Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-03
TOURISTS ENJOY
OCEAN TRIP CUT
SHORT BY STRIFE
Liners Called Back to Port
Have Happy Passengers
Aboard.

NEW YORK, Aug. s.-only the
officers and crew of the Hamburg
American liner President Grant, which
came in from sea yesterday in re-
Spouse to the wireless recall sent out
by the local office of the line on FRI.
day. were in serious mood when she
locked in Brooklyn at 1885 O'Clock
yesterday afternoon.
The los cabin passengers. chiefly
Americans, were elated and congratu-
lated themselves and one another that
they had not continued the trip to-
ward Hamburg by way of Plymouth
and Cherbourg, running the risk OF
being held up by the enemies OF
Germany and probably spending a
long time in a foreign port waiting
for transportation back to New York.
There never has been 900-mile ex-
cursion to sea from this port before,
and the Americans, even those VINO
had what they believed to be urgent
business abroad, united with the care
free seagoers in commencing the
Hamburg American line for the little
jaunt. The feature of 1t was that It
was entirely complimentary.
Every passenger in cabin and steer
age received the money he had PAID
for his ticket and had besides
luncheon on ship on her arrival at the
pier. Representatives of the line
brought down to the pier $4,000, and
before the passengers headed back TOT
their homes, chiefly in the netropoh-
tan district, they had their passage
money in their pockets.
Passengers Had One Regret.
The regret of many of the passen-
gers was that the excursion had not
lasted a little longer, so that they
might have become better acquainted.
The President Grant, like the
Grosser Kurfuerst. of the North Ger
man Lloyd fleet, which also returned
to port yesterday, after running
about 500 miles on her course toward
Europe, kept close to the three-mile
limit on her run for safety. Captain
Meyerdiecks had received wireless
messages yesterday afternoon that
led him to suspect that there might
be cruisers of the British squadron
in North American waters that might
pounce upon him in the event OF a
sudden breaking out of hosttlities be-
tween Germany and England, and ne
kept a sharp lookout.
AT 4 o'clock yesterday morning
wireless message was picked up that
Iudl Ont VI AhV ASAAeh7-A
West Indian squadron was searching
for the President Grant Her skipper
made light of the message and kept
right on, going full speed for Sandy
Hook. 1t was said that the wireless
probably was a twisted one that, as
originally sent out from this port,
was a warning to three Hamburg
in the lines West Indies
service to look out for the British
cruiser Berwick and steer clear OF
her.
Captain Thought 1t a Hoax.
Captain Meyerdiercks said he had
received the recall message from his
office at 1920 o'clock on Friday night.
when he was about ABS miles east of
the Ambrose Channel lightship, or
about 450 miles from the lines Brook
lyn pier The message was in cipher,
showing that the line believed 1t was
not a good thing to let the world
afloat know that the Germans feared
for the safety of the ship. The skip
per was startled after he had trans
lated the cipher. This took him about
ten minutes. He had continued on his
course meanwhile, not dreaming that
an emergency had arisen that would
force him back tn this port. He re-
1ected over the utter strangeness of
the order for a while and was for a
inclined to suspect that he
might be the victim of a hoax. But
he knew that only the lines agent
could send him an order in it's cipher
code, and so twenty minutes after he
had received the message he turned
on his course and steamed full speed
for Sandy Hook.
The little excursion cost the Ham
burg american line, outside of ex-
penditures for coal and the wages of
the crew of the President Grant, about
So, 300. as that is the sum necessary TO
supply the passengers with food for
three days. The ship will get nothing
for taking to sea 10000 tons of gen.
eraI merchandise bound for Hamburg.
Shippers will remove the cargo at
their convenience.
The North German Lloyd liner
Grosser Kurfuerst, which sailed on
for Bremen with twenty
five first cabin and sixty three second
cabin passengers, mostly Germans
returning to their homes, was 800
miles off the Hook when summoned
to return to port. Captain Dietrich
did not notify his passengers until the
next morning, but some of them dis
covered through the queer conduct Of
the moon that they were going west
Nearly all the ships 500 steerage pas
sengers were reservists bound for
Austria and Germany to join their re-
spective colors. The passage money
of all was refunded. The Grosser
Kurfuerst had aboard about 5000 tons
of general merchandise that was
destined for Bremen.