The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-27
BERLIN MEN WANT REFORM IN DRESS Protest Against Decrees
 of Fashion 5000 MILES IN A BOAT Army Officer Will Make Trip By Way of the Great African
 Rivers-Other Berlin
 Gossip
By MALCOLM CLARKE

Berlin, August 26-tSpecia1)-A
 number of Berlinites have organized
 Mems Dress Reform society," with 100
 members The society is exercised by
 the afr tight armour plating (would
 you like to put that into one terrific
 word?) of the starched white shirt. It
 resents the cast iron rule of black
 frock coats for weddings and funerals
 alike, and the general system of dress
 which involves the wearing of many
 tight-fitting garments, each overlap
 ping the other. The society faVors knee
 brooches for every day wear in place of trousers, which, it's members declare,
 require great skill in cutting. and are a source of considerable trouble to the wearer One member of the organiza- ton said he had, while on visit to the
 United States, seen a President of the nation wearing a tennis shirt with a rolling collar a soft tie and an alapaca jacket He was the picture of comfort and yet there was a dignity about him that was admirable.
 great motorboat journey has been
 undertaken by Lieutenant Graetz, an
 officer, who intends to take trip of 5000 miles across the African continent
 from the Indian to the Atlantic oceans. by way of the Zambesi river, Bang weolo lake and the Congo.
 In letter from Chinde, East Africa, the lieutenant tells of his arrival there, his reception by the authorities and the preparations for the trip up the river. The party will include a cinemato- graph operator and a cook. The boat is plentifully stocked with provisions
 and drugs, and at certain places on the route food depots have been provided
 from which they will be able to re- plenish their stores During his motor car tour across Africa a few years ago, Graetz was delayed for some time on the banks of the Zambest while a float was built to carry his machine across the stream. Here he came into con- tact with the Awemba tribe, who told him marvellous stories of the mysterious inland sea known as the Bangweolo lake This sheet of water, except where the Zambesi leaves it, is surrounded with miles of reeds, and no white man has ever sailed it's surface. The natives | tell curious tales of what is to be found within its enclosures
 On the islands which. the natives say, stud the lake are to be found colossal elephants and tall giraffes, while in the waters sea serpents and other strange and | st the surface of the lake itself. the na- lives declare boiling springs sprout, and | presidential winds sweeping across the | marshes carry death and destruction to all living beings Of the few natives 1 who have ever ventured out on the lake | in their canoes none have ever returned to tell the tale of their adventures. Lieu tenant Graetz thinks that unknown spe- cies of animal and marine life may pos sibly exist in this hitherto unexplored region. and it is to test this supposition that he has started out on the trp.
 Antamusing story is recorded of cu- r,o,is adventure which befell fish in the
 Eiver Dill. The fishermen noticed that flor days their prey were behaving in
 a curious fashion Some were swimming backwards some sideways and others up and down-all in such different ways as to suggest that they were drunk Inves- l tigation showed that they were, as matter Of fact, intoxicated. The explan- | alton Is no less curious than their be- | havior. Two milers. whose mill was on | the river Dollar had recently converted | into a yeast factory the mill. They do | not belong to the yeast makers syndicate, | and sell their yeast at a lower price | than Is asked elsewhere. But. in order | 10 be able to do this they have been l obliged to avoid the dues on alcohol, | which is a side product of the making | of yeast The alcohol thus unsaleable | had, therefore, been thrown into the river, | and in such great quantities to have | a demoralizing effect fish.
 During the hot wave people lived out | of doors, in fields near rivers and upon | roofs. On one day 20.090 people thronged | the public bathing place on the Wann- | see, whilst all the lakes were lined with | people undressing among the reeds, de- | spite the police orders
 In the neighborhood of this city the | worst plague of wasps within living | memory prevails Two children were | stung to death on last Sunday and nu- merous persons were severely strung. | The open air restaurants were almost 1 the insects setting in dozens on anything sweet, even when the glass was being moved to the lips
 Owing to the drouth and the heated