THE MICHIGAN DAILY
IT'S SOME SENSATION
UP IN AWAR BALLOON
UNITED PRESS CORRESPONDENT
DESCRIBES TRIP OVER GER-
MAN LINES IN AIR CRAFT
By William Philip Simms
(United Press Staff Correspondent.)
With the British Armies in the Field,
Feb. 2.-(By Mail.)-What does it feel
like to have a hostile battery of ar-
tillery pick you up and begin shoot-
ing at you while you hang in a bas-
ket half a mile high in a captive bal-
loon?
Suppose, as you dangled at the top
end of the wire cable no thicker than
a child's little finger, the German
howitzers should suddenly try to
smash the auto-truck carrying the
winch holding the ground end of the
string.
Suppose, you, up there in the winter
sky/saw an aeroplane making for you
and you knew it would do its best to
shoot fire arrows into your "sausage,"
cause it to explode and chuck you
headlong to the frozen earth below?
Or, failing to explode, the balloon
caught fire and you, to save yourself
had to plunge downward at the tail
end of a parachute with shrapnel
bursting about you all the time?
These are the working conditions
of every day of the soldiers attached
to the balloon sections of the army
High in the air, over a world covered
by four inches of snow, while the noise
of the big war bounded up in lumpy
explosions and the concussions of the
larger guns could be felt distinctly
the aviator explained his work just as
you would explain yours, in the office
shop or on the farm. Through the
glasses the zig-zagging white lines of
the trenches showed plainly.
View of "No Man's Land"
"See," he said, looking through hi
glasses, "there are two distinct net-
works of trenches, with a narro
space between which is free fron
criss-crossing lines. That space is
'No Man's Land.' Of course all ac-
tivity on the other side of that space
is German activity, and that is part of
the job' we are up here to attend to.
"See that village beyond the German
lines to the left " he continued steady-
ing himself without touching the sides
of the basket-one of the secrets of
accurate balloon observation. "That
is Blank. And, to the right there,
that road where-you see the double
row of trees, that is the part of the
line we-this balloon section-are in-
terested in. Other parts are under
observation from those balloons you
see to the north an'/south of us-
though, naturally, we co-operate very
closely one balloon with another so
that the minimum observable activity
gets past us. Troops in march, supply
columns, working parties among or
behind the trenches, things like that
we signal to our artillery and get a
battery-or several batteries-work-
ing. We give them the range, then,
as they fire, we give them corrections:
So many degrees to right or left, too
long or too short. The whole thing
is done by telephone, right from this
basket. Here; put this on your head."
The head-harness of a telephone girl
was handed me. I put it on.
Call for Battery ABC 44
"Time me," said the lieutenant, "I
am going to call up a battery. Hello.
ABC 44!" he called.
"Hello. Battery ABC 44!" came the
reply, it seemed almost immediately.
As a matter of fact it had taken 10
seconds. "Test!" the young officer re-
plied into the transmitter.
"You see," he went on, "the thing
is very rapid. It has to be rapid.
Nevertheless my call had to pass
through central." As the sausage
swayed gently to and fro, a frosty
haze of blueish purple stole between
us and the lines. Beneath, the snowy
earth was plainly visible but objects
two or three miles off were completely
hidden from view. High over the
haze, on the horizon sailed an aero-
plane. About it, like a dozen lady's
powder-puffs, shrapnel were bursting.
Then, without warning, like a dozen
claps of thunder in rapid succession,
came the reports of shells bursting
-chout the lieutenant's balloon.
Close Call from Shell
"Hello," he said calmly, in the tone
of a blase man-about-town who sees
an old acquaintance approaching,
"what's this?" And slowly he turned
to size up the bursts of black smoke
drifting away in the wind.
"Yes," he said, speaking into the
telephone, "yes. Yes, it was in our
neighborhood. Can't say. Can't see
anything from here. It's too thick.
"These balloons are much 'better
than the ones we had at the beginning
of the war," he said, cheerfully. "I
mean the ones you've no doubt seen
with kite tails. They--" Another
series- of thunder claps, this time on
the other side of the ballpon. It seemed;
as if a battery had turned loose all1
it had with one pull of the trigger. I
Fire Sh1ort "Nearly Always"
"Don't let that worry you," the lieu-
tenant said smiling like a cherub with
a cold-reddened face. "They nearly
always fire short." Nearly always.
Nearly!
"As I was saying," he went on, "the
old fashioned balloons were the limit.
They wallowed around exactly like a
ship in a storm. And believe me! To
be seasick in a balloon-as many an
observed has been-and have to give
directions to the artillery between sick
spells, is some job. Hello! Hello!
(This into the telephone.) Yes, all
right. (Then to me.) Whenever you
get ready and think you've seen
enough, -I'll signal to be hauled down."
Not willing to take up too much of
the lieutenant's time I pretended I had
seen as much as I cared to. The jour-
ney to the earth seemed slow-about
10 years in fact.
Mrusical Students
in Concert Today
Advanced students of the vocal and
piano departments of the University
School of Music will appear in a pub-
lic recital this afternoon at 4:15 o'clock
in Frieze auditorium. The following
program will be given:
Perpetual Motion .............Weber
Lucile Colby
Sonata, Op. 22 (First movement)
...................... Beethoven
Esther Hood
Gipsy John .............Frederic Clay
Irving Miller
Norwegian Bridal Procession . .Grieg
Olive McLouth
Concert Arabesques on Themes
from "The Blue Danube
Waltzes .... Strauss-Schulz-Evler
Gertrude Flowerday
The Fountain'.............Steinfeldt
Nocturne ..............L.Leschetizsky
Constance Ohlinger
DECLARES ENGINEERS
NOT DULYRECOGNIZED
PROFESSION NOT GIVEN JUST
PROXINEN(CE ASSERTS
JOHNSTON
That the engineering profession has
not received its just recognition, was
the assertion of Prof. C. T. Johnston,
of the surveying department, in his
talk on "The History and Development
of Surveying" at the fresh engineers'
assembly yesterday morning.
Prof. Johnston pointed out that men
from all the other professions are
chosen as the nation's lawmakers, but
that the engineer has seldom been the
legislator. The future, according to
Prof. Johnston, will witness the engi-
neer becoming'more and more a law-
maker as the need for his technical
knowledge grows greater.
The regular business session of the
fresh engineers was held before the
addr ess.
THIRI) MAN IS 'ONVICTED FOR
MURDER OF 1915 IN NEW YORK
New York, Mar. L.-Joseph A. Mul-
holland, found guilty here of murder
in the first degree, was the third man
to be convicted of having had a part
in killing Mrs. Elizabeth Nichols, a
wealthy widow, at her home in this
city in February, 1915. His accom-
plices, Arthur Waltonen and Onnie
Tallas, former sentenced to death and
the latter to life imprisonment for
their share in the crime, testified
against Mulholland. They said he
planned the murder and made away
with most of the jewelry stolen from
the house.
STUDENT BRANCH OF A. S. M. E.
HOLDS OPEN LECTURE MEETING
The student branch of the A. S. M.
E. will hold an open lecture meeting
at 7:30 o'clock this evening in room
229 engineering building. Mr. F. M.
Sawin, special, will speak on "Alcohol
as a Fuel"; Mr. T. Tobey, '17E, on
"Fuel Oil," and Mr. A. E. Hecker, '17E,
on "The Mechanical Handling of Con-
crete." The lectures will be illustrated.
SENIOR ENGINEERS TO SECURE
CANES FROM WAGNER & CO.
Senior engineers will get their canes
Deplorable State of Affairs in
India Easily Seen by Scholars
URGES NEW CONGR[
START WORK AT
Today Dr. N. S. Hardikar, grad.,
writes on "Famines of India" in the
fourth article of a series of 12.
When studying the India of today
the American scholar. readily sees
what a deplorable state of affairs she
is in-sees her people poor and famine
stricken.
In 1882 Lord Cromer and Sir David
Barbour estimated that the per capita
income of the Indian people was 27
rupees, or about $8.50 a year. Lord
Curgon, who was governor-general of
the country, and who is now a mem-
ber of the BriTish war council, has
said that the yearly income of the
Hindus was about $9.50. Our econo-
mists regard these extimates as rather
high, though I shall accept Lord Cur-
gon's statement for the time being.
An average man in India has to live
within these 40 shillings. From his
income he pays 4 shillings 8 pence for
taxes, and depends upon 35 shillings
4 pence for his maintainance.
In 1881, Sir W. Hunter, the best of-
ficial defender of the Indian govern-
ment told the English public that 40,-
000,000 of British India go through life
without sufficient food. This means
that one-fifth of Briton's subjects in
India actually starve every day.
Lately the population of the country
has increased enormously, but the in-
come of the people has not kept pace
with it. Add to the above 40,000,000
the sufferings of the increased popu-
lation and one will get the number of
which starve to death for the want of
food.
If we compare the income -of India
with that of other countries, it will be
seen that ours is the poorest land on
the face of the globe. Such is a con-
dition existing in the twentieth cen-
tury. When men and women are suf-
fering from poverty like this, it is
quite natural that famines should de-
vastate the land and reappear again
and again.
Terrible famines began for the first
time with the British rule in India.
Gradually they became chronic, and,
according to Sir William Digby, 32,-
500,000 people died from famine in
the nineteenth century. "Famines are
a thing of the past in western Europe,"
says R. C. Dutt in his "England and
India." "In India, however, every gen-
of India" there was a famine, 1857;
and again in 1877 there was another
famine, the year of her "Diamond
Jubilee." In 1897, 1899, 1900, 1901,
1904, 1907, 1911, all these years are
sad landmarks in the modern history
of India. "They are landmarks not of
progress and prosperity, but of deso-
lation and distress."
In the London Lancet of May, 1901,
it was published that in the last de-
cade of the nineteenth century that
"19,000,000 deaths can be attributed
with some reason to actual starvation,
or the diseases arising therefrom."
When King George V went to India in
1911 more than 300,000 people died
within the 24 days of his stay.
Not only are human beings attacked
byfamine, but a terrible toll is taken
of animals also. In 1876 there were
27,000,000 cattle in Madras. By the
end of that year one-fourth of there
died and before 1877 half of the re-
maining had perished. In a city called
Solapur in Bombay presifency there
were 224,599 cattle before the famine
of 1877 and after two months only
97,000 remained.
India is suffering not only lack of
food and starvation, but from diseases
like plague and cholera which have
been eradicated from countries other
than India. These two diseases alone,
in a scientific era such as the present,
have taken a toll of more than 10,-
000,000 lives since 1897 to the present
time.
What are the causes of all these
conditions? Who is to be blamed for
the pitiful condition of India? The
answers to these questions I shall at-
tempt to give in the next article.
NEW POSTOFFICE SUB-STATION
IN ARCADE TO OPEN UP TODAY
After being quartered in temporary
offices for the past -year, the State
street postoffice sub-station in Nickles
Arcade will open today.
The new offices were designed ex-
pressly for this use, and are similar
in construction and general arrange-
ment to the down town offices.
KATSUIZUMI, '17, TO ADDRESS
WOMEN'S CLUB OF LANSING
Sotokichi Katsuizumi, '17, will leave
for Lansing Friday to speak on the
subject of "Japan" before the Lansing
Women's club. He will appear there
under the auspices of the Cosmopoli-
tan Lecture bureau.
REPRESENTATIVE BRITTEN 0
C:1ICA(GO PRESENTS BILL
IN HOUSE
Washington, Feb. 28.-Representa
tive Britten of Chicago today intro
duced a resolution calling for th
convening of the new congress at noo
next Monday. The resolution was re
ferred to the committee on ways at
means, which probably will kill it.
In a statement issued after the in
troduction of the resolution, Mr. Bri
ten said the arming of American me:
chantmen and the granting of uncon
ditional authority to the president
certain to puf the nation in a cond
tion where it cannot avoid war.
"This being true," he continue
"congress should remain in continu
ous session.
"If' congress adjourns to meet ne:
December, and in the meantime
called in extraordinary session by th
president, this act would be accepte
at home and abroad as equivalent to
declaration of war, or the intention s
to do, and this highly undesirable in
pression can be avoided by the pa
sage of my bill.
URGE U. S. BUILD NITRATE
PLANT ON MISSISSIPP
Washington, Feb. 28.-A delegatic
of Davenport citizens, headed by E
P. Adler, an Iowa newspaper publish
er, and Henry Vollmer, former coi
gressman from the Second Idistric
called 'on Secretary of War Baker to
day to urge the establishment of th
government nitrate plant betwee
Davenport and Rock Island on ti
Mississippi.
In their argument the Iowans as
serted the power on the Mississipp
between Davenport and Rock Islam
is equal to the needs of the plan
They asserted the construction cos
there would be less than at any othe
place in the country. In addition the
contended that with the excellent wi
ter and rail transportation facilitie
the nitrates used for fertilizers coul
be delivered to the whole counti
cheaper than from any other point
The delegation particularly set o
Davenport's claims against those o
the Muscle Shoals project in Alabama
We operate the only exclusive ban
quet hall in the city. The Delta.
27-8, 1-2-3-
*I * * * *' * * * * * *
AT THE THEATERS
TODAY
:Majestic-Vaudeville.
Orpheum- Baby Marie Osborne
in "Joy and the Dragon."
Arcade - Virginia Pearson in
"The Bitter 'T'uth."
Rae-Theda Bara in "Her Double
Life," also a Wm. Fox com.
edy.
,*
*.
from Wagner and company this year. eration, every 20 years, has its tale of
The committee announces that the distress to tell."
sticks must be ordered before March The year of Queen Victoria's acces-
4, in order to have them come with the sion, 1837, there was a famine; the
first shipment. year she assumed the title "Empress
AT THE MAJESTIC.
The "Tennessee Ten," who head the
bill which opens at the Majestic this
afternoon, is a "Jazz" band, composed
of ten colored men and women who
sing and dance.
Willard Jarvis heads the "Six Sere-
naders" act which offers a variety of
songs.
Dave Vine and Luella Temple offer
a "nut act" which consists of a med-
ley of songs, dances and repartee.
Bud Lorraine is a cowboy from New
Mexico who does a ventriloquil act.
The Polzin Brothers have an assort-
ment of athletic comics.
I ---
HALL ANI) EICH APPEAR ON
PROORAM IN HART TODAY
ComeHere First
For Your
Spring Overcoat
If you go looking around for an overcoat, you
will eventually end up here.
Our assortment of styles, our range of fabrics,
and most important of all, our values, cannot be
equaled elsewhere in Ann Arbor.
It's mighty good economy to buy an overcoat now, and
we offer some tempting values, luxurious
Spring Models
. in
T/ __ __3_fI/%
Registrar
Louis Eich,
leave Ann
Arthur G. Hall and Mr.
instructor in oratory, will
Arbor today for Hart,
where they will appear on the pro-
gram before the Grangers, Teachers,
and Patrons' association of Ocenana
county, to be held Friday.
Dr. Hall will speak on the subject,
"The University of Michigan and the
Youth of Michigan," while Mr. Eich
will give a reading from Mark Twain.
F. D. DE WEB, '02, CANDIDATE
Fig RDETROIT SCHOOL BOARD
Fred G. Dewey, '02, Detroit attorney,
who spoke here last Thursday on
"Washington's Message to 1917", is
now placed in the running for a posi-
tion on the seven-man school board of
Detroit.
:.::
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3.
4 k
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nuppen
that w
Hard and soft-fins
vanced styles portra
plaited-backs, toppe]
servative coats for tb
A. M.
DUDLEY TO SPEAK TO
SENIOR ENGINEERS TODAY
$20.00
neimer Overcoats
ill appeal to any man with a
little foresight.
ished woolens in swagger models. Ad-
yed in form-fitting coats, belted coats,
r effects-conservative and semi-con-
hose who desire them.
$22.50 $25.00
Co
,eet
Mr. A. M. Dudley of the Westing-
house Electric company of Pittsburg,
Pa., will address the senior engineer
assembly to be held in room 348 of
the engineering building at 10 o'clock
this morning.
PROF. ADAMS TO MEET CLASS
IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The class in international relations
will be addressed by Prof. H. C. Adams
of the economic department' on the
subject of "Transportation and Its In-
ternational Aspects" at 7 o'clock to-
night in room 302 University hal.
N. F. Alie
211 South Main Str
mov-
Cop: 7 1
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