Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1919-07-31
Dutch City Looks Like New York
Since Americans En-
tered Area.
AMERICAN GOODS ON SALE
Is Now Supply Depot for United
States Army of Occupation in
Germany--Turned Into Bus
Ting New World Port.
BY CORP. DAVID RAMZEUR.
On the Chicago Post.)


supply depot for the American army
IF occupation in Germany, is ''the
New York of the A. E. F."
At Maashaveen, the left mouth Of
the Rhine, on the outskirts of Rotter-
dam, American soldiers erected their
barracks and at a wharf near by
American soldiers and sailors unload
the supplies for the American army of
occupation in Germany. Squat tug
boats, with their little Dutch house
hold aboard, puff up and down the
Rhine towing the long, narrow barges
built for the canals of this little
country, with their loads Of supplies
for the Yanks who are keeping the
watch on the Rhine. And down the
Rhine come some of the lucky dough
boys whose time has expired and who
are starting for Goods country"
Rotterdam Now Busting Port.
In every direction in Rotterdam are
signs Of a busy, bustling new world
port. Huge derricks and travelling
cranes, big grain elevators, long
strings of concrete and cast-iron
docks and wharves, networks of
tracks and here and there a shipyard
resounding with the clatter of machin-
cry and the "rat-tat-tat" Of riveters
The shops are a wonder and de-
light. They are marvels of cleanli-
ness and trim, neat, attractive tidi-
ness. The grocery stores are as
scrupulously clean and orderly as a
big operating room in an American
hospital and one has to look twice to
discover whether a grocery store is
indeed a grocery or flrst-class drug
store
But the thing above all that makes
us call Rotterdam the New York of
the A. e. r. is the fact that wherever
one walks in the uptown districts one
sees American articles for sale and
use. For instance, walk down Hoog
STRAIT (Which, by the way is not Hog
street, but High streeD. It is the
Broadway of the New York of the
A. E. F. On it are tobacco and cigar
shops that would put to shame the big
jewelry stores of many American
cities; confectionery stores that are a
little bit of fairyland; bakeries and
groceries that fairly glisten with
nickel, brass and glass; clothing
stores that look like one of the cor
ners of FOrty-second and Broadway
Walking along past those stores one
sees popular brands Of American to-
bacco and cigarettes American phono
American chewing gum; one stops in
front of a big music store and sees
displayed in the windows all the more
or less late American songs and "jazz"
and rag" music.
There are dozens of American auto
mobiles on the pretty drives and
American motorcycles 'put-put'' by
with their muff1er cut out, just as they
do in America.
Favorite "Ham and" to Order.
In a little cafe or restaurant the
soldier orders the great American
favorite-ham and eggs-from wait
er who speaks good English and who
will probably tell of the cities in
America where he has worked, and
the "guldeens" will be rung up on an
American cash register and in half
the places an American typewriter
will be found near the register. Rot
terdam has it's "Great White Way"
just like old New York In the
cabarets are mighty clever entertain
ers and girls who can rag" just as
we'll as some of the girls back home.
The Dutch wax merry in a much
more repressed and dignifed way
than do the French and in a Rotter-
dam cafe one does not have to run
gantlet of alluring sirens as one does
in Paris.
A Rotterdam cafe or saloon is a
clean, orderly, always neat and trim
room that is generally quiet. Back
of the bar the rosy-cheeked frau or
fraulein works and pays no heed to
the men w } come in. And the men
who serve the customers look like
church-gOing bank tellers. The larger
saloons in Rotterdam are restaurants,
cafes, saloons, billiard rooms and
clubrooms combined To it come the
men with their wives and children.
The little ones eat the tasty pastry
and sip sirup; the wives drink beer
or tea and eat cake and gossip, and
the men play billiards or cards, write
letters or gather round the huge tiled
stoves to talk politics.