Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-19
NEWARK WOMAN
TELLS EXPERIENCE
IN THE WAR ZONE
Mrs. Hoenemann and Husband
Among Refugees to Arrive
on NieuW Amsterdam.

!
| cipal of the South Eighteenth Street
School, today told in graphic way
of the scenes she and her husband
witnessed in Europe at the outbreak
of the great war. Mr.. and Mrs
I Hoenemann arrived home on Mon
day night aboard the Holland-Amer-
lea liner Nieuw Amsterdam. Last
night friends of Mr.. Hoenemann con-
graduated him on his safe return at
the West End Club, in North Seventh
street.
Mr.. Hoenemann and l were in
Bregenz, Austrian Tyrol, when war
was declared between Austria and
Servia," said Mrs. Hoenemann. "Bre-
GEM is only a town of sew
eral thousand inhabitants, but
the excitement which followed
the announcement was intense.
A four-page newspaper suspended
publication and notices of the decla-
ration of war were printed and hand
ed out by the wholesale to the crowds
OF natives who gathered in the
streets.
| The work of mobilization instantly
began and soon there were three regi-
ments of infantry quartered in the
town. Everything was forgotten, but
preparations for war. We were some
/ what disturbed by the event but re-
NAMED in Bregenz for about another
week, until Germany entered into the
conflict Then we thought it time to
| seek place of safety and accord
ingly started for Holland by way of
| Munich. The trip ordinarily takes
about twenty hours, but our Journey
consumed seventy-two. caused by fire.
quent halts by the military.
Hotel Help Join Army.
During the journey we stopped at
Innsbruck, which is also in the Aus
trian Tyrol. We were accommodated
| at large hotel and when We retired
| everything seemed to be quiet and
natural. In the morning, however,
there was a big difference. Every
man employed by the hotel, with the
exception of the proprietor, who was
seventy years old and feeble, was i'm
pressed into military service. Every
body was gone, from the head clerk
down to the stable boy.
We soon continued our trip and
arrived in Munich FIVE hours late. It
was midnight when we alighted ut
the big station. We had been there
but three or four minutes when no.
| tices were posted about that no more
| baggage would be allowed on the
! trains, as every space would be need
| ed by the humans. Our trunk was
| lost in the shuttle and we have no
hope of recovering it.
1.-THE station was then used for mo-
| biliZation purposes. All through the
| early morning recruits were fitted out
| in uniforms and supplied with arms,
| so that at o'clock the next morning
a large body of men left for the front.
| Our greatest delay was on the trip
to Cologne. We were halted frequent
| ly and arrived there in the early eve
| ming. The train was halted and we
were informed that 1t would go no
further
I'VE therefore engaged passage on
river boat. This was also held up
until daylight as the captain was
warned that mines had been planted
4 in the river and a special pilot was
needed to take us through safely.
I'VE passed the Austrian Germany
border on the train with little trouble,
there being only perfunctory ex-
animation of baggage. but at the
German Dutch border it was differ
emit The boat was halted by officials
at Vessel where there is a fortress,
and we had to go through a lot of red
tape.
Seize Young German.
1 again dL the boat WIS
halted and German soldiers came on
board once more. Here a young Ger
man, who could speak English
| fluently, and who told us earlier on
the trip he had been offered a good
position in West Hoboken and was on
his way to America to take it, was
seized by the authorities, later to be
enrolled in the army.
I'VE arrived in Rotterdam Monday,
August 8. As had been the case in
/ Cologne. we had trouble with money.
Merchants and others were even
known to refuse United States gold.
American dollars. whether paper or
silver. were worth but forty cents.
| That is what everybody in Rotterdam
rated them at and many persons
turned their American money into
cash that way, therefore losing sixty
cents on every dollar.
There were thousands of stranded
Americans in Rotterdam. Many had
no money at all and were unable to
find accommodations, being obliged to
walk the streets all night or sleep in
the parks.
Henry Van Dyke, the American
ambassador at The Hague. gave tenn
porary relief to some and advised
|, others that help would soon come.
The only way we secured passage to
Rotterdam was when we appealed to
the boat captain and he cashed an
American Express Company check.
I'VE stayed in Rotterdam four days.
AS railroad trains were not running
and traffic was practically at stand
still we were afraid to venture far
from the city, although on one occa-
sion we did journey TO place not far
distant where cavalry and artillery
regiments were modifying to be pre-
pared if Holland was drawn into the
war.
Before the end of the week, how
ever, the money question began to adj
just itself and the merchants would
cash bills of small denominations.
The American Express Company's Of
flee would cash their own checks of
any denomination.
Boats Taken on.
1.-THE Americans making their way
into England came into the city in
great numbers. Finally the boats
plying between English ports and
Rotterdam were taken off and later
the Hook of Holland route was also
discontinued.
by a peculiar coincidence, the man
from whom we had purchased pass
age tickets for the beginning of our
trip in New York had been trans
ferred to Rotterdam, and we were
able to get return tickets. Many
Americans who applied for return
passage were turned away. Despite
this fact, however, the boat sailed
for home minus some of those who
had booked passage.
THE eventful trip down the Eng