World War l: Algoma Prepares

The Algoma Record Herald – a merger of two Algoma newspapers – was a new paper when it carried an article pointing out that its edition would likely be late because employees refused to work. It was neither a work stoppage nor a strike. What came to be known as World War l was over.  And it wasn’t only Algoma’s workforce that failed to show up: it happened all around the country.

Known as the First World War, World War l, and the Great War, it began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. Political turmoil ravaging Europe for years came to a head on June 28, 1914, a month before the war’s official outbreak, in Sarajevo when Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. 

In the end, 16 million  military personal and civilians died. The war hastened the spread of Spanish Influenza, leading to the deaths of up to 100 million people world-wide, and the war led to genocide. Following the Armistice, the remaining unresolved conflicts escalated, giving rise to the likes of Adolf Hitler and plunging the world into what became World War ll, a mere 20 years later.

While the U.S. didn’t get into the European war until 1917, many of Algoma’s residents with German heritage – and those across Kewaunee County, the state and the nation – understood their former countrymen. Millions of German immigrants made up the largest immigrant group to the U.S., to Wisconsin and to Algoma. Within a year of Kewaunee County’s 1852 origin, Germans began arriving in what was then called Wolf River.

In the community’s early days, its Yankee residents derided the Germans (and others) as ignorant foreigners, often treating the immigrants in a detrimental manner. After 50 years, the prejudice was disappearing in Algoma. But then came the war. 

While many felt the U.S. would get involved in the European War, Woodrow Wilson won the 1916 election with the slogan, "He kept us out of war." But U.S. neutrality didn't last and Wilson declared war on Germany in April 1917. Serving as president from 1913 - 1921, it was Wilson who led the country through the war.  

Although the country was remaining neutral, Major Gen. Leonard Wood told Congress in November 1916 that war was coming and that the U.S. was utterly unprepared. He said the coast was vulnerable and that a force of 150,000 trained men could inflict incalculable damage before a U.S. army could be assembled to meet it. Algoma folks anxiously watched the papers, wondering when “the other shoe would drop.”

In early January 1916 the Record told readership that the European conflict put the U.S. in a trying period. It was said in 1914 the European war was going to be over by Christmas. Then it was said it was going to be a struggle to the death. Although the U.S. was initially neutral, it came face-to-face with such war issues as shipping, German U-boats and more. During late January 1916, the paper noted the need for preparedness for war, including all its horrors and human loss. The article continued calling attention to individual preparedness for old age and future welfare. Thrift was important and would be developed through a national thrift day.

Local papers – Algoma Record and Algoma Herald - were full of war news. Little by little, the papers carried more about what folks should know. Some men enlisted while others were drafted. The papers provided men with military options, and helped them sort out those options.

Papers informed residents about the Kewaunee County Council of Defense and its designation of wheatless Tuesdays and meatless Wednesdays. Residents were required to sign pledges to save food. Folks at home were told how they needed to do their part to aid the boys already in the military. Herbert Hoover, head of the U.S. Food Administration, said it was only fitting that mothers of men who fought the nation’s battles needed to enlist in such an essential service as saving food. Hoover said mothers wanted their sons to return when victory was achieved, and the mothers could hasten that work by what they could do.

Just before war was declared, Carlton resident Ida Peterson shared a letter from a cousin serving in the Canadian army in France. Though the letter was censored, the soldier spoke of the disagreeable conditions of the trenches during the winter weather. Had it not been censored, the letter would have no doubt told of far more, and “disagreeable” would have been a far more graphic word.

Newspapers announced that all men between the ages of 18 and 45 were required to register for the draft. By contrast, in 2018, U.S. citizens and male immigrants, documented or undocumented, ages 18 – 25, are required to register with Selective Service. In July 1917 it was written that those who enlisted then would have the advantage of two or three months of training over those who were drafted. There were quotas. The paper pointed out that those drafted would have physical examinations and, after that, could not voluntarily enlist in the branch of their choice. Selected men were carefully questioned regarding whether they already had a physical examination or were notified to appear elsewhere. Enlistment of a man following his draft amounted to fraudulent enlistment for which penalties were prescribed by law. Names of those exempted, due to physical condition or hardship, were listed in the paper just as those who were  inducted.

Little more than a week following the Declaration of War, Sturgeon Bay parties appealed to Algoma for assistance in recruiting enough men to form a company of the National Guard. The first to sign applications were Jerry Jerabek, Auggie Wasserbach, Gilbert Mounty, Frank Prokash, Carl Koutnik, George Fellows, Ernst Haucke, Leo Kohlbeck, Frank Lidral, Jr. and Fred Peronto. As it was, Ernst Haucke would be Algoma's first death on the battlefields of France.

W.E. Perry taught military tactics during nightly meetings at City Hall. Applications continued to come in. Because it was expected the men would join the Sturgeon Bay company, Perry applied for a commission when the new company was formed. The men felt Perry would be a shoo-in because of his several years in military schools. The Algoma unit became part of Sturgeon Bay, however in June petitioned for separation and attachment to Green Bay and Battery E which included men from Kewaunee County. Algoma men were snubbed when many of them went to Sturgeon Bay for a unit banquet. As it was, the banquet was for only the Sturgeon Bay men in the unit. When, in mid-July, Algoma gave the men a military send-off banquet, the men of Sturgeon Bay were invited. As were the Algoma honorees that day, the Sturgeon Bay men were also distinguished with ferns backing red roses pinned to their lapels.

Algoma and Sturgeon Bay men of Co. F, 5th Wisconsin Regiment in training at Sturgeon Bay's ball park.

It was the Navy that cried for skilled men. Those with trades were in demand as they were “the first line of defense” in carrying the “Sammies” to France and beating the Kaiser’s submarines. Amateur wireless operators, machinists, cooks and bakers were wanted. Men with such experience were offered “splendid” enlistment conditions and were told they could go right to work with an introductory training. According to its advertising, the Navy paid the highest military wages, as much as 100 a month for an apprentice seaman. Since Uncle Sam paid board and lodging while giving an enlistee $50 worth of free clothing, the pay for one in the Navy was touted as almost all clear profit. Experienced marine engine machinists were eligible to enlist as 1^st Class, earning $66.50 a month with all living expenses and clothing provided. Those of 2^nd Class proving their ability at sea were promoted. Master machinists were paid $83 a month if they had charge of the engine room.

When the Navy was calling for 20,000 apprentice seamen, Wisconsin’s quota was 800 men. Those enlisting in the Navy were paid $32.50 during their training period, and those who qualified and promoted to seamen 2^nd Class received $35.90. Those who were promoted to 1^st Class got $38.40. An added inducement was the opportunity for traveling and seeing the world.

Ernest Ponath was one who did that. A month following the declaration of war, Ernest left his job at the the Algoma depot to become the first city man to join the Navy. Making news at the same time was Col. George Wing who passed the examination for a commissioned officer’s position at the Fort Sheridan training camp. When Ponath wrote home in July, he told his parents he was living like a king, describing the mouth-watering turkey dinner served of July 4^th. While Algoma residents understood turkey and baked chicken, Ponath’s description of each salivating detail such as the asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, tomato bisque, potato croquettes and more, surely helped recruiting efforts.

There was a place for high school graduates with a fair knowledge of electricity. They had the chance to attend the special Naval Radio School at Harvard where they made their meals in Harvard’s Memorial Hall and used the gymnasium as a dormitory. The four-month course covered military drills and technical and other subjects.

The Navy offered another opportunity for men who wanted to become cooks. By enlisting in the commissary staff of the Navy, men could learn the trade at some of New York’s biggest hotels and cafes. Although the Navy didn’t point it out, such training gave men prestigious employment contacts following the war.

Men who enlisted as cooks were paid $32.50 per month in addition to all expenses during training. Cooks qualifying for higher ratings received a corresponding higher pay. First class cooks grossed $60, 2^nd $52, 3^rd $41 and 4^th Class, $35. Cabin cooks earned $55 while cabin stewards made $61. Higher ratings were open to the inexperienced who “make good,” as merit was always recognized. Touted as a means of learning a trade at government expense, it was a way to help oneself and the nation. All one had to do was see a postmaster, a recruiting officer or write to the Milwaukee recruiting station.

Newspapers were the source of information for most. However, they also caused confusion. After men had been told they would need to enlist to serve in the branch of choice, they were told that after they were drafted and examined by a local board, they were free to enlist in the marines. That lasted until the Provost Marshall General telegraphed to say a drafted man could only serve in the marines with the written consent of the local board. The Provost asked newspapers to call attention and give the matter publicity because nothing changed. After being drafted by a local board, a registrant was not eligible for voluntary enlistment in any branch of government service. Adding to the confusion was that the erroneous information came from the Marine Corps recruiting service itself!

While the young men enlisted, their mothers and sisters were quick to follow Herbert Hoover’s admonition. During July 1917, they made sturdy linen comfort bags stabilized with a small piece of veneer at the bottom. Containing toiletries, needles, thread and pins, the bags were expected to make life just a little more comfortable for the 29 Algoma men then in the military. Each bag was personalized with the recipients initials sewn into the fabric.

The 1917 papers continued in the same vein. There were lists of draftees and lists of exemptions and the reasons for them. One hundred years later, younger generations would wonder how the world could function in a day that depended on mail, newspapers and word of mouth. And, as the children’s party game Pass-It-On, there was much erroneous information. In 2018, social media, text messaging and, to a lesser extent, email serve to provide information that also provides inaccuracies. Reasons for exemptions might be regarded today as protected information, but it would be found on Facebook. Suspicion of German immigrants in a war against Germany is mirrored 100 years later with other groups.

By Fall 1917, more of the “soldier boys” were going “across,” and Algoma’s connection to the Great War solidified.

Sources: Algoma Herald, Algoma Press, Algoma Record Herald; Photo: Door County Democrat,, July 20, 1917; Poster, Military Museum.