Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-12

besides that. played valet to the Ger
man officers. washing and ironing and
patching clothes for them, and he was
Kicked and showed around till life must
have gotten a tiresome job and for all
his complaints he only got worse. But
in the end. when the prisoners were
paid off after the wreck of the raider
on Mopeha. he was paid off in full
like the rest.
Our sailors were glad OF tho oppor-
tunity TO work. There was nothin.
else to do. and when you're drifting
about or pokinE north one day and
south the next. with no sign of ever
making port. it's a relief TO have a
task.
Sixty marks month was the pay
given the men. and all OF the crews OF
the Johnson and the Slade took il. The
johnson men. not rs fine lot as mine
I'd call them hobocs. for the matter
Of that-were given such jobs az scrub
birg paint, while the crew of the Slade
got sailors work-splcing. repairing
sails, overhaulng blocks. They worked
from in the morning till II, and took
three hours for dinner. finishing up be-
tween 2 and 5.
But what they'll do with the paper
money they were given on the island
is more than I can tell.
Perhaps their keeping the prisoners
at work was matter OF policy: busy
men have less time for trouble making
than Idle.
And perhaps that is why they drove
their own men so hard. But certain It
is that the German sailors were dis
gruntled. and in the face OF the sharp
methods of their officers, they gave
signs enough of their dssa tisfaction.
In all the six weeks that was
aboard the Secadlcr there mover was
time when the brig was empty, and at
such moments as the grounding or the
destruction OF the raider the German
sailors made their delight evident, de-
spite the black frowns of their su.
periors.
And a hell hole that brig was, too!
When the vessel went ashore and the
water came shoulder-high in the cell
there were three men in-drunk from
booze tapped in landing Of the stores.
when we Americans did all we could
to get them drunk. as matter OF poll
icy, to be explained later.
Now that I'm back see often
enough accounts of mutiny in the Ger
man navy. and they are easy to under
stand. after what We saw on the
raider.
1t wasn't that they were always like
Fritz. He was a poor duffer who was
always in hot water. Once he took
knife TO petty officer. again he
he was disrespe6ful.
Rut there mora
cidents in those Saturday parades
to be sent to the briE-and they feared
it, too.
They were hauling braces one day,
when sailor said: II hope she blows
to hell with all on board" The count,
! lying nearby in a hammo ck, overheard
At the Saturday parade he had the
man brought before him. There was
no semblancc OF oficer-like dignity
| the captain swore. raved waved his
arms. gave the man half-hour tongue
flashing, and in the end sentenced him
to fourteen days in the brig and three
weeks Of the silent punishment: he
might speak to no one for those three
weeks after he had left the brig. and
no one might address him, under pen
atty of fourteen days imprisonment.
Nor was that the only time the count
read the riot act TO them nor the only
time muttering brought him to a fine
anger.
BRIG A "HELL HOLE" AND
FEW WANTED SENTENCES
The galley was tween decks. and the
brig was next this. Between was an
iron partition. with the galley stove
| against it. So small was the brig that
man couldn't stand up in IL, nor could
he lie at full length. There was one
barred hole, set high. no other venti-
lation.
Imagine that. II you can. in the heat
OF the equator. often without sign
OF breeze, for days and days on
end
But it was by the use OF such over
strict methods that the officers sought
to keep the men in check. and perhaps
without them matters would have gone
to a head in a different manner than
they did.
For the officers. however, there was
little hardship. Food they had, and
drink and tobacco in plenty, and IL
their clothes needed mending now and
then. they were far from being in the
situation OF the ragged men with their
harum -scarum. hodge-podGe uniforms.
All of the best from the stores OF the
captured ships went TO the officers
canned goods. delicacies. the choicest
staples. and drink. too. Their German
patriotism didn't keep them from drink
ing Scotch whisky or French wine.
most extensively and they could have
taken a bath in beer any day. For all
that, however. they attended to bust
ness strictly.
Also they smoked cigars from Ha-
vana. America. Java. the Philippines.
Porto Rico. All the tobacco centers
of the world seemed to have been
drawn on especially for their benefit
by the ships they had taken.
1t was soon after the Slade was cap
turcd. and the count was reading the
newspapers we had. that this business
OF smoking aroused him one day to the
boiling point.
We had gotten rather chummy. and
| was in his cabin when he turned to
me. waving paper:
Here he said. such rot! Look!
Read thiSi 1t saws they arc sp,ok;nc