The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-15
DOOR KNOBS AMID BRASS
ALL C0MMANDEERED
Necessities of War Compel Conf1sca-
ton Of All Portable Metal Orna-
ments In Germany.
OIL FROM SUNFTOWERS.
Stiff Cab Fare Demanded by Night
Hawks in Berlin, Caused by High
Cost of Horse Feed
BY ALFRED G. ANDERSEN.

Copyright, 1918, by Star Company
New York, Oct. lion the Ger
man side of the border the engine
and coaches were diiapidated and
dirty. The inside of the coach might
have been swept by a hurricane.
Every piece of brass and leather had
vanished.
'tCommandeered," explained one of
my fellow passengers, Herr Richter,
a portly typewriter agent from Ham
burg.
Every piece of brass and copper
in the country, even door knobs and
ornam ents, has been seized by the
military authorities" he continued
Il had a set OF beautiful brass cur
tain rods in my home They were
seized along with my wife's copper
wash boiler. They paid aus a nominal
compensation for our brass and
copper.
But" he whispered confidentially,
as If imparting some great state
secret, we saved an old brass NOR
tar, an heirloom which has been in
the family for over two centuries"
Church Organs Denuded.
Herr Richter told me that even the
church organs in Germany have been
stripped of their brass pipes Reed
pipes have been substituted.
The train moved at fair pace
through an endless checker-board of
grain fields and potato patches, Here
was intensive cultivation of the most
pronounced order.
We passed through an immense
field of sunfiowers. / looked inquir-
ingly at Herr Richter.
We extract oil from them he
explained, You will see thousands
OF fields just like this one all over
Germany. We also obtain oil from
fruit kernels. Every household is
ordered TO save the kernels and turn
them over to the government"
Soon the train was in the midst of
smoking factories and whirring
wheels. 1t required but slight imagi-
nation to believe this was Pittshurg.
Here we are in one of the busiest
ammunition centers in Germany"
Herr Richter volunteered They
have sprung up like mushrooms. Be
fore the war this district was nothing
but small farm villages"
There was little activity at the Ber-
lin station nothing like the hustle
of a New York or Chicago terminal
Only few electric lights weret
burning.
Dilapidated Night Hawks
In front of the station stood a row
of diiapidated cabs commanded by
emaciated cabbies. The horses looked
like skeletons. with hides drawn over
them so tightly as to ascentuate thu
curves of the ribs. Food evidently
was mighty scarce
l dropped into one of the cabs and
directed the driver 10 take me to the
Kaiser hotel
"Jawohl, mein herr" he respond
ed, and off we went at a gait that
would have tickled an American car
/ toonist The horse unquestonably
adapted it's tempo 10 its rations
The slow pace enabled me to take
along. A first deceptive Impression
of business as usual" was forced
home upon me. Groups of laughing
Berliners were seated around tables
!. in front of the cafes on Friedrich
strasse. From within came the
! strains of gay music. 1t was enough
TO deceive anybody as to the true state
of mind in Berlin.
Al last the cab stopped. the driver
! af1ghted and informed me that we.
We're at the Kaiser hotel
How much?" I inquired
Hold-Up Cab Fare
"Fundzwanzig mark" he drawled
| in matter-of fact tone that was ex-
asperating
More than Sc for fifteen- minutes
| hack ride?" | demonstrated.
But it is the legal fare, mein herr,
interpolated the hotel porter who had
come to take my baggage.
1t is the scarcity of horse food that
makes cab rides so expensive in Ber-
lin, | learned
Restricted illumination throughout
Berlin pointed to economy in the con-
ntiCn of fnpl Tho hrilifa Mt
electric signs are no more and every
other lamp post is dark.
Let me nterpose here TO say that
the difficulties, not to- mention the
danger. that confronted me in Berlin
were legion, | could come into con-
tact only casually win officials and
individuals whom ! desired to inter
view.
even took my life into my hands