THE NENANA DAILY NEWS
Published every afternoon except ^Sunday, by the Nenana Printing
Company, at First and B Streets, Nenana, Alaska.
R. G. Southworth..Editor and Manager
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PREPARE !
Americans have been warned to prepare to hear of increasing
losses among the Yankee troops on the European battlefront, as
the result of the participation of our boys in the great struggle
now in progress along the Franco-Belgian frontier north and west
of Armentieres. It may be said that we are just entering the
great struggle, for which we have been preparing at home and
abroad, night and day, during the past year. Our losses of
men, thus far, have been few; our sacrifices at home have been
inconsequental by comparison with the sacrifices which are yet to
come. And while we may never be compelled to suffer the pri
vations experienced by those nations closest to the war, the time
is coming when we must face conditions much more war-like than
those which confront us now.
The struggle is a desperate one and it is destined to become
more desperate as the weeks and months, and perhaps years, pass.
We must nerve ourselves for the shock of heavy casualties. We
must prepare to make real sacrifices at home so that our fighting
men can make victory more certain abroad.
COME ACROSS FOR UNCLE SAM
William S. Hart, of motion picture fame, is one of the enthu
siastic advocates for a general response to the government’s appeal
for subscriptions to its Liberty Loans. Here is what Hart says:
“Every American who has accepted the great blessings that
God has given, and has lived the large and free life bought by the
blood of many brave and devoted men, and passed on to us a
priceless heritage, has a chance now to repay.
“It is for him at this instant to testify to the world what he
knows he owes his country.
“He should at once, and cheerfully, give a little of his goods
that his country has secured for him.
“He should promptly say to the world, which is listening, and
perhaps cynically criticising: 'When my country asks me for life
or for money I cheefully offer both.’
“He should demonstrate that patriotism is something greater
and more sacred than an idle sentiment.
“And in contributing to his means for tno high purpose placed
before him by his president, he should appreciate that in r lality
he is making no gift, but is investing in the greatest security 'n
the world—The Pledge of the United States of America.’’
WHAT A LIBERTY BOND WILL DO
Here are some of the things your Liberty Bond Money Loaned j
to the Government, will buy for our boys “Over There.’’
§50 Liberty Bond .vl! supply four r.ionuu’ sustenance in !
the field for one of our soldiers.
A $100 Liberty Bi nd will supply 200 pounds of smokeless
powder for one of the big guns.
A $200 Liberty Bond will equip and uniform four.of our blue
jackets.
A $500 Liberty Bond will supply 180 of our boys with gas
masks in which to face one of the deadliest menace of the trenches.
A $1,000 Liberty Bond will buy gasoline enough to drive one
of our submarines 2.000 miles in our campaign against the under
seas raider of the kaiser.
A $2,000 Liberty Bond will supply 520 thirteen-pound shells
to sink German submarines.
Every Liberty Bond you buy helps actively to shorten and
win the war.
* * *
* *
YOUR PART
By O. H. Fernbach
Before the winter snows shall flee the sun,
Upon the lines from Verdun to the sea,
^our valient sons shall face the perjured Hun.
Led by the bright-starred flag of Liberty,
In death-defiant charge their steel will ring;
By shriek of shell undaunted, they’ll advance,
Each man an earnest of the pledge to bring
Relief to fettered Belgium—bleeding Franc1_
To bear the battl’s brunt, resolved that Right
^ et shall o’erthrow the arrogance of Might.
But lest their life-blood vainly they should pour
On Patria’s altar, pour there your gold.
Now is the hour! Lend freely from your store,
Denying self; for as you give the more,
Sweet Peace the sooner may the world enfold.
^ *****
YOUR DUTY AND THE REASON WHY.
“We are fighting this war for the next generation as well as
this. We are dedicating the life blood of this nation that our
children and our children’s children May Enjoy the Blessing* of
Liberty—Others In This Country Will Give Their Blood. You
Give Your Money.
* * * * *
Postmasters have been authorzed by the national government
to cash coupons on the war bonds, thus affording convenience to
the holders when interest time falls due.
*****
If you cannot go to France send your dollars to the front.
Not the actual dollars—they will be spent in the United States—
but what they buy goes to France.
I
* AMERICAN AIR PLANS
The first American-built battle
planes were recently shipped to the
front in France. Th* lirst ship
ment. though in itself not large,
marks the final overcoming of many
difficulties met in building up this
new and intricate industry, says a
statement authorized by the secre
tary of war, for the purpose of in
forming the American public regard
ing the problems and progress in
equipping the air service with fight
ing planes.
These planes are equipped with the
first Liberty motor from machine
production. One of them in a recent
test surpassed all records for speed
and climbing for planes of that type.
Engine production, which began this
year, is now on a quantity basis.
Only the 12-cylinder type is being
made, as developments abroad have
made it wise to concentrate on the
high-powered engine instead of the
eight-cylinder.
These statements should not be
exaggerated but should be considered
in the light of the following facts:
After three years of warfare, the
total number of planes able to take
the air at any one time on either
side of the Western front has not
been over 2,500. This, combined j
with the fact that 46 men are re-'
quired on the ground for every
plane in the air, gives a truer per
spective of the European aviation
situation than commonly possessed.
Replacement Planes
For every plane in the air, there
must be two replacement planes on
the ground, and one training plane
for every pilot who eventually reach
es the front, with a spare engine for
each plane. Moreover, while the
American program has been delayed
by difficulties which were impossi
bly to foresee when the tentative
program was adopted in all our lack
of knowledge last spring, it may be
said that Ameriaen planes are not
due in France under the original
schedule until July.
At the outbreak of the war, the
first step, both in sequence and im
portance, was to build up an indus
try to rush out the training planes
needed for the prospective aviators
who were immediately on hand. This
fresh and most promising personnel
afforded indeed America’s largest
immediate source of aid to her asso
ciate nations in the war, which,
while well able to turn out the latest
type of airplanes, were seriously
drained of men capable of manning
them. The ultimate goal, however,
was the construction of a large fleet
of battle planes.
Two serious problems, interwoven
and reacting, were immediately met,
he almost total lack both of airplane
industry and of airplane engineering
knowledge. The industry was rudi
mentary, with only one company on
an appreciable production basis and
another dozen small experimental
companies. The metal work was
mostly done by hand, each machine
built as a separate unit and little
attempt to manufacture from dies,
jigs, or gauges. The estimates of
the total value of the industry vary
from $2,000,000 to $10,000,000 and
of employees from 5,000 to 10,000.
The government was practically the
only purchaser, having ordered 366
planes the year before the war, of
which only 66 were actually de
livered.
Difficulties in Europe.
The engineering problems were
even more complex. Europe at war,
with the best engineers of each coun
try pitted against each other in a:
struggle which knew no close, had
worked out the most ingenious de
velopments in the light of actual
fighting experience. Information
reaching here was generally frag
mentary and always late. As a re
sult, when war came, the United
States had practiclly no airplane en
gineering staff and no modern fight
ing planes.
Construtcion of planes presented
a much more complex problem than
that of engines, which had been de
veloped and produced here for other
purposes on a collosal scale. The
extreme refinement of their manu
facture, requiring 23,001) screws
in a single fighter, or 700 pieces
of wood in a single wing, neces
sitated the most expert workmanship
and balance to secure the essential
combination of lightness with strength
and seemed to militate against the ■
quantity production.
Securing Information.
The first step was to secure infor- j
mation from Europe. A commission !
was early sent across and rushed
back the last-minute details, upon
the strength of which a large num
ber of fighting planes of a certain
type were ordered. The raw mater
ials were very largely in hand and
’ the drawings within several days of
; completion when another cable said !
that this type had been superseded .
and should not be built. Nearly a j
month was thus lost.
Drawings then came for another
type. They had just been redrawn
for American manufacture and the ]
die makers put to work when a ;
second and different set arrived.
The work done had to be cast aside
and the process begun over again.
Just as it was nearing cojnpletion
still a third set of drawings arrived, '
and a third start was necessary. The
unavoidable loss of time was pre
ferred to turning out a design known
at the outset to be out of date.
The effect of separation from the
battlefields by 3,000 miles is further
shown in that anywhere from 17
days to 11 weeks have been required
to secure various important samples
from abroad. Another three weeks
of day and night work is necessary
to reduce these samples to drawings
for American manufacture. It is
significant of the rapid development
of the art of aviation that not a
single type of the original schedule
has survived into the present pro
gram.
Recently, however, a responsive
channel of communication with the
allies has been opened, the latest
types adapted to American manu
facture, the industry increased at
least twenty-fold, the training-plane
problem solved, and the production
of battle planes begun. It is still
very necessary, however, to view
America’s effort in aviation against
the true perspective, both in this
country and in Europe.
Need for Skilled Men.
The great problem now remaining
is to secure the thousands of skilled
mechanics, enginemen, motor repair
men, wood and metal workers, etc.,
needed to keep the planes always in
prfect condition. This great engin
eering and mechanical force at the
airdomes, the flying fields, and the
repair depots, both here and behind
the lines in France, is a vital indus
rial link in the chain to air suprem
acy. Without them the planes turn
ed out would soon be useless and
the flyers helpless.
At best the life of a plane is but
2 months, and the engine must be
overhauled after 75 hours, while the
pilot on a plane allowed to leave
the hangars in imperfect condition
is as helpless as a bird with a broken
wing. Now that American battle
planes are going overseas, a great
increase in the volunteering of skill
ed mechanics is both essential and
expected.
The Southern Alaska Canning
company has been recently organ
ized to operate a cannery at Quarter
■ Mary Island, Alaska, and is re
ported to have purchased the entire
outfit of the Northern Trading and
Packing company, of Seattle.
BROOKER’S
CAFE and
BAKERY j
i -\. • ’ . • ‘ 1 i
YOU'LL LIKE THE PLACE
ClASSIflED ADVERTISEMENTS
FOR SALE—Well matched Cross and
Red Fox Skins. Apply Simson’s.
FOR SALE OR RENT—NitioiTl
Cash Registers. Inquire Simson’s
A country worth fighting for is
a country worth saving for. Buy
THRIFT STAMPS.
OLD PAPERS FOR SALf—Inquire
News Office.
Buy That Libery fond Today.
1
Stag* Headquarters
CIGARS POOL CONFECTIONERY
SOFT DRINKS ICE CREAM
First and A Streets
Jackson & Brakke
Have Your
Wood Sawed
By R. E. COOLEY
Qt irK At TI<TN Office ;if ('coney Hotel
ELSEWHERE IN MU
Chas. Crawford, of Valdez, has
two contracts for driving piles for
canneries. One cannery will be
erected at Dryer Bay, the piling hav
ing been driven. The other cannery
will be erected at Shelter Cove on
Hoodoo Island.
William Layton, of Anchorage, has
seen arrested and held for trial on
die charge of having property in
:he lower end of town rented for
mmoral purposes.
Harry A. Fletcher, after mush
ng over the Dawson trail fifteen
;imes, recently left for the Outside
'or good. He took fifteen days to
nake the trip, having to break trail
ill the way.
No trouble to buy, cheap, con
venient, a real investment.—WAR I
SAVINGS STAMPS.
Union Hall Club Booms
HALL FOR RENT
See Erick Nelson for Terms
THE BELMONT HOTEL
AND
POOL ROOM
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
EVERYTHING NEW
BASOFF & SOGURA. Props.
FOWLER & MORRIS
GROCERIES
DRV GOODS
COMPLETE LINE LOWEST PRICES
I
* Let us grasp this opportunity *
./Your government is depending upon you in this, the most
critically and vital need of the war. The navy wants 100,000
extra pairs of eyes to spy out the enemy submarines of the
sea. If you have, or if you know of any of your friends hav
ing Spy-glasses, Binoculars, or any good Glasses to loan to
the government during the war, have them sent at once to
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, U. S. Naval Observatory,
Washington, D. C.
Your glasses will be tagged with your name and address,
and if not lost during the war, they will be returned to you.
You will help your country win the war. Think what this
will mean to you, and if you are fortunate enough to have
your galsses saved you will possess a priceless souvenir; Who
knows but that your glasses will be the ones to spot a sub
marine, and you the American to save a Thousand American
Boys.
This Space Donated By
WM. TAYLOR
WATCHMAKER AND JEWELER
'YWYVWWyWWVYWYVWYWWWWV'.^VWWVWVVW'.'WV'.'W^
We Are Closing Out Our Entire St"ck of
HARDWARE
Saws, Axes, Planes, Hammer and Axe Handles, Stove
Pipe, Graniteware, Kitchen Utensils and Many
Other Household Utensils We Have In Stock
MUST GO IMMEDIATELY
See Us For Bargains In Any of the Above Lines
COONEYS’
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THE SOURDOUGHS’ HOME
TKe Arctic
DAVIS & TAYLOR. Props.
Soft Drinks Cigars Tobaccos
Pocket Billiards Rooms
FURNISHED ROOMS FOR RENT
EVERYTHING FIRST CLASS