New Britain herald., 1917-03-12
AMERICAN SEAMEN
 ARRIVE IN ZURICH
Hfty-Nine, in Rags and Tatters,
 Cross Swiss Boundary

HUNGRY BUT HAPPY Sailors Held Prisoner on Yarrowdale
 Convinced German Raider Was
 Armored Cruiser Built to Prey on
 Commerce-Tell Tales of Abuse.
 Zurich. March II. Via Paris, March 12.--I Aden with cigars, cigarettes and food showered upon them by the hos pitable Swiss. flfty-nine of tho now historic Yarrowdale prisoners arrived h Zurich today. They had arrived at the German frontier in Lindau yes- terday after a continuous trip of nfty-two hours from the prison camp at Brandenburg.
 The sailors. although emaciated rom their imprisonment and serious lack Of food since their arrival in Germany on December 31. are In fair condition and confident that with a normal amount of food they twill be themselves again. The party was met here by United States Consul General Keene, who greeted them briefly and asked them not to forget that they were Americans and not to bring dis credit on America by yielding to an understandable temptation to 'kick over the traces.''
 The men were distributed among several hotels until instructions shall have arrived from Washington. Their personal effects were lost when their ships were sunk and their wardrobes have been only partially replaced by makeshifts which tender them, for the present. . decidedly motley crew. Nevertheless. their stories were told not in tone of complaint but in philosophical way.
 Raider Armored Cruiser.
 The sailors said they were con vtnced that the raider which sank their vessel was the Ritz, of Bremen. They describe her as brand new vessel of about 5000 tons, capable of eighteen knots, equipped with one funnel. two masts, one false funnel, four torpedo tubes. seven rapid fire guns and wheel house which was hidden by the sides of the ship. Tho tunnels had a device 50 that tho 6kripes could be changed at will and. nc shipfs doors were 50 constructed v to cut of all light when they werc open. The ships sides were so de- vised that portions of them could be automatically dropped and raised The impression that the boat was new and built for raiding purposes was by the fact that she was equipped with steel cells below, and looking like an old tramp, was really an armored cruiser.
 The sailors said that the Narrow dale. although ordinarily capable of only ten knots, had to make fourteen at times to escape capture. She was mined 50 that she could be destroyed at a moments notice.
 With their immediate needs pro- vided for the next attention to be giv- an the men will be to supply them with clothing. of which they are bad ly in want.
 Beaten By Prison Guards.
 The Yarrowdale men told of severe subjected in the German prison at Neustrelitz. Dulmen and where they had been interned after having been brought into Swinemuende on the Yarrowdale and where they, as Americans. they said, were apparent ly singled out from all others; Dur Ing their stay in Germany they re- ported. they had subsisted on one al- lowance of soup daily and had made their long Journey to the border on one such ''meal.'' There was hardly one of them who at one time or an- other. they declared had not felt the first of a German camp guard. and the squad of five soldiers which brought them to the border had exer- cised the privilege of abusing them and curbing them up to the last pos- sible moment.
 The men tell of the terrible suffer ings they underwent during period of severe cold weather due partly to lack of fuel but more to absence of the shoes and clothing which they had lost.
 The party includes all the Ameri- cans detained except one seaman named Bulleat of a French Canadian claiming to have been born in Massa chusetts, who at the fast mom- ment was held in Brandenburg. They were accompanied by one Brazilian and one spaniard.
 CAPITAL CARMEN STRIKE