Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-08-01
Dutch City Looks Like New York
Since Americans En-.
tered Area.
AMERICAN GOODS ON sale
Ia Now supply Depot for United
States Army Of Occupation in
Germany--Turned Into Bus.
tlinu New World Port.
BY CORP. DAVID RAMZEUR.
DIN Tie Lhlrngo Iostl

Rotterdam, HolInnd.-- Rotterdam,
supply depot for the American army
Of occupation in Germany, Is "the
New York Of the A. Il. f."
At Maashuyeen, the left mouth of
the Rhine, ON the outskirts Of Rottef-
dam, American soldiers erected theli
barracks and at u wharf near by
American soldiers aud sailors unload
the supplies for the American army OF
occupation IN Germany. Squat tug
boats, with their little Dutch house,
hold uboard, 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 Gods country"
Rotterdam Now Busting Port.
In every direction In Rotterdam are
signs of busy, busting new world
port. Huge derricks and travelling
strings Of concrete and cast-iron
docks and whaNes, networks Of
tracks and here aud there a shipyard
resounding with the clatter of machin'
cry and the "rat-tat.tat' of riVeters
The shops are 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 tc
discover whether grocery store il
indeed Il grocery or Il tirst-class drug
store.
But the thing above all that makes
us call Rotterdam the New York Of
the A. L. +. is the fact that wherever
one walks IN the uptown districts one
sees American articles for sale and
American apparatus and machinery in
use For instance, walk down Hoo@-
STRAIT (Which. by TIE way is not He.
street, but High street,. 1t is the
Broadway Of the New York Of til,
"A. Ia.
shops that would put to shame the BIZ
jewelry stores of many American
cities; confectionery stores that are n
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 Folty-sccond and Broadway
Walking along past those stores one
sees popular brands of American 10.
5acco and cigarettes American phono'
graphs American sewing machines.
American chewing gum; one stops in
front of biz music store and secs
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 muller 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
fayorite-ham and eggs-frOm n 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 halt
the places an American typewriter
will be found near the register Rot.
terGam has Its "Great White Way"
tust like old New York. In the
cabarets are mighty clever entertain.
ers and girls who can rag" just rs
well as some Of the girls back home.
The Dutch wax merry in much
more repressed aud digntied way
than do the French and In Rotter-
dam cafe one does not have to run q
gantlet of aluring sirens as one does
in Paris.
A Rotterdam cafe or saloon Is o.
clean, orderly, always neat and trim
room that is generally quiet. Back
of the bar the rOsy-cheeEed frau or
fraulein works and pays no heed to-
the men who 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 1t come the
men with their wives and children
The little ones eat the tasty pastry
and sip strip; 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.