The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-13
SHIP CRONJE WENT
TO ST. HELENA IN
L ms, ort Milaau ca Now at
Orleans and It's Officers
Tell OF Beers.

NEW ORLEANS. May 3O.-The Brit
ish transport Milwaukee reached here
last night from the island of st. Hele-
ma. The Milwaukee carried cargo OF
mules to Cape Town and from Cape
Town went to st. Helena with Gen.
and Mrs. Cronje and other Boer pris-
oners. She was accompanied by the
British cruiser Niobe.
IAN the Beers spoke fairly good Eng
lish," said one of the ships officers,
with the exception of Gen. Cronje, who
was able to speak barely half dozen |
words"
The General spent most of his time
in the apartments allotted himself and
wife and maintained a stolid silence
during the trip. That Cronje bore out
the idea that the Beers are simple,
unaffected people who live their lives
out in their native hand, rarely ever
visiting other countries was shown by
the fact that Cronje one day asked
Capt. Webster:
How do you go from one port to
another with no land 10 steer by?
Mrs. Cronje is described as being a
homely woman and, like her husband,
simple and unaffected in her tastes.
The General and his staff when on deck
| spent most of their time watching the
Niobe. They would talk for hours
about the ship and her armament.
| Cronje apparently knew nothing about
navigation and was not versed in naval
| usages but he had wonderful knowl
/ edge OF arms.
one thing that impressed every one
/ on board the Milwaukee was the ex-
/ tremely courteous and kind treatment
/ Cronje extended his subordinate Off
GERS. He was most solicitous regarding
their welfare and each day would in
quire of the ships surgeon as to what
physical condition his staff officers and
soldiers were in. During the entire
voyage the cruiser Niobe kept her guns
trained on the Milwaukee, and one OF
the crew said:
II believed that if we had steered two
points out of our course the Niobe
would have sunk US
When asked why IL was that the Mo
be kept her guns trained on the Mil
waukee and it was suggested that the
warship was much speedier than the
transport and could have run her down
IL she had attempted to escape, 1t was
|
of the Niobe feared a conspiracy.
The officers in reply to the question
whether there were any Americans oil
English among the Boer prisoners or
the Milwaukee said that there were
not. They were all Transvaalers will
. the exception of a few Germans anC
Austrians." Among the Boer officer.
, was a Col. Shields, an Austrian BY
7 birth. and who at one time held com
mission in the Austrian Army
! On arriving at st. Helena Gen. Cronj
was sent under an escort from tn
, members of the Imperial Guard to on
4 of the military fortresses known a
2 Deadwood Camp. The apartment
where Gen. Cronje and wife and tn
e officers composing the members of hi
!, staff are imprisoned, judging from ex
4 terror appearances, were very com
: Portable and, as one of the crew sale
:. very safe" The fortress stands in tn
y center of the section of the islam
7. known as The Military Reservation
: and is surrounded by the quarters
~ the officers and the barracks of the so
x diers comprising the guard.
i Cronje it is said appeared to /
! downcast, and when removed from II
lie ship was even more stoical in demeanc
le than while on the ship. The membe
N of the crew of the Milwaukee all agree
that the Beers were as orderly a set
~ men as they had ever known. The
70 had the freedom of the entire vess
e. from early morning till 10 o'clock
= night and they never in any mann
III attempted to break the regulations
lie the ship. They would remain in grou
~ discussing their condition and specula
ma ing on various phases of the war f
he hours, and at times conversed in En-
rs fish, but when any one of the shiI
ai officers or any of the men or officers
er the Imperial Guard would go near the
re- they would begin speaking in their oy
re- tongue.
ed The Milwaukee will load here wi
ed horses for South Africa destined I
In the British Army.
ey