The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-05-11
Inspection Trip Made of Thirteen DC
tention Camps and Nine Prison
Ships Where Germans
Are Held.
AMERICAN IS REPORTED
Treatment Is Found TO be as Coco
40 Could be Expected
Under the Cir
cumstanoes.

| by Carl ". Alderman. United Press
| Staff CORRESPONDENCE
BERLIN, April so. (By mail to New
York England on February l. had
interned 26.9O0 Germans and avs
Itrians. These men are confined III
thirteen detention camps and on nine
ships, according to report Jonn b.
Jackson made to Ambassador Gerard.
Jackson. who is an American, made
a thorough investigation of conditions
in these prisons and in a printed re-
port which has been submitted to the
German and British foreign Offices oy
Ambassador Gerard he declared the
food and health Of the prisoners Is
good.
"On the whole" said the commits
sioner's report, the present treatment
seems to be as good as could be ex-
pected under the circumstances. The
new camps are all better than the old
er ones and everywhere there seemed
to be an intention to improve on ex-
listing conditions. Lack of organlza-
II lions and preparation would account
for most Of the hardships which pre-
vailed at first. Absolutely nowhere
did there seem to be any wish to make
conditions any harder or more dis
agreeable for the prisoners than was
necessary
In some of the camps Jackson found
SANITARY conditions bad. but he de-
clared he was assured by the British
commanders that these situations
would be improved. Complaints of tn:s
Germans, he found, we're chiefly en-
tered on the monotonous food and
their treatment under arrest. Some
Germans brought from South Africa
declared they were insulted- and rob-
bed, while others testified that they
owed their lives to Britishs soldiers
who protected them from mobs In
France as they were being transferred
las prisoners from the front to Great
Britain.
On the ship Royal Edward. jackson
found loo Germans. Some OF the
lprisoners are locked below, decks at
might, which caused some nervous
mess" said Jackson. lowing to the ap-
Eprehensions of danger from Yep
Felins.
In the camp Stratford, in the east
ern part of London, Jackson declared
the prisoners were permitted to have
their own government. The men
elected senate" the members OF
which have certain amount Of autho:'-
iity over the other prisoners
Labor difficulties were given fire.
quently as the reason by the British
authorities for the lack Of facilities in
the camps.
Describing his visit to the camp at
Dorchester, Jackson said: THE sea-
Tor non-commissioned officers have
separate rooms, while the men genef-
ally are housed in the stables, lofts and
other rooms of the barracks. This
camp was one of the most contente 1
II visited The man who made
himself famous by attempting to
! escape in a box was here. After hav-
ing been punished with two weeks ar
rest, he was treated as before Pic
lures of the German emperor and Ger-
man flags were hanging in many of
| the rooms"
Jackson discovered the worst con.
ditions at Queens Ferry, near Chester,
where 2,2G0 men were interned. The
general atmosphere of this camp was
! the most depressing Of all those which
I visited" he reported, "and although
the camp had been occupied for abOut
i've months but little had been done
to improve the original conditions.
The buildings were those Of an old
machine shop. The roofs are of glass
and there were many leaks. The floors
are of stone or Gem ent and as rule
the wooden beds are raised only few