Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-29
ORGY AT BRUGES
Prince Adalbert's Chief
Distinction Duration of
Drinking Bouts
DROWN FEAR IN BOOZE
U.Boat~ Officers Held Wild
Revcls at Infamous Raths.
keller Club
By WALTER DURANTY

DN W AL EN- OCR9lNl
Special Gable to Evening Public Ledger
Copyright 1918. by Nc,c York Times Co.
Bruses. Oct. "a (by Courier to Dun.
kirk) Oct. 20.
The C-boat men were the spoiled dar-
hngs Ct the German forces in Belgium.
Bruges. as the central base Of the whole
submarine campaign against British
ships. was flooded with posters entitled
''England's PERIL" showing a fantastic
number Of dots around the British isles
each of which represented vessel tor
.pedoed
While on shore the C-boat men were
allowed virtually unlimited license.
Their pay. already high---the lowest
grade officer received 500 marks monthly
was almost doubled by supplementary
allowances for the period of active serv-
Ice Promotion--for those who survived
was exceedingly rapid. and decora-
tions were rained upon them. Huge
awards Of prize money were given for
Allied warships sunk and on a sliding
scale according to tonnage for merchant
ships. Thus the destruction of hos
pital ship or transport Of 10000 tons
would be worth 1000 marks to a new
Joined midshipman. and upward or
downward from 5000 for lieutenant
commander to. ESQ for an ordinary sea-
man.
The finest houses in Bruges were at
their disposal as quarters, and the cream
Of famous Belgian wine cellars was
'requisitioned" by the invaders. The ia
vorite amusement of the U-boat officers
ashore was an orgy of champagne, ter
minated by the demo, iton Of every piece
OF crockery and furniture in the house.
Several fine old mansions were set on
fire as a result of such bouts, but in
stead of being punished the officers. had a
fresh dwelling Immediately offered them.
Merchants Home a Club
visited one such house belonging to
q millionaire grain merchant named
Catulle. near the port, which had been
the headquarters and officers club for
C-boat men at Bruges. The basement
had been transformed into palatial
rathskeller. whose walls bore well-exe-
cuted cartoon frescoes. with rhymihg
notices and were decked with colored
brass lamps and flags taken from AL
lied vessels. Here Prince Adalbert, the
Kaisers son, spent plentiful leisure
WnlIe at bTuBeS ldSL year. A>OHllIldlly
the commander Of a corvette, he dis
tinguished himself chiefly by the length
and extent of his drinking bouts. With
boon companions of the aristocracy he
would start drinking at ! in the eve
ming, and the orgy would end toward
dawn, only when the entire company
was lying besotted under the tables
Admiral Won Schroeder brute as he
was. had too keen a sense of discipline
not to chafe against sucn conduct. For
C-boat men who risked their lives in
cessantly he could wink at excesses but
that loafing young princes should set
such an example was TOO much. Finally
Adalbert obtained unmerited decorations
for all the officers of his corvette.
Schroeder seized the opportunity. He
sent a caustic report OF the whole case
and the disgraceful banquet that fol-
lowed to the Berlin Admiralty, adding
that unless the Prince was transferred
elsewhere he himself would resign.
Adalbert left Bruges unregretted three
days later
The frescoes in that rathskeller are
exceedingly curious. In one room they
are mostly directed against England.
Thus, one represents John Bull being
blown up from the sea by torpedo.
while in the foreground an immense
champagne bottle fired from a sub
marine hits John Bull, standing over
the cliffs at Dover, on the seat of his
trousers. Another shows the anguished
head of John Bull peering over the bows
of steamer named the Butterdampfer,
which is being towed into Zeebrugge
by a submarine.
Vulgar Tone to Drawings
Though the craftsmanship is clever.
the vulgarity of tone Is typically Ger
man. No less characteristic are the mot
toes under the drawings. "A gay life is
the best principle runs one. and an
other: Enjoy wine and women while
you can You live but once, and will be
4 long time dead In an aIcove over
which is the carved head of Mephs-
topheles there is the inscription: sun.
thou gavest life to the earth and its
color and flavor to champagne. We
children of earth drink champagne, thy
gift. as we bask in thy rays"
In a second room there is a series Of
drawings representing naval officers ana
soldiers and civilians dressed up as float
Ing mines on the main square of Bruges
before the belfry tower. Women
masquerade as long naval shells. The
legend underneath runs. Have good
time while you can. because you don't
know what awaits you tomorrow
further on is picture of naval officers
still dressed as mines playing cards in
4 rathskeler with the legenu Drlnk
deep of wine, ye heroes. 1t will COM
pensate and make you forget the dark
days Of hardship"
In an adjoining alcove Is this in
scription under a picture of the latest
types of U-boats: Here you repose
from fatigues. o Captains of b and
boats" On the walls Of the staircase
lsadinC upstairs there is an illuminated
scroll, "The U-boat fleet is here"
The whole house had been stripped
Of furniture and pictures and the wine
In the cellar containing more than TO-
600 bottles drunk to the last drop.
story Of Boys Degradation
i obtained from a source it is un-
nocessary to particularize story illus
trating the mad life of the C-boat Off,
eers even more than the morbid tone
q these drawings and inscriptions The
hero was boysCf twenty. Non b., who
though poor, had been attached to the
naval stan at Client through family
inauence eighteen months ago. Tempted
by the rewards and the rapid promotion
III submarine officers. he obtained his
transfer to a 'U-boat and came to
6ruges in July, 1917. He was then a
or