East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-01-18


to Prevent Their Escape-Tht
Story Of the Sailor Boy from san
Francisco Is Told.
BY WILBUR S FORREST,
Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
DORCHESTER, Eng Jan. 3.--(By
Mail.) Prisoners OF war or not
they're human" such is the pholos-
ophy Of Major W. C. Bulkley D. s
o. British regular army, who COM
mands England's largest war prison
camp here at Dorchester
More than 5000 OF the Teutons
who fought for the kaiser on the
western front during the last four
teen months are reaping the benefit
Of British leniency in this model city.
built exclusively for their use on the
outskirts Of this historic British
town. No other press representative
was along on the trip today and Z
is the first time an outsider has beeu
permitted to inspect every nook and
corner Of the camp and talk unre-
servedly to the prisoners
Surrounded by double fence OF
American barbed wire flanked by
wire entanglements, hundreds Of
substantially built one story houses.
electric lighted, amply windowed AMI
rooted, have been built to accommo-
date the prisoners. Tne houses are in
rows, fronted by streets and cross
streets which swarm with German
grey-green uniforms. The main gate
opens into large parade ground
which is surrounded on ttree
sides by barracks which were
used in time Of peace by a regiment
Of British cavalry. In these barracks
where Hanoverians captured in 1914,
are hying today, a regiment Of Han
oyerians fighting for England a hun
dred years ago, was quartered.
I've got an uncle in San Francis
CO. said one OF the prisoners when
he learned that an America was with
in earshot.
Where does he live in san Franz
He lives on Jackson street. /
used to visit him often answered
the prisoner in perfect English A
well built youth whose counterpart
is in every American city, was leav
ing the camp postoffice with a small
decorated Christmas tree sent by his
family in Germany, He had stood in
line for thirty minutes until his name |
was called, and he had eagerly grab /
bed the tinseled evergreen as an Of |
ficer, who first inspected 1t. handed |
1t over. Stopping a minute to talk |
he rushed off to his hut where the
same tree a few minutes later had |
the place Of honor on a big table in /
the center Of the room. with forty !
other prisoners looking admiringly |
on.
This prisoner used To be sailor !!
on a Seattle Frisco steamer. Wher /
Germany declared war he hurried
back to the Fatherland
An enormous kettle in one Of the
large camp cookhouses was presided /
over by a big fellow who used to be
= chef in Germany. He was making |
tea for eight hundred men, but. stop !
ped a moment to explain that he had /!
relatives in Mississippi Another
prisoner. nearby, was cutting quar-
ters OF beef into small cubic hunks
Tor soup A crate of cabbages and |
lentils was on hand to flavor the
stew
On the same street with this cook
house was, the school building. also
the shower baths and gymnasium mi
the school building, classes are heard /
by a young man who used to teach at
Heidelberg. He's "a teacher Of ham
suages. The effect Of rigid military
discipline imposed by the German
army was manifest in the way the
shower baths, occupying two build
ings, were always in use
Turn out" ordered a British Of
flcer, conducting the inspection, For
ty German heels clicked. or would I
have clicked if shod as twenty Ger
man youths in "altogethef" stood rig
idly at attention. The gymnasium
encloses many appurtenances for ply
steal culture and is well patronized.
Two large comissary stores provide
the prisoners with food and supplies
not included in the daily ration. GER
man spea king British c:erks are in
They sell everything frcT
bananas and canned milk to clothes
pins at prevailing market prices
Prisoners who have established cred
1t until more money is sent from
Germany" are able to "have it
charged"
Certain brands of German wares,
elsewhere in England,
are to be found in the camp stores
Freedom Of action and speeches is az
lowed in the camp Work is voluu
larry. Hundreds of prisoners, how /
ever to work and have found EN- !
ployment erecting additional huts. J
Tor this labor they are paid by the
British government 4 dozen Ger
man cobblers operate a shoe repair
ng shop. This repair work is free.
The British government furnishes
he leather and pays the cohbers An .
eight chair barber shop shaves ali
,omers for two cents per shave, or
free If the unshaven is broke. The
BARRIERS are paid by the government.
A hospital fully stated by the
Ioyal army medical corps is provided
for the prisoners About sixty of
1000 prisoners brought to the camp
in September after the battle OF Loos
were slightly wounded Their
wounds were dressed daily and all
but one recovered Several who