The San Francisco call., 1905-03-02
Men From the Vyefed Tell the Story OF Their Capture
Bring Details of the
M S. Dollars
Vain Race.
Both Steamers May
Be. Released
Later On.

Details Of the capture by the Jap
anese Of the blockade runners wyefield
and M. S Dollar reached here yester
cay and to-day some members of: the
Wyefleld's crew are expected: 10 ar
rive from. Victoria, where they. landed
the other day from the Japanese liner
Iyo Maru.
Captain Watson, Chief +ohicer Webb,
Second Officer. Reid and two engineers
Of the Wyefield and the officers and
crew Of the NJ. S. Dollar viii be here
Saturday on the liner Mongolia -
The Wyefeld was captured January
. OF NladWoStok.. She had been en-
gaged for the voyage by an agent of
. the Russian Government in this city
and the price paid was sufficiently
high 70 leave a handsome prefit not
Withstandfng the loss of the vessel.
She left: here with a large cargo of
hay barley and ether. supplies She
. was under orders to report at an
island thirty miles from Nladivosfok
and. from there communicate with the
Russian. authorities, who would dis
patch an ice breaker to help her into
Nlsdivostok
Captain Watson tried to reach yladi-
Nostok by way Of La Perouse Strait,
but found the ice more than a foot
thick ana inpaSsable. In the struggle
70 get: through the ice the wyefield
sustained considerable damage. and: was
leaking badly when Captain Watson
abandoned the: Perouse route and re-
turned 10 Tsuruga strait. where the
only chance Of -eyading the Japanese
would be thick weather. .>
Isuruga Strait is narrow and is
patrolled by FIVE Japanese war vessels.
There was no fog TO favor the Wye
field and at D.: m, January 2s the
old gunboat .Nusashit' Captain Yoshima,
hove in sight:
The Musashi. gave the Wyefeld's
people full view of her teeth and
then signaied. asking the Wyefield's
destination Upon receiving Captain
Watson's- reply the Yoshina sent a
prize crew on board. the .Wyefieid and
she was taken 10 Hakadate, where. a
naval court condemned her.
She is now at YCkosaka and. will re-
main there until after. the war. when
she may be given up, there being some
such :understa anding.i it is said. between
Jloyds and the Japanese Government.
The N, S. Dollar. which was cap
tured a few days later. did not yield
so gracefully as the: Wyefeld. When
halted by the Musashi the Dollar re-
fused 70 answer the signaled question
Instead she turned tail and at full
speed. went -snorting away from the
gunboat The Musashi ran out Of coal
and was compelled to abandon the
chase and return TO the Japanese base
for more fuel Her bunkers filled she
went hunting in the North Pacific for
the runaway blockade runner and
within q few days located and seized
her
The NJ. S. Dollar is. also at Yokosaka.
The japanese have. kept close tab on
all vessels leaving: this coast for Nladi-
vostok In the list Of vessels the
blockade squadron WAS looking out for
are the names NJ S. Dollar and Arab.
The NJ. s. Dollar was formerly the
Arab. but the japanese evidently had
overlooked the fact. for long after the
n s. Dollars capture the little brown
men were keeping bright lookout for
the Arab
The steamer Tacoma, which left Vic
Soria. with. contraband for Vladivostok
was not so fortunate as the Wyefeld
IN escaping from the ice. A cablegFam
received on Tuesday by NJ A. Newell
~ this city reports the Tacoma fast in
the ice of the Japanese coast.