Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-05-24
Germans on Ellis Island Have
Everything but Freedom.
WELL FED, HOUSED NICELY
Some Would Like More Room and tzr>
Be Kept Busy-They Get Excellent
Meals, Officers and Crews Farina
Alike-Many Books For Them eea
Read.

Through the courtesy of Commis-
sioner General of Immigration Anthony
A. Caminetti and Frederic c. Howe,
the New York immigration commis-
stoner, a reporter was permitted to gee
first hand facts ON the way the Ger
man sailors taken from their ships ara
being treated at Ellis island. He
writes:
ELLIS island Is an armed camp. An
armed guard of infantrymen is stretch
ed about the island, giving it the sp
pearance Of military reservatf01
The second thing that attracts one WIN
was accustomed to the island In peace
times is an array of searchlights strung
on each tower and at all the upper
windows Of every building. including
the hospital Every blade of grass oEs
the island can be Illuminated by tina
pressing Of button.
The Germans, officers and men, CT
whom there are exactly 1.1O0-thR
women and children from the ships
having been permitted to leave there
are housed In what is called the bag
gage and dormitory building. 1t Is anr
H shaped brick building on the north
side Of the island. On the first floor
are the baggage rooms for immigrants
on the second floor detention rooms and
on the third floor dormitories. The
Germans occupy only the two upper
floors. although some of their trunks
are stored on the ground floor.
Officers at Second Table.
"When the reporter entered the
building the German officers were
marching from the lounging rooms to-
the dining room, which is on the sec
ond floor Of the southwest section Of
the building. The men of the crews
had finished their MONDAY meal
There was not room to feed an at
once, and the officers were given thazE-
choice Of hours for meals. They chosa.
a second table. 1t was a choice Of T.
later breakfast and dinner at later
hour, rather than a sidestep In favor
Of the men.
"The messroom has a white tfIea
floor, and there are ten long tab4e8,
some OF which are surrounded with
chairs aud some with benches. Tha-
men were permitted to select their own
tables and their own seats. One tabaa.
at the officers mess is occupied almoae,
entirely by captains. Other masters
chose to sit with the officers. under
them on their ships.
Both the officers and men have thar>
same food. There is no distinction AZ
rank made In this. They also have tha
same food that the government ON
cials on the island eat At dinner
while the reporter was present Their
had soup fresh Goldfish, potatoes, brea6
and butter, pudding and coffee. Itwaz1s
we'll cooked food, and there was plenty
of it. The men all ate with reiflh
and chatted freely during the meal.
Many Bald Heads.
"As they filed in it was noticeable thas
many of them were tall and slight ana
as many more short and stocky. One kzs
impressed by the long and short e.
them. There seems to be no happy ua..
dunn to their size; also as the ofticerxs
sat at the table the number Of baza
heads was noticeable. Badness among
seafaring men of most nationalities fs
almost rare, but German officer of r.
ship lives under heavy cap
"BlondS also predominate among th6s
men. They are healthy looking ana
appearing lot, and most of them have
grown fat in their confinement. The
members of the crews are better fed
than they were on board ship.
Of hn
second floor, which might better be CALI
ed lounging rooms, the hand baggage at.
the men is racked end in another tha6
of the OTHERS. The officers have their
own rooms and the men others. LIN
this lOunging room for the officers hang
several birdcages with canaries brougfzk
from the ships, and on one side in m
large cage, the abode of a parrot from
one of the ships at Hoboken The dpcsr
Of. the cage Is left open at all hourx
and the parrot rules the rooSt 1t can
swear in German with any mate ana
squawk over all the human voices fR>
the place.
There are several framed pictures.
on the pillars of this room. One fin
the center Is photograph of Captafa
Lieutenant Otto Weddigen, with the In
scriptlOn, 'Commandant of the U-9 and
U-29.' The picture is two feet high
There is also a picture of Bismarck.
and several illustrations cut from mag
azines are pasted about
''In these lounging rooms the men
sit about tables and read magazines
and books that have been provided for
them, play chess, checkers and cards
and join in endless talks among theIa-
selves. Most of the officers smoke.
''The only real criticism of the houS-
ing of the Germans on the island could
be the small quarters afforded there
The best has been done for them that
could be with the facilities available,