fov the remainder. Meanwhile, by an ingenious makeshift, Mr Cox was able to get the engines going sufficient to steam ahead. The vessel was warped out of the narrcv harbour with somo difficulty, apd steamed awa.y to Brisbane, 2000 miles distant, which she reached in safety. A GERMAN'S WAR WAISTCOAT. A manufacturer in Hamburg, who had been tremendotudy busy from the very beginuing of the war putting on the market all sorbs of possible and ■impossible contrivances for the use of the active defenders ot tho I atherluid, lately sent, to tho proper military experts in Berlin a model of a bulletproof waistcoat, out of which he hoped to make a fortune. The War Office s Department of Tests returned the model with iho following communication Your alleged bullet-proof Waistcoat was submitted to proof undteip musketify fire. Wo recommend that you use your best efforts to place a supply of these abroad in one or more of the countries now at war with Germany." t % A REUNION AT THE FRONT. A trooper, who has been invalided home from t*o front, tells the following remarkable story After a week in the trenches near Ypros ho was enjoying a few days' iest in a village iu the rear, wpen ho struok up an acquaintance with a burly Canadian. ' In conversation,'' he states, "I discovered that my new friend's native county was Yorkshire. ' Why, that's my countv, too,' I said. ' What town? 'Bradford.' lie answered, to my surprise, for I, too, come from Bradford. 'You don't, happen to know any of my folk, do you?' I asked, and I gave him my nam<v 1 V hv, . that's my name, too.' he answered. ' I am Tom ham/ 4 lf that's so,' I said, ' you must bo my brother Tom, who went to Canada the year after I was born. And so lio was!" REMARKABLE CURES. Remarkable (aires of wounded 1 reneli soldiers liave been made by a new polyvant serum, the discovery of which was announced last March. Men who wero terribly mutilated are reported as completo.lv recovered through its healino" elf cot s. The doctors are at present unable to prepare more than 2CCO flasks of it daily, most of which goes to the base hospitals where most of the worst case aro found. DIAMONDS PROHIBITED. The "Gazette" publishes an Order-in-Councif prohibiting the. importation into the United Kingdom from August 4 of all unset diamonds, excopt under licenso from a Principal Secretary of State. This order is evidently intended to prevent money paid for diamonds! in this country—especially in the diamond market in Blackheath Yard, Whitechapel—finding its way into Germany, BOTHALAND. Mr Bonar Law has taken some preliminary steps towards giving the German colony in South Africa the new name of " BOthaland," in token of the national sense of General Botha's splendid services to tho Empire. It is improbable, however, that the re-naming will take placo before tho end of tho war, when a similar service will have to bo performed in the case of other conquered territories. At tho same time, thorn is likely to he an agreement for re-naming the ocean which sweeps the colonies in southern lati~ tndes. WATCH FOB, TROOPS ON MARCH. There has been invented by an Austrian a novel watch for the use of officers having chiSl'ge of troops ori the inarch. On the face is a, little a*rn (illuminated by radium for night- ii^o), which can bo made to swjng so many times each minute. Thus, an officer wishing; to bring his men to a certain; place at a certain time decides that they musi, march IL'O paces ;i, minute. He thci sets the arm to swing 120 times a minute, sets tho pace- to keep timo with the beat, and so regulates the speed of tho march. • SHELL ORDERS FOR CANADA. Orders for nine million shells of various calibres havo been placed in Canada. in addition to orders for 'IOO,OOO cartridge casus, 0.000,000 fuses, primers and 1,000 000 friction tubes. No fewer than 70,000 artisans are emjployed- in. shell-making. One hundred and thirty firms in the Dominion aro now engaged in the work of machining and assembling, while 'J47 factories are employed in. tile manufacture of component parts. HEROIC FEAT. There has just come to light- one. of the most heroin feats of the war. 10 was performed by a French chasseur at Gerboviller. When the German army entered ihe village he was posted with a. mitrailleuse alUahuie, at the other end of a bridge leading from the village. When the enemy started'to he let them get half-v. ay o\or and then raked them with his lire. Fur three hours lie held the bridge until his ammunition gave out. and it, is estimated he killed 170 Germans. By his gallant conduct he prevented the remainder of his regiment being outflanked.