Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-17

to make a trip back home and visit
the scenes of his childhood.
He recalls the ancient walled city
of Rucgenwald, built by the Romans,
when they captured that part of Ger
many, The Kruger $50 spelled in
Germany home is built on the edge
of the city's wall. The garden is
the old moat. Father Kruger
!! made shoes. His house, which was
one story in front and three stories
OH the back was his factory. his place
of business and his home. The front
of the house was the store. The back
of the house was the home.
Two brothers followed the sea. one
| a captain and the other a pilot.
j There are four brothers in all,
| besides two sisters. And there is a
| nephew who is a professor in a
German college. Capt. and Mrs.
Kreger have one son, Henry Kreger,
| a lawyer in Boston.
Captain Kreger got his sea faring
| instincts from his Grandmother
! Kruger She was born in 1892 and
! she was in northern Germany when
| Napoleon marched up there in 1914.
The days of plumber by the French
soldiers have been re-told to the
| little boy by his grandmother.
His grandfather was captain of a
tiny sloop and his grandmother
went to sea with him. She cooked
for the men and she could pull an
| oar as well as q man. 1t was the
duty Of the women in those German
towns. as it may be today, to run out
the nets and bring in the founders,
going to market with huge baskets
of fish
| His grandmother walked two or
three miles to market with her
basket of fish. The home of the
Nruegers was about three miles from
the mouth of the Wiper river. which
empties into the Baltic sea. Captain
Kreger brings to mind that on the
shore of the Baltic Sea is found the
worlds richest store of amber. A
forest once thrived there. but was
sunk out Of sight and the amber is
said to he remnants from that once
green living forest.
Captain kreger's grandfather on
his mothers side was a Kanabc. of
French extraction. kanabe means
little boy An uncle of Captain
Kreger went to South America in
1S4S and was at one time mayor OF
Naidivia. Chile.
Captain William r. Krcger. a
splendid type of Americanization.
who was once a poor German lad.
who has done much for the good of
his adopted country. is at his home
in Fairfield. surrounded by curios
and reminders of his sea farng
days. as hearty and hale and active
as ever.
IT wouldn't even want a pack
peddlcr to come into my house and
not know it was a sea captains
house." said Mrs. Kreger as she
looked about the pleasant Kregor
home. which is a mecca of sea rel
les. souvenirs of foreign lands and
memories of past remarkable
career.
"And now he is nothing more than
second mate" she laughingly
added.
Il have lot of reading to do, I
have all those books on American
clippers that I am going to read" and
the Captain pointed to a big pile of
new books. many of which the pages
have not yet been cut.
So, many miles from the roar of
the laundering sea. CAPTAIN Will
liam r. kreger is living his seafar-
ing days over again and resting.
From aIrun away German lad. to
THE bkmodore of the Atlantic
Fleet" and loyal American citizen,
with Sc years Of seafaring life,
serving his adoptcd country IN the
best of his ability. Captain William
X. Krcger is a true exponent of
AmericaniZation.