The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-08-04
Kronprincessin CeciIie, Great
est Sea Prize Open to Cap
ture, Returns to Shore.
MILLIONS IN MONEY ABOARD
Clever Captain is Congratulate
ed over Achievement in
Saving Vessel.


BAR HARBOR. Me-. Aug. 4-The
North German liner Kronprincessin
Cecile, carrying more than $40, ,OOO.-
900 in gold and whose whereabouts
have been more or less of mystery
since 1t sailed from New York last
Tuesday, arrived in the harbor here
today.
The Cecile dropped anchor here at
6 o'clock this morning after a forced
run OF four days, her officers fearing
capture.
With a cargo of s10,00o,ooo in
gold and $1.000,000 in silver an es-
timated value of over $4,000, 600 in
itself, the Cecile has constituted the
finest sea prize ever opened to cap
ture.
Lights Hidden.
Each deck had every portfolio
blanketed with canvas SO that not a
CLEAN OF light betrayed her where
abouts.
At one time capture seemed immi-
nent. Captain Charles Polack re-
ported on Sunday that he had inter-
cepted a wireless message from one
French vessel to another giving
warning Of the Cecile's proximity,
but under the protection of provi-
dental fog the liner escaped.
Friday night while dance was In
progress one Of the passengers noted
that the position of the moon had
shifted to the port side of the ship.
Before the significance of this was
realized the captain called his men
into the smoking room. Gentle
men," he said, war has been declar-
ed between England. France, Russia
and Germany. We are going back
to America. We have enough coal
for our return home and 1t is our
earnest hope that we shall not be in
tercepted by foreign war vessels"
There We're nervous applause, oaths
and congratulations which soon
gave way to apprehension as the seri-
BUSINESS OF the situation became ap-
parent. Lights were turned off and
the ship was covered in cloud OF
canvass. This smothered whatever
beams OF light escaped through the
stateroom windows. The ship was
then 1916 north latitude, 1921 west
longitude. In two days 1t would
have docked at Plmouth
Offer to Buy Ship.
group of financiers on board Of
fered to buy the ship and sail her
under American colors, but to this
proposal the captain replied that his
duty was spelled by his orders from
Bremen which instructed him to turn
back and save his ship. There was
a stampede for the wireless but the
captain announced that no messages
would be sent for fear OF betraying
the ships location.
The American port which the cap
tain would try to make was matter
OF speculation. 1t was not until the
passengers awoke this morning to see
the green Maine hills that the liners
destination became certain. For two
nights with its lights extinguishel
and every other illumination blanket
ed out with canvass, the ship plunged
through the fog with unreduced speed
and without sounding her foghorn.
Captain Polack's explanation to a
delegation of passengers, who pro-
tested against fast running under
such conditions. was that 1t was his
motive to save his ship from capture.
He added that he did not consider the
ush6ei appIeclaDle as ne was not in
the usual path.
Sounds Fog Horn.
The captains only concession was
to sound the fog horn.
When the ship steamed into Bar
Harbor today II received a long line
of passengers who congratulated the
captain on his achievement. He is a
lieutenant commander in the German
naval reserves.
At O'Clock today the ship was
swaiting the arrival of forty officers.
Among the passengers were Con-
gressmen Rarchell. OF Pennsylvania,
and Richard Barthold, of st. Louis;
Q. Ledyard Blair, of New York; Gov
ernor Charles r. Miller. of Delaware.
and Samuel Newhouse, the copper
magnate Of Utah.