Salt Lake Telegram | 1917-02-18 | Page 20 | Great Pitcher Would be worth His Weight in Radium in Trenches

Great Pitcher Would Be Worth His V Weight eight in Radium in Trenches I FRENCH OFFICER TELLS HOW VALUABLE A BALL BALLPLAYER PLAYER WOULD BE IN CASE OF WAR American baseball stars stare could play a abiG abig abig big part In the effectiveness of the United States army In cano caso of or war with German Germany Ger Ger- man many and If It an expeditionary force force- was sent Bent Into tho trenches Trench fighting has reverted re In a sense to the tho primitive and the tho hurling of at hand grenades and bombs plays an important part In the battles being waged between tho the men In the tho line first du dugouts outA A great pitcher would be worth his weight In radium to the armies on the western front says Paul Verdier a n French officer office now In the United Unite States Baseball stars men who are lre accurate throwers would be of Inestimable In In- estimable value French soldiers c can ln throw fairly accurate but a man trained In base ball bail would be able to throw further and with much greater accuracy The Tho allied troops on the western front h have havo w far exceeded the tho Germans In bomb hurling but there thero Is much to be bo de desired de- de sired This brings to mind the new hand grenade suggested d by baseball and In Invented invented In in- vented b by un an arm army my officer formerly a aVest West Vest Point pitcher Tho The grenade grenado Is the AI size size- e o of ot a baseball and Is so 80 made mado It cannot be detonated unless un un- un- un less thrown from Crom an attachment nt In tho the throwers thrower's hand which resembles a de device IC- IC vice made a few years ago to dove develop lop lopan an artificial spitball The attainment slips off oCt tho the ball as It leaves the hand band after It hns has given tho the ball Ix n. spin and sets ets the tho plunger which causes the bomb to explode on contact The Invention Is I. regarded as one of the most Important developments In bomb w warfare Hand grenades g now used In Europe are dangerous The They explode easily and arc not equipped with safety devices ices to protect protect pro pro- t ct the throw thrower r. r The They are often orten dropped with disastrous results in the trenches or In charges The Thc may be bo thrown 11 or dropped without exploding unless the plunger I is set b by the hand attachment Tho The formula for tor or tho the explosives in tho the bombs and tho the secret of the detonator are carefully guarded secrets of the tho ordnance bureau burea of or the arm army I