THE 8EMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
thc
INTERNED
M05
ERMAN
JOE FOLK'S COBBLESTONES
SI I v
t a X 1
V V V
AUGHT in Hampton Roads, forced to
BUbinlt to Internment at Norfolk, re
quired to live aboard their ships,
tho officers and men of tho Gorman
converted crulsors Prlnz E'tol Fried
rich and Kronprlnz Wllholm havo
transformed tholr vessels Into com
fortablo homes. On tho ships moro
than COO men aro living contentedly.
4 Their contentment Is a tribute to tho
olllcloncy of Gorman motlicls. and to tho gene
rosity with which thoy aro treated by tho United
States navy department and naval ofllcors. As
fow restrictions as posslblo havo been placed
upon tho lntornod crows, .and reasonable requests
havo boon promptly grnntod.
From tho moment tho visitor stops upon tho
gangway of tho Prlnz EUol Frlcdrlch, which also
leads to tho Kronprlnz Wllholm, ho sees evi
dences of preparations for a long stay and com
fortablo living. Tho crulsors, formerly trans
atlantic liners, with commodious cabins and ox
panslvo docks, havo boon cleared of all ovldonco
which usually marks tho warship. Awnings havo
boon strotchod to protect from tho rain or sun.
(Everything not needod by a" ship out of comrals.
nlon Is out of sight.
About two hundred mon aro dally granted
shoro leavo. In tho caso of tho enlisted mon and
noncommls8lonod ofllcors tho Ioavos of nbsonco
can bo granted by tho commanding ohlcor of
olthor cruiser. Those loaves novor oxcood 12
hours. Tho majority nro for six. In tho caso of
itho ofllcors all leaves of nbsonco must rocolvo
itho sanction of tho yard commandant or ofllcor
of tho day United Statos naval officials, In othor
iwords.
All loaves specify that tho mon thus quitting
tho ships must not leavo tho jurisdiction of tho
Norfolk yard. This lncludos tho ports of Nor
folk, Portsmouth, Newport News and Ilampton,
;ns well as Old Point Comfort and tho soasldo re
ports. Whoro loavos nro desired to go beyond
(this yard Jurisdiction, special permission, with
Alio approval of tho yard commandant, must bo
secured from tho navy department. Thcso must
specify tho placos to bo vlsltod, tho objoct of tho
visit, and tho duration of absonco. As yet thoy
havo boon granted only to ofllcors.
It Is no uncommon sight to boo Gorman sailors
,on tho stroots of Norfolk. Thoy nro also ofton
at tho soasldo resorts. Thoy havo received tha
nlcknnmo of "Sissy," because of tho pocullar caps
(thoy wear, with ribbon streamers falling almost
to tholr shouldors. Tho pocullar baggy manner
In which tho blouso Is worn, with tho protruding
largo whlto collar, a rollc of plnnforo days, and
tho numerous rows of brnsB buttons adorning" tho
uniform, mako thorn easily rocognlzablo. Thoy
aro usually found In groups of from throo to six
noldom In largor numbers. Thoy nro romarkably
.orderly, and although froquont patrons nt tho
ibars and tho beor and music gardons, aro novor
soen Intoxicated. It is tho local bollof that this
Is duo to practlco making perfect that thoy
aro well trained for "carrying a load."
Whon on Bhoro leavo tho principal nmusomonta
of tho Germnn snllor nro slght-soolng, social
.drinking, and, as a nogro would say, "orating"
jwlth Gorman-Americans, of whom thoro aro a
Iconsldorablo number In Norfolk. In tho beau
Itlful residential suctions of tho city thoy nro
repeatedly obBorved on slght-soolng trips. Thoy
Invariably walk, and show lively Interest In tho
buildings and water front.
In tho evening tho Gorman sailors aro to bo
Ifound at tho rntliBkollors of tho various hotels
or tho beer saloons. Soino of thorn nro always
thoro, enjoying thouiBolvoa In a qulot mannor.
Usually thoy nro accompanied by Germans t"
civilian clothes who know lo town.
Tho woll-known Gentian noatnoss characterizes
thoso sailors, whether aboard ship or on shoro
lleavo. Thoy prldo thomsolvcs on personal cloan
jllnosB, neatness of appoaranco, and military
'bearing. Thoy nro seemingly always on dross
(parade and yet It Is not ostontntlouBnoss. Tho
majority aro clean shaven, and appear to havo
Just Jumped from tho barber's chair. A uuinbor
wear tho kalsor mustache; soma havo a patch of
lialr, a "bunny's tall," on tholr chins.
Soma of tho mon asboro mnko tholr headquar
ters at placeH of buslnoss kopt by local Gormans.
jOno tho most popular bucausa convenient In
coming and going to tho lntornod cruisers Is n
Jowolor's shop. Americans aro welcomed by tho
sailors and treated cordially. Thoy talk frcoly of
tholr life on shipboard, and of tholr hopos of
Oermn-t victory. Howovor, under Instructions
from their commanding ofllcors, thoy Immediate
ly becomo silent In tho prcsonco of nowspapor
mon. Thoy havo boon woll drilled In this ro
spoct. Two kinds of currency nro used by the Gor
man sailors. On shipboard Germnn coins aro
used excluBlvoly. Men granted shoro leavo uso
American money. On each ship thero is an
ofllcor whoso duty It is to exchange Amorlcan
for German and German for American coin, as
desired. Thosallors havo been Instructed not
to attempt to spend tho Gorman coin on shoro.
Visitors to tho ships, desiring to purchnso any
thing, must pay for It in Gorman coin. Tho
Amorlcan monoy Is promptly exchanged for the
Gorman by tho oxchango officer. Thousands of
people In tho Norfolk region now havo German
coin luck pieces for tho pockot. Many persons
visit tho ships for tho purpose of securing a
Germnn coin for this uso.
Each of tho interned ships is equipped with a
commissary department. Practically ovorythlng
wanted by a sailor Is for salo. Tho Gormans aro
urged to buy on tho ships, as thoy socuro what
Is wanted at only a fraction abovo cost. Out
siders with Gorman monoy enn purchaso any
thing desired, oxcopt uniforms and equipment.
Portions of tho ships havo boon sot asldo for
boor drinking and smoking. The quartors aro
commodlouB. Hero Gorman sailors and tholr
frlonds can bo found, smoking, sipping tholr beer,
eating light lunches, and gossiping volubly In
Gorman and broken English.
At first thoso ship beor gardens wore opon to
all. But a local clorgyman and an ox-chaplaln of
tho navy, with sovoral friends, ono Sunday wont
aboard ono of tho ships, onjoyed tho hospitality'
of tho Gormans, and drank beor. Thon tho
clorgyman flrod a bombshell at his congregation.
It was tho story of how tho law wns bolng vlo
latod each Sunday on tho Gorman cruisers by
tho snlo of Intoxicants. It was tho sensation of
a day, but. local pollco officials found themselves
holploss,-Inasmuch as tho alleged violations woro
committed on a federal reservation and on a
forolgn warship. Tho navy dopartmont ruled
that it had no jurisdiction, further than a request
to tho Gorman commnndors not to permit tho
Indiscriminate salo of Intoxicants on Sunday.
Such a roquost was mado, and as a result the
salo of boor and othor drinks to Americans was
discontinued.
Dut this doos not mean that a visitor on tho
ship cannot got something to drink nnd pay for
It himself. Tho way to obtain a stein of boor
whon on ono of tho Gorman crulsors Is to treat
a German sailor by getting him to "treat" you.
Thoy aro always roady to accommodate you, al
though treating Is not a Gorman politeness, as
it is In America. All ono has to do Is to furnish
Amcrlcnn monoy. Tho sailor will oxchango It
for Gorman coin. Hp also ordors tho drinks.
Sailors act as waiters. Dut thero Is no effort
to ontlco you to buy. Tho cost of a Btoln of boor
Is nbout two and one-half cents. Tho light
lunchos sorvod aro also roasonablo In prlco. Ono
gives his order and It is filled with romarkablo
quickness.
On Bhlpboard, while tho rulos havo been ro
luxod sufficiently to roltovo monotony, thoro Is
no lack of discipline. Tho mon aro divided Into
watches, and during tholr service hours aro om
ployod at tho occupations nocossnry to mako llfo
comfortable aboard ship.
Card playing Is allowed, rending rooms aro
provided, and on dock games, such as quoit throw
ing, tnko placo. Llko Amorlcan sailors tho Gor
mans havo tholr ship mascots monkeys, parrots,
dogs, cats.
F.'xcopt whon on duty tho ofllcors of tho cruls
ors nro rarely soon. Thoy havo their quarters
soparato from tho men, koop to thorn, and sol
dom tnko part In tho pastlmo. Yet thoro Is a
marked want of aloofnos from tho men, whon
thoy nro thrown together. Thoso Informed do
claro that tho ofllcors aro closo students and
Bpond much tlmo reading. Nearly all speak Eng
lish iluontly and road It readily. In conversa
tion thoy aro rotlcont and noncommittal.
Rumors havo boon ropontodly circulated In
Norfolk that tho Gorman ofllcors havo boon spy
ing nnd gathorlng information for tho German
military machine It Is ovon whlspored that thoy
havo dotallod Information as to navy yards, forts,
warships nnd harbors. Navy officers of tho yard
who havo kopt thoso mon constantly undor watch
laugh at such charges.
llesldos tholr activities on shipboard soma of
tho Gormans gtva tlmo to farming. Tho com
mander of the navy yard rccolved a request from
tho commander of tho Prlnz Eltel Frledrlch that
tho men be allowed to cultivate a small strip of
land near tho Interned ships. It Is a part of a
tract acquired sovoral years ago by tho navy do
partmont for tho enlargement of tho navy yard,
and on which a now mammoth drydock Is to bo
built. Tho request wns granted.
A couple of acres or moro wero turned over to
tho Gormans. Among tho crow aro. farmers, who
understand Intensified farming. Tho soli of tho
tract Is of the richest variety. Using spades In
stead of plows and Industriously wielding hoes,
thoso men quickly worked n transformation. Cab
bage, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, beets and
turnips woro planted. In another thirty days It
Is declared that tho crop of vegetables will bo
sufficient to provide for all of tho wants of tho
Germans for tho rest of tho summer aud far Into
next fall.
Whon tho Kronprlnz Wllholm Interned thero
was an opldomlc of borl berl to chock. More
than Bovcnty mon had tho disease. Today tho
epidemic is practically over.
Early after tho Internment, according to re
ports rocolvod from tho navy yard, and upon tho
request of tho commandant of tho yard, tho sail
ors of both crulsors woro lined up by their ofll
cors and given Instructions that In conversa
tion off tho Bhlp strict neutrality must bo ob
sorved. Thoy wero urged not to talk of German
aspirations, of German successes, nnd abovo all
warnod to avoid bragging. Thoy woro warned
that such conduct wo'uld probably lead to diffi
culties with thoso who favor tho allies, and would
mean punishment nnd withdrawal of shoro lib
erty. Thcso instructions havo been rigidly ad-
horod to by tho Gorman sailors.
HELP WAR BABIES' MOTHERS
1
Samuel Huston Thompson, assist
ant attorney general, and Mrs. Thomp
son wero nt dinner ono night with Mr.
nnd Mrs. Joseph Folk. After dinner It
was suggested that tho party should
go up to tho Folk resjdonco to listen to
somo grnphophono music.
So they all started. On reaching
thoro Mr. Folk put his hand In his
pocket to find his koys. Ho took his
hand out of that pocket and sought
another pockot. Thon ho tried his
right vest pocket, then his loft vest
pocket, then other of his numerous
pockets in rapid succession.
Then ho loft tho vestibule and
walked down tho stops, leaving his
wlfo and two frlonds In tho doorway.
Across tha street was a pllo of cob
blestones. Carefully solectlng a lino
round stone, ho retraced his stops and
entored tho vestlbulo again.
Thoro was a smash of glass, and
a largo hole appeared in tho Folk
front door. Joe Folk inserted his
hand therein and unlocked tho door from tho Inside, bado his friends enter,
and in n fow minutes tho grnphophono was playing.
"And," said Commissioner Oliver Newman, who told this at the Whlto
Houso, "tho funny part Is that was tho third tlmo this season that a cobble
has been UBed. When thoy finally move that pile of stones, Joe will havo to
carry a battering ram."
CHIEF FLYNN'S FIRE "ESCAPE
William Flynn, tho secrot servico
chief, usod to havo ambitions to bo
an Inventor. His tnsto ran toward
getting up. a new-fangled fire escape
that would fold up when not in uso
and not seriously mar the appearance
of a building. Ho felt that If ho could
just do something to savo a few dis-
tractod porsons caught in burning
buildings ho would not havo lived in
vain. Bolng a resourceful person,
Flynn thought and thought about tho
proposition until finally ho got a plan
all worked out. Ho showod his draw
ings to several friends, who declared
that it was thoroughly practical. All
that remained to-be done was to havo
tho thing patented and then sit back
and reap tho fortune that was his.
One afternoon ho was strolling
across Brooklyn bridge on his way
to look at a pleco of property he was
going to buy whon tho money began
to pour in from tho new fire escape.
He chanced to glanco across at a build
ing and noticed a fire escapo that looked something llko his. Ho went nearer
and found that the dovice was exactly like the ono ho had just invented. On
inquiry ho found that the one on tho building had been patented about 1860.
Thero was not a thing wrong with his invention, excopt that ho" was about
thirty-flvo years too late In getting around to it.
CARSON WISHES HE COULD FIGHT
Mrs. Lloyd-George Is Aiding In Care of English
Unfortunates.
A Bchomo for tho training In remunerative work
of unmarried mothers was Inaugurated recently
at a meotlng of Evangelical church women in
tho Welsh chapel, Charing Cross road.
A houso has been taken In a small country
town, at tho foot of tho Wiltshlro downB, whero
14 young women will shortly bo received. It Is
Intended that each girl shall loam domestic
crafts, gardening, or poultry roaring. Tho in
struction will bo given in tho course of the ordi
nary work of tho houso, commencing before nnd
continuing after tho child Is born.
Doctor Saleeby said that It was n sign of
progress that in n Calvlnlstic chapol people
should consider tho claims of tho unmarried
mother, nnd ho characterized tho work that was
about to bo undertaken not only as religious, but
as hygienic in tho highest sonso of tho word.
"In so far as you savo a slnglo young mothor
from tho llfo of tho stroots," ho said, "you aro
protecting the future generation from indescrlblo
OVll3."
Mrs. Lloyd-George, who is deoply lntorostod
In tho oxporimont of caring for unmarried moth
ers on constructive linos, wns unnblo to attend
tho mooting, having been called Into tho country
to soo her llttlo girl, who Is 111. With many othors
lntorostod In social wolfuro, sho feols that more
could bo dono to reclaim young mothers If a
courso of training could bo given to them on
broader and moro Interesting linos than thoso
of tho past.
Tho homo, which Is picturesquely cnllod "Tho
Rotrcat," will havo thoso ldoals before It in all
Its various activities. London Chronlclo.
Sir Edward Carson, tho great
Irish antl-homerulo leader, who suc
ceeded Sir John Simon as attornoy
goneral in the coalition government,
made a striking confession whon at
a recruiting meeting ho appealed for
mora mon.
"I only wish," ho said, "I wero
young enough to bo accopted, even aa
a private It would, glvo mo moro Joy
than any so-called honor won else
whore I would gladly glvo up every
thing if I could bo ovon in tho ranks."
Always a fighter, Sir Edward wa3
at his best when thoro was a difficult
caso to be won, his extraordinary
powers of cross-oxamination and tho
Icy, biting style ho adopted towards
hostile witnesses being among bis
greatest assets.
It was In tho days when ho carried
out Mr. Balfour's policy In Ireland
that Sir Edward onco asked a parish
priest of his acquaintance what his
parishioners, ono or two of whom had
had the misfortune to appear in the dock on political charges, thought of tho
man who conducted tho prosecutions.
"Woll," came tho pithy reply, "If they hated Satan half as much as thoy
bate you, I should be out of work."
Sir Edward has been solicitor general both for Ireland and for England;
ho is a K. C, of both tho English and Irish bars, and ho is a bencher of tho
Dublin King's Inn and of tho Middle Temple His rlso at the bar was tho
quickest evor known.
HAD HEARD ROGERS BEFORE
POCKETED.
"Isn't this the third tlmo I'vo soon you on this
particular strotch of highway?"
"Yes," roplled Plodding Pete. "I ain't got no
placo to travol. Thcro's a gang of mon fixing tho
road a mile nhead and another a mllo back.
Either ono of 'om Is suro to oftor mo work If I
come near enough.
NONE TO LEAVE.
For Bomo reason host known to tho female of
tho species, tho ongagomont wns off.
"Leavo my prosoncol" alio exclaimed in a tone
redolent with Indignation,
"W-why," Btammorcd tho young man In tho
parlor sceno, "you n-novor gavo mo any p-pros-
onto.'
Representative John Jacob Rogers
of Massachusetts is a young man, a
Harvard graduate, and really bogan
his congressional career whilo a half
back at collogo. It happened that
Hamlin, who was assistant secretary
of tho treasury under Clovoland, enmo
to Harvard to glvo lectures In po
litical and governmental mattors, and
among his most Interested pupils was
young Rogers.
Tho study proved bo faclnntlng
that Rogers determined to cntor pub
lic llfo, and did so, reaching congress
to servo his first torm March 4, 1912.
When making his canvass of his dis
trict ho was obllgod frequently to
Bpeak, an obligating, which is very
distastoful to htm.
At ono place ho rose, and, going to
tho front of tho platform, said In an
ordinary volco, with nn assumption ef
humility, which was 'intended to
charm tho hearers:
"I am not going to make any
spooch tonight. Ono tall individual in tho audience rose, and, yawning
aloud, remarked:
"I kuows you aia't or going to mako no Bpoech for I havo hoard you
boforol" i
