Evening star., 1917-03-02

COPENHAGEN, March ., via London
s:15 a.m.-Four Americans from the
steamer Yarrowdale who have oeeh
prisoners in Germany for three months
arrived here today. They are DR.. John
Davis, Columbus. Miss; Orville Mckim'
Watertown, n. Y; DR.. H. D. snyder
Norfolk, Va, and Richard Zabrlskie'
Englewood, N. j. The four men were
practically destitute.
The men reached here with only the
clothes they stood in and will. under
the custom of the sea, be supported py
tbe British consul until it is possible
to send them home.
Ranked as Officers.
They owe their release before the re-
mainder of the seventy-two Americans
who were on the Yarrowdale to the
fact that, as physicians or veterinarians.
they ranked as officers and were con-
fined in the officers' camp at Karlsruhe.
The horse tenders ana sailors, who
composed the bulk of the American
captiyes. are still held in quarantine
at the prison camp for enlisted men
at Dulken.
The four men left the camp at karls-
ruhe February 27 and Travelled direct
to warnemunde under escort, where
al after being subjected to the usual IRON
tier search they were put aboard
Danish ferry and left to shift for them
selves. The Danish police took charge
of them upon. their arrival in Denmark.
provided them with quarters lor ene
night in a hotel at Gjedser and gave
them the first hearty meal they had
enjoyed since landing in Germany IN
December The next morning the Dan
ish authorities provided railroad trans
portation to Copenhagen.
Under Ancient Sea Custom.
Ancient sea practices makes seamen
stranded in a foreign port the guests
of the consul of the power under whose
flag the lost ship sailed. United States
Consul General Winslow was compelled
therefore to refer the passless. paper
less ard moneyless wanderers to his
Erit,sh colleague. Tie British consul
nro-ided hotel accommodations pend
~. an investigation as to the mems
idsntity. He pointed out that. as far as
ary Identification was concerned. the
four men might be Gerclan spies.
Story of Hardship and Peril.
E.w more dramatic tales have been
brought forth by the war than the
story of adventure, hardship and peril
at sea. short commons on land and the
new danger from the sky which was
related by these four American profess
sional men to the Associated Press cor
| respondent. Snapped up by the Ger
hnN iSn RI
around for days while the commerce
destroyer was gathering further prizes.
Then they made the voyage IN the
Yarrowdale to the Swinemunde under
such conditions that they expected the
ship's seams to open and the vessel 10
sink beneath them at any moment.
They lived for more than two months
| in prison camps in Germany on the
meager prison fare provided by the
| German government, without food par
cells which tighten the conditions of
| existence of other prisoners of war.
| They passed through four afrplane at
| tacks on Karlsruhe, during which
bombs intended for the railroad sta
tiop rained on all sides of their camp.
| To cap the climax, they We're ignorant
until the last whether they were pris-
oners of war or neutrais in detention.
| whether their government was doing
| anything to obtain their release or
whether the United states mad not al
| ready entered the war.
| To add to their anNieties their fellow
Americans from the Iarrowdale. at the
| time when they left them at the Neu-
strelitz camp to be transferred with
other officers from the captured steam
ers, were in state of complete
destitution They were insufficiently
clothed, several having been without
| shoes or over clothing during the
severe December cold, and all were
weakening under the effect of those
, conditions, although they were subse-
ouently remedied when Ambassador
Gerard finally succeeded in locating
them in the prison camp at Dulmen.
Escape Ambassadors Notice.
These four men. however. had escaped
the ambassadors notice on account of
having been transferred to the officers
camp at Karlsruhe. DR.. Snyder, until
recently a member of the health de-
partment Of New York city. was can
tured aboard the British steamship Vol
taire, the first vessel taken by the
raider. while he was returning TO
America from France. Mr.. ZabrisIle 4
was the veterinarian on the steamship
Mount Temple. a Canadian horse trans-
port which lost three men from shell
hre.- DR.. Davis and M NcKim were on