Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-10-19

/ States entered INC war; wac AO1A
: Potsdam. One of the palaces OF the
emperor is at Potsdam. OF course
even then was not allowed in Pots.
dam itself, but | went past there.
could see the famous old mill there
about which so much has been writ
ten.
This mill belongs to farmer who
owns his own farm. It's screeching an
noyed the kaiser who ruled before the
present emperor and he ordered the
man to take the mill down, or remove
1T. Strangely, the man had some IN
dependence about him and he said the
mill was his means Of livelihood and
he would not remove it. The kaiser
took the case to law. and lost. The
mill still stands.
WHERE ZEPs CAME FROM.
Potsdam is the "breeding-place" OF
the Zeppelins. ! caught glimpse OF
the great buildings which house these
enormous dirigibles. They seemed to
be miles long.
many Of ZcrpeIins now. They have
been rather failure. They often fly
over Berlin and I think they are try.
ing to perfect them to make them
more effective, but no person talks
much about them. All the German
faith is pinned to the submarine. The
common people in Germany seem to
think that the submarine is some sort
Of an actually invincibie invention
which has supernatural qualities.
They credit it with the most marvel
GUS feats. And the German rulers en-
courage this way of thinking, for they
want the people to think that Germany
simply cannot be defeated. That is why
! think and say, that If the real news of
what is going on could be given 10
the German people, it would make Il
difference in this war. If they could
get American newspapers for one
week, am sure that they would wax
en- up, deep-rooted as their belief is in
the supreme might of the kaiser.
DIDN'T HEAR OF OUTRAGEs.
1t was not until got back in
America that heard that marvellous
story Of how the French and British
airplanes flew over the German lines
and dropped the exact text of Presi-
dent Wilson's speech by the million
to the German soldiers in the
trenches.
That was wonderful thing to do.
But. you see, the officers would get
hold of them. and the number Of men
who would be permitted to read them
or get an opportunity to do so, would
be few.
And any soldier who would try to
snread sedition, would -be promptly
shot.
We never can hope for help from
the German people, to end the war, In
my own opinion.
So far as l can see, the only thing
to be done is to crush the kaiser's
power and then show the German
common people what liberty and
freedom means.
And that should be done soon.
When realize how poorly the ordi-
nary German citizens live. I get weak
when think of the thousands of war
prisoners and Of the people in the ter
ritory occupied by the German fight
ing forces. We should hurry, or there
won't be many of them to save
PORT OF CRIPPLED SHIPS.
In Hamburg we had wonderful
experience. Walking just outside %
the town, We topped . little hill and
there below US lay thousands and
thousands of lights-just like a big
illuminated town.
"Oh, doesn't that look like New
York." l said. And we Immediately
started for them.
1t was still early evening, but we
could not distinguish what the lights
marked. Finally, as we neared the
lights, man stopped us.
Upon questioning him, he told us that
we were near the harbor and that the
lights were on the hundreds OF ships
which were being built and repaired
After showing him our passports
and giving him all information about
ourselves, he permitted us to go
through, and to go out on little boat,
one Of those which took the work.
men back and forth from the shore 10
the boats.
Never in my life have seen a more
beautiful sight than those boats, all
illuminated. They were spread out
until. just as l said, they looked like
a city. The man pointed out the big
ship. the "1mperator," which was ly-
ing in the harbor
WORkMEN ARE DROWNED
He told us hundreds of thousands
Of men worked on these ships, the
great majority Of them crippled from
the war, or so incapacitated in some
way that they could not fight. He
also told US that every time the men
we're brought back to shore several
were killed every day in the mad rush
to get back to land. The men hang
on the sides Of the boats, for there
are only few boats and no man
wants to wait too long to get home.
We only stayed an hour or so, but
it was onderful-simply the sight OF
SO many ships. Since then, l have
wished our aviators could find that
harbor and destroy the ships with
he Il tha,, could do IL u,ithr,ait Il,