“NEW AMERICA.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21241, 23 January 1931, Page 8

“NEW AMERICA.”

REACHED FROM BERLIN IN THREE HOURS. The Bremen and Europa take six days to reach America, but the German Railroad Company requires only three hours from Berlin. One goes by way of Custrin and arrives at thff station “ New America.” In the vicinity lie Yorktown, Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Saratoga, Annapolis, Havane, Savannah, and Maryland. At the crossing of two roads stands a signpost pointing the way to Hampshire, Ceylon, Sumatra, Florida, and Jamaica. All these places are small villages in the eastern part of the province of Brandeburg. They owe their existence and their names to Frederick the Great. As a youth lie was confined in the fortress of Custrin for disobedience to his stern father, and saw the damage caused by the annual overflow of the Oder, Warthe, and Netze Rivers. Even then he conceived the idea of conquering a new province “ without soldiers and cannons,” as he said later, and in 1746-1753 he had the course of the Oder changed and settled over 6000 persons in 43 villages on the land thus gained. Twenty years later he added another 110 square miles by reclamation of river lands. Many of the peasants settled there had intended to emigrate to America, and the names of the villages were chosen with , the King’s approval. There is also a I Philadelphia in the province of Branden- | burg.