Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-07-29
MILLION PRISONERS
IN GERMANY ARE
CARD ~CATALOGUED

Correspondence Of the Associated Press)
Berlin, July 23.-The exact registration
Of the hug hords Of over n million
prisoners of war in Germany, so thlt
rank, service division and place Of CON
hnement Of each man can be instantly
determined, has been perfected to an
astonishing degree by Count Schwerin,
a 60-year-old captain of cavalry. To-day
the relatives of any French, Russian,
English, Canadian, Italian, Serbian,
Montenegrin, Belgian or japanese prison
er in Germany can ascertain within "a
hours where that soldiers is and what
his condition is.
This is made possible through a card
catalogue that all but begears descrip-
ton. it is probab bly, the most perfect thing
Of it's size and kind in existence. In It's
creation two other systems have had to
be discarded as Inadequate. and the work
and pains lavished on them duplicated
In its maintenance 81 persons are en-
gagged, while its inventor. Count Schverin,
works twelve hours a day. overseeing
things.
Each day dozens aud scores Or. lists
If names pour into Coun Schwerin's de-
partment Of the war ministry in the
borotheenstrasso, here in Berlin. These
lists give the necessary information for
filling out the cards. so that each shall
contain the name and surname Of the
prisoner, his service branch, regiment
and company, the place and adte OF his
capture. and the place where he Is held
If he is wounded, the nature Of his
wounds and the hospital where he 4. are
added.
Scores of young women iii ont the
cards, which then go to %sorters, under the
inspection OF a man who in peace times Is
a head inspector in one of Berlin's high
err schools. Before the sorters stand
wooden cases built after the fashion OF
type cases, but deeper. II was the sight
of compositors throwing in" type that
led Count Schwerin 70 adopt these cases.
The first set of sorters take the cards
Just as they come. in alphabetical confu-
sion, from the writing room. and divide
them according to the initial letter from
A to 4. Other sorters then take the As
and subdivide them Observation-Disclosures
"A. Aaa, Alb. Aba, Abb. and so on. Thou
sands of cards are sorted and filed daily
for the list OF prisoners never stops grow
ing.
The names also are divided according
to nationality, and put away in the cases
that flank all four walls Of three rooms.
There are between 25,0no and 20, 0O Boil
gian names. from 1900 to 5000 English
names and hundreds of thousands of
French and Russian With hut one ex-
ceptIon the Serbians, Montenegrins and
japanese who are prisoners in Germany
are civilians Of military age informed
here.
Approximately 500 letters come to Count
Schwerin's "Kartothek' daily-requests
for Information about relatives or friends.
that no request remains unanswered
onger than "a hours-4S at the very out
side when the letter or inquiry 4. in diff
cult Russian.
70 facilitate relatives in getting infor-
nation about the foreign soldiers, how
ever, Count Schewerin has forwarded the
complete data about prisoners. as fast as
received at the war ministry and filed In
the card catalogue. to the governments
at London. Paris and st. Petersburg and
to the Red Cross headquarters at Geneva.
Brussels, Copenhagen and Berlin.
One OF the most interesting features Of
the card catalogue work, Ia the fact 'hst
men give false names and data be-
cause they are ashamed Of being in cap
tivity and do not want anyone In their
native land to know that they have been
taken prisoner.