The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-09-21
OLD COUNTRY NEWS.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF HAPPENINGS
FROM LAND OF THE
KAISER.
NOTES FROM GERMAN EMPIRE
Items About People and Affairs From
Across the Sea That VIII Prove of
Great Interest to Many Of Our Read
ers.

Ln6 manner IN WHICH the OSTIudu5
conduct the war For lack of space
only part Of the lengthy editorial is
quoted. The Germans teach us the
latest military Improvements. The
trenches of the Germans are surprls-
ingly clean and comparatively empty.
For every thirty or forty steps there
ia a machine gun. But behind the
trenches the ammunition stores are
in circulation for the purpose of fur
nishing ammunition wherever needed.
Thus everything is easily at hand,
whereby accumulation and confusion
are avoided Nothing superhuous in
the trenches, but the more room, light,
air, and cleanliness! No one will
dare to eat up his iron ration I'M
less entitled to do so. In January
we made German captives in East
Prussia who had not had food for
days, but the iron ration" had not
been touched-this shows the disci-
pine of these Germans. At Libau
the Germans used huge auto trucks
for hauling slaked lime which was
used for lining the trenches and max
4 ing them bulletproof. But the trucks
I are also employed cor something else.
J They carry gigantic water tanks
1 which makes it possible for the sol
diers to battle every week or even
every day. Modern warfare requires
attention to all possible Kinds of con-
tagious diseases. In order to COM
bat these the Germans aim at the
most scrupulous cleanliness. Every
where behind the trenches are post
ers threatening the soldiers with Sc
we're punishment if they wear dirty
shirt at the front after day of rest.
In the trenches themselves are built
cemented basins which are filled with
water in which the soldiers may batne,
wash and massage themselves every
day. The soldiers have become so
accustomed to this that when we
make German captives the first thing
that they ask for is a bath. These
Germans keep their trenches as clean
as their bodies. In every German
trench there is wide board used as
table. In our army no one had this
idea Our soldiers eat on their knees,
throw the bread crusts and picked
bones, and even the food that is left,
on the floor And therefore our
trenches are rapidly turned into Nflthy
sewers. In order to lose no cannons
the Germans use huge auto trucks. At
first our officers were astonished;
they had captured German trench or
a position, but found only a few sol
diers, but no cannons, no machine
guns, no ammunition. What had be-
come of it? We found out later.
The Germans have ironclad :-uto
trucks which are chuck full OF ammu-
milton during the engagement. But
in case of the least danger of losing
the cannons, especially the large ones,
these are attached to a truck. with a
chain and hauled away, SO that we
can only look at what is going on"
AS many thousands of Berlin's in
habitants as could pack themselves
into the square surrounding the Col
umn Of Victory assembled recently for
the dedication of the colossal Iron
Hindenburg"- thirty-foot wooden
statue, which will be sheathed with
gold, silver and iron nails purchased
in the interest of fund for rebuilding
East Prussia The Princess August
Wilhelm, representing the empress,
drove the first gold nail into the base
of the statue. Other possessors of
gold nails, bought for 100 marks (s25)
each, then filed up in a seemingly end
less procession. 1t was hours before
the purchasers of silver nails, which
cost five marks each, could even get
to the statue. Iron nails were bought
at one mark each. The sum realized
by the advance sale is expected to
run into hundreds of thousands Of
marks. The statue, which weighs
many tons, represents Field Marshal
Hindenburg leaning on his sword 1t
was sculptured by George Marschall
The mailing process will continue I'M
til the soft wood is completely
sheathed in gold, silver and iron.
No less than twenty-four commune
ties-cities or districts in most cases
throughout Germany have estab-
lished aid associations to take over
the work of rebuilding and rehabilitat-
ing the places in East Prussia that
were partially or entirely destroyed
by the invasions of the Russians
Each community through it's aid or
ganization becomes sponsor for some
one city or district in the east and
as soon as possible will do away with
state assistance
Wednesday, September 2, the ami
versary of the battle of Sedan, was
celebrated by display of flags, cele-
brations in the schools, with adj
dresses, recitations and singing by pa
triotic gatherings and excursions of
various societies. Concerts were given
for the support of the wounded and
of widows and orphans.
The krupp company of Essen has
subscribed S10,000,000 to the new Ger
man war loan. The largest subscr.p D.
ton thus far came from the Koeln saw
ings bank and was for s11,250, 900.
Berlin newspapers have warned the
young girls of Germany not to follow
American Mormon missionaries, who
have been conducting cruise" and
are about to return to Utah.