Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-06-21


all Heligoland. Since the first day Of
the war have been at these places oD
many occasions and it would take sew
eral volumes if I should attempt to
write about all my experiences and OBJ
servations.
During our recent Russian naval cam
paign l was attached at Holtenau.
had just ended four months submar-
inc service in the Baltic. Earlier in the
war I saw submarine service in the
North Sea, and compared with that ser.
vice in the Baltic it is like pleasure
trip. Yet at the end cf that period
became such physical wreck that
along with nearly a hundred other men,
officers and crew, was landed at Holt
au and after three weeks of hospital
treatment, not having sufficiently re-
cuperated, | was commissioned to train
new recruits for our submarines.
Early in the war the recruits to this
service were moro than we could take
care of, but as the months passed the
volunteers no longer came forward and
on the tenth month Of the war it was
decided to conscript men from our fleet.
Submarine Service Unpopular.
During my commission to train crews
for our submarine service / found every
eonscript Of the fifty men under my
command was an unwilling candidate.
From the beginning l realized that my
task was hopeless one. / found my
men so disinclined to serve in the sub
marines that unless they were constant
ly watched the were purposely making
themselves unfit for the service. They
stopped at nothing. Causing blood-poi-
soning in the fingers of their right
hands, feigning insanity, damaging their
eyesight by secreting tobacco under the
lids and stuffing their ears with gum.
my substances for the purpose Of af,
fecting their hearing senses-p primarily
essential for every undersea crew-are
among the many methods by which
candidates were rendering themselves
unfit for the service.
Reprimanded for Being "Soft-
Hearted
At Holtenau was serving in the ranl
of a second-lieutenant and at the end Of
the fourth week of my commission ]
was removed as punishment for having
been lax in my duty. My superior of
ficer unburdened himself Of stern re-
primand and told me that was toe
soft hearted and unfit to further serve
the Fatherland in that capacity. / ad
mintted that I could not be as harsh as
he with my men as my other brother-of
ficers were and welcomed the change
] agreed with him that l was soft-heart
ed and in the mean time l called hi
attention to the fact that both in lane
and sea battles had received injuries
as well as medals. My superior officer
whereupen, informed me in q sarcastic
tone that l was better obeying theil
commanding.
1t was then that the great transfer
of our navy vessels from the Baltic Ses
to Heligoland, through the Kiev cana
had begun and on boayd the new Kais
erin | received my new commission al
a second-lieutenant.
Game of Changing the Mime Of
War Vessels.
incidentally let me remark here thai
during the last three years or so oui
higher command has repeatedly re
named our war vessels, and have alst
given the same name sometimes to NJ
less than five different crafts Of en-
tirely different types and displace
ments. The object is not only to con
fuse our enemies but it is also to con
fuse our own personel. 1t is intended
that with the exception Of the very
highest naval officers no one shoult
have definite idea about our nava
= groups. This method Of changing tn,
p names Of the war vessels so frequentl,
has, of course, been fraught with def
: cuties. Ever insignia, designating tn
name Of each ship has been CAREFUL.
removed. In the interior Of each shil
name plates on various armaments ant
pieces Of furniture which wefe of cUurs
made Of either copper or brass were ia
ken and had become recognized wa
. necessity.
Huns Disgust Of Hun.
As to the linen and other furnish
ings of each ship it is q chaotic state
: For instance, on board the Kaiserin
had napkins that had served on boart
different ships, my blanket was marke,
"Markgraff," my bed linen Cloth
ringen" while my pillows bore the let
: tering Of the "Nassau."
At Friedrichsort the Kaiserin stood t
the Northeast in order to receive a higl
admiralty official who had been on
visit to the Fort Herwarth, fort / an,
: 2, which command the narrow passag
Of the canal below Kiel. Naturally
group Of officers stood in salute to re
eeive the high admiralty officer and n
sooner was this ceremony over than
suddenly noticed that group Of per
haps ten or twelve men; one Of whim
distinctly saw in naval uniform, wer
being marched out Of the vessel to tn
landing facing fort 2. / was natural,
curious as to the meaning Of this pro
cession. A few hours later ] learnt tina
I. these men had taken part in mutin.
: that took place at Kiev ten days before
L.. 1 o. = a