THE HUNS AND THEIR DEAD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 284, 15 June 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE HUNS AND THEIR DEAD.

CALLOUS ADMISSION. FACTORY FOR OILS AND PIGFOOD. A COMPANY RUN FOR PROFIT. By Frederick William Wile, lata Berlin correspondent of the "Daily Mail."

The first callous public admission appears in the Government-controlled

" Local Advertiser" (" Lokal Anzeiger"') <:? April 10, of the fact already well known in Allied countries, that the German army converts tne dead bodies of soldiers into oil. -More amazing is the statement that from the same source are produced fertilisers and food for pigs. Tins information is given by Heir Karl Rosner, a special correspondent on the Western front, who describes how he passed one of the "'corpse-convert-ing institutions" (Kadaver-verwertungs anstalten), during a trip through a battle zon.o in France. He indicates that every German army has one of these "institutions." He writes: —

"We are travelling in the district north of Rlieims. Suddenly a stench offends our nostrils. We are passing one of the corpse-converting institutions of the local army group. The fat derived is made into lubricating oils. Everything else is sent to the bone mill to be ground into powder, which is then mixed with food for pigs, and also used as a' fertiliser. The theory on which our army works, one sees, is that nothing must be allowed to go unused." OIL, FODDER AND DIVIDENDS FROM THE DEAD. On the day following the publication ol the above ghoulish revelations, the "Daily Mail" added the following: AVe published yesterday the statement made by Herr Karl Rosner, special correspondent of the " Berlin Local Advertiser" ("Lokal Anzeiger), with the German armies in the west, that north of Rlieims a German factory exists for "converting corpses" into oil, fertiliser and pig-fodder. That corroborates a very remarkable account of this new and horrible Geiman industry which appeared in tho " Independance Beige" for April 10th, as extracted from "La Belgiquc" of Leyden (in Holland.) The statement, omitting some of the most repulsive details, is as follows:

"We have known for long that the Germans stripped their dead behind the firing line, fastened them into bundles of three or four bodies with iron wire, and then despatched these grisly bundles to the rear. Until recently the trains laden with the dead were sent to Seraing, near Liege, and a point north of Brussels, where were refuse consumers. Much surprise has been caused by tiie fact that of late this traffic has proceeded in the direction of Gerolstein. and it was noted that 011 each wagon was written ' D.A.Y.G.'

DIVIDENDS FROM THE DEAD. German science is responsible for the ghoulish idea of the formation of the German Offal-Conversion Co., Ltd. C'D.A.V.G.," or "Deutsche AbtallVerwertung Gesollschaft"), a dividend, earning company with a capital of £250,000, the chief factory of wliicn lias been constructed a thousand yards from the raiiway connecting St. Yitch, near the Belgian frontier, with Gerol-i-tein, m the lonely, little-frequented Eifel district, south-west of Coblentz. This factory dea ! s specially with the dead from the West front. If the Jesuits are as good as toe company hopes, another will be established to deal with corpses on the Fast frcnt.

The factory is invisible from the railway. It is placed deep m forest country, with a specially thick growth of trees about it. Live wires surround it. A special double track leads to n. Tlio works are about 700 ft long and 110 ft broad; and the railway runs completely round them. Jn the north-west corner of the works the discharge of the trains takes place. THE ENDLESS CHAIN. The trains arrive full of bare bodies, which are unloaded by the workers, who live at the works. The men wear oilskin overalls and masks with mica eyepieces. They are equipped with long hooked poles, and push the bundles of bodies to an endless chain, wnich picks them up with big hooks, attached at intervals of 2ft. Tho bodies are transported on this endless chain into ii song, narrow compartment where they pass through a scalding bath which disinfects them. Tliey then no through a drying chamber, and finally are automatically carried into a digester or great cauldron, m which they are dropped by an apparatus which detaches them from the chain. In tho digester they remain from six ;o eight hours, and are treated by steam, which breaks them up, while they are slowly stirred by machinery. The boms sink to the bottom, leaving a thick, dark-coloured liquid.

From this treatment result several products. The fats are broken up into stearme, a form of tallow, and oils, which i(-quire to be l e distiibxl before they can lie used. The process of distillation is carried out, by boiling the od with carbonate of soda, and some p u t of the by-products r> suiting from this used by German soap-makers. 'llie oil distillery and refinery lies in the south-eastern corner of the v.orks. The refined oil i- sent out in small casks like those ir-ed tor petroleum, and is of a yellowish-brown colour.

M) GIIOFLS AT WORK. The fumes are exhaust- d Iron l , the buildings by electric fans, and are sucked through a great pipe to the northeastern corner, where they are condensed and tho rcfu<e resulting is discharged into a sewer. There is no high chimney, as tho boiler furnaces are .-npp!i.e 1 with air by electric fans. There i- a laboratory, and in charge of tho works 'a a chief cliemist, with two :t~si-tant-. and 7s men. All the ( mplovers are soldiers, and are attach<cl to the Q th Army Corps. There i u a siinatorium by the work-, a'd under no pretext is any I pei n:'it . 1 to leave them. They are guard-"' a - oners at their appalling work. ' f; uel hj» relll •lllberi 1 thai 'lie of t'-e Am. r'r-n Coe u!-. <-n Va\ :eg (!■ re ar.v in 1' b-r:i"y, -frit •<] in S'. 1 liverland that the C. -rnians were <1 i.-l ill'ng ' iv crin • f. i- nitre-e|y<j,.,. f-.>in t l.od'es (,'"* t her dead. and thus were oiitaieii!" s'-nie p :rf . I thee- <\, 10-''. The "I. al Ad--'--r: r" mi i-l corr ••- ii nd' iit aiiiuiiire <•; 1 tha' t'• ;"■<>- du-ts wre obtaine 1 I; or iv: 1 - th's ho-ribl,. i|r !:'•-! r : 1. T Tibr : i at lug nil. ? I'ceding tiiaf -red !'■ r pigs. Fertill "is from f! e r; fe-. - ; nd bo'ie- v.hi'-'i were ;;rc":v' d o lo-