The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-08-09

A communication received today by The Democrat from Miss Eliza beth Curtis, active member of the Committee to Defend America, and resident of Watertown, offers a vivid, flrst-hand account of the arr rival in New York of the IT sur- vivorS of the ZamZam.
 Miss Curtis was on hand when the West Point docked, with its cargo of torpedoed ambulance drivers and American consuls ordered out of Germany aboard. Her account is of especial interest, since Miss Curtis was later provided with an oppor- tunity to speak with the mother of one of the survivors.
 The text of the communication | follows:
 Since going down to welcome re- turning transports in Brooklyn in 1918, have not had as thrilling an experience as last Friday when seventeen ambulance drivers who were torpedoed on the zamzam, and for weeks believed at the bottom of the sea, returned on the West Point with the American consuls sent out of Germany. The dock was crowd ed with families and friends when the huge boat painted black and with oval rubber edged raftS, hung like a pattern of decoration around the sides, was slowly tugged into view. The family of the Chinese am- l bassador to Italy was on board with their quaint little children and one heard many languages being spoken. One of the men came down the gangplank carrying two beautiful fox terrier puppies that Charley Stuart, who escaped from the train at night betwteen Paris and Luhrs, had left in his charge. Every one reading the account in the paper will remember that three of the boys escaped while being taken from Biarritz to custody elsewhere. while two left with the missionaries when they were released as they were mis- taken for students. One of these, Charlie Mccarthy, drove an ambul- ance in France before the armistice, and was imprisoned by Germans that time also. He has been very busy arranging for another unit from the British ambul- ance organizatio for de Gaulle. His attractive mother sat opposite to me at the luncheon the next day and confided that she shared the wan derluSp' with her son but could sell dom give way to it.
 MT. Murphy who wrote the &C., count of the sinking of the ship for Liberty magazine, was spokesman for the group who were under strict orders from the State Department as to what they might divulge. He said that after the boat-loadS had left the Zamzam there were 45 peo- pie remaining on the ship who did not know if the Germans would send back for them, but in spite of that they sat calmly smoking and talking as though on a pleasure cruise. They did send back, however and few of them got their clothes After going aboard the German raider, they were locked in the holc every night with no possible means of getting out even if the boat should sink. In spite of discomfortS and dangers he said he had never seen people behave better.
 Following the speaker at the luncheon every one drank the health of Vicovari. the one who was wounded by the Germans and was left on board the raider when the other boys were transferred to the passenger boat that landed them at Biarritz.
 Later on we hope to have Philip FaverSham come up here with an ambulance to speak at joint meet ing of s'Defend American Commit tee" and the Free French" (de Gaulles) organization.
 After the State Department suc- ceeded in exchanging them, the German authorities did not notify them of their release for nearly three weeks, one wonders why? Last year on August 5 we had two men here who had been driving for the French and showed a film of the de- struction in France and Belgium. It was on the occasion of rally of our committee at Temple Hall when