The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-05-08

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derstood that they could not agai
| touch port until the war was ovel
They were out at sea for nine month
before the tragedy which we ar
about to record occurred to their men
During this time they captured, BON
bed and sunk fourteen vessels. Eacl
of these vessels was robbed of it
food and fuel supply before beinl
sunk. From each of them the Ger
mans took practically the sam,
things: Plenty of white -four, Whit,
biscuits, sweet crackers, butter (ol
oleo,) potatoes, canned vegetables
fresh meat, condensed milk, tea anc
coffee, and refined sugar.
Two of the vessels sunk were
bound for Liverpool with whole car,
goes of fresh meats. These the Ger.
mans crammed into their own per.
feet refrigerator system. (Some
they sailed and corned). they had
meat enough to feast upon and to
last them Indefinitely.
Two other vessels were laden with
cargoes of whole wheat. From these
the Germans took only the available
white flour, butter, potatoes, and can
ned vegetables, ham, bacon, etc. They
sent the precious wheat to the bot
tom. If they had known the price
less value to themselves of the phos-
phorous, potassium and calcium salts
contained in the whole wheat, they
would have gathered and stored and
guarded it as so much unalloyed
gold.
But the Germans did not know they
were sick. They did not know that
the absence of these materials was
slowly robbing their tissues of life
and bringing about a condition of
acidosis, which would eventually
cause one hundred of them to drop
warning, paralyzed on the
deck.
They were eating typical American
of fresh meat, boiled
Dr. mashed potatoes, canned vege-
tables, white bread and butter Cor
oleo), tea and coffee with sugar and
milk. These in various
appetizing forms they ate three times
4 day plus a substantial mid-after-
noon lunch. Out in the fresh air
If the open seas, fed up" with
.hese typical American meals, they
should have been feeling very fit
indeed
They paid little or no attention
o lesser ills or symptoms of lower
ng vitality and it was not until
he condition became extreme and
he men completely incompacitated
hat the ships surgeon CDR. Perren-
,n) became seriously alarmed. Some |
# the men collapsed after they had |
,een out six or eight months but
n April, the ninth month, they be-
IAN going down like tenpins at the
ate of two to five a day; some OF
hem keeping up until the last min
tie and then dropping helpless to
he deck; one hundred and ten of
hem were down. DR.. PerrenOn
ound himself totally unable to re-
eve the suffering of the men. One
hing he knew: He must make a
ash for some neutral port at once
r they would be out on the high
,as manned with five hundred dead ]
odies. Accordingly they headed for {
merica and on April H., 1915, ar
we'd at Newport News, in the James s
yer, after having been out on the
gh seas just about eight months 6
Id eight days. e
Immediately on their arrival the
,st medical aid of New York was '
lied on their relief. Everyone else p
as barred from the ship. t
Mr.. Alfred w. Mccain was at e
at time working on the New York tt
obe-conducting a campaign to ed p
ate the people in food values and n
cd science. Mr. Mccain had de- {
ted lifetime to the study of NAL t.
triton and its causes and was e
erefore most intensely anxious to tt
t on board the stricken ship. He Ii
s close to several high officials v,
t although he pulled every wire he u,
ew of both in New York and WASH
,ton he could not break the ban. d,
wspaper men were especially ber- 1y
|. vi
He brooded. Rupor said there
S beriberi or something very close 70
resembling it on board that ship. to
lat had the men eaten? Mr.. Nc tn
nm was doing his utmost to fight
white -four evil of America. Was m
8 perhaps the very lesson he need ST.
to prove his point?
Ills work was in the interest of in
nanity. He resorted to strata
n. He had a card printed with
uomo ~ on ominout Dhvoician |