New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-25
SAY CRUISER TOYED
WITH DOOMED ship
Crew of Indian Prince,
Sunk by German Craft,
Arrive Here.

With de arrival yesterday Of the
Lsmport & Holt liner Tennyson, from
Buenos Ayres and Rio de Janeiro, came
the frst details concerning the sinking
Of the Prince Line steamship Indian
Prince BY q German cruiser of the Bra
silisn coast on September Q. Fourteen
members Of the lost vessels crew came
in on the Tennyson, and soon after
their arrival their sfidsvits were taken
by the law firm Of Barry, Wainwright,
Thachsr s. Summers, Of No. so Well ST.
The vessel that captured and sunk
the Indian Prince was the converted
North German Lloyd liner KronprinE
wilhelm, which left this port for war
purposes soon after war was declared,
According TO the Grew Of the Indian
Prince the KronprinE played with their
vessel IS cat would play with q
mouse before destroying her. 1t was
thought the commander OF the kron-
prinz did not know what TO do with
the Indian Prince and her S7S0,00O cof-
fee cargo, and for FIVE days made her
steam 70 the southeast, the opposite
direction Of her course, and at last
sank her, after removing her coal cargo
and whatever nautical instruments and
gear that would be of service TO the
captor.
Oscar Edward Peterson, bostswsin
Of the Indian Prince, forty-three years
old. born in Sweden and naturalized en-
American citizen in 1908, was in charge
Of the men who returned on the Tenny-
son.
He said the Indian Prince left Bahia,
Brazil, on September 2 for New York,
and when two days out sighted the
KronprinE. Passengers on the Tenny-
son said they understood the master IF
the Indian Prince thought she was S
French cruiser and did not learn her
identity until be was within range of
her guns.
1--WE sighted the KronprinE about 2
y. m. on September d." said Peterson.
1--WE had all our lights concealed. The
Kronprinz also had no lights showing.
She approached US of the stsrboard
bow; passed US within hailing dis
lance; put about and came within City
yards of US. The captain hailed our
bridge, and or being informed by the
navigating officer concerning our idcn-
tity he ordered US to change our course
to the southeast. No one from The
Kronprinz boarded US that night. We
did not learn her identity until by
chance she turned her searchlight upon
+ nor OWL HhAs iNH We slANW bhN "oo
q German. Between and 7 O'clock on
the morning Of September she sent
out a couple Of officers, who inspected
our papers and took them away, with
out chronometers, flags, charts, binocu-
lara and sextants. Nothing WAS done
that day except to direct US how they
wished Us TO steer.
1.-THE Kronprinz made US steam along
with her for five days, when she de-
cided 20 sink us. On the afternoon Of
September the German vessel steamed
alongside, made fast ard put aboard a
ganRplank. By this means she took
aboard the entire crew and five pas
sangers, three women and two men,
two of them Americans.
"After the transfer she put a crew
aboard and transferred 70 her own
decks about 1870 tons of coal from our
bunkers, ships stores, provisions and
everything movable that might be OF
value. The crew worked all night, and
at 10 q. m. on September she cast
loose, leaving on board a few of her
men. Her sea cocks we're opened and
some explosives set of In her to scuttle
her, and then the few men left on board
took to the small boats.
"She did not settle fast enough to
. suit the German master, so at P m
he sent another gang aboard, and they
set of an explosion in the foTepeak.
This was sufficient, and at $3.50 p. m.
the Indian Prince settled by the head
and went down bow first"
None of the fifteen men who came IN
yesterday on the Tennyson had an I'M
kind word TO say for the master Of the
Kronprinz, his officers or his crew,
They lived aboard the converted cruiser
for FIVE days, stesming about the Al
lsntic in the hope Of picking up q Ger
man steamship. On September Ia the
German freighter Edinburg was sight
ed, and the five passengers and crew
we're transferred 70 her and eight days
later landed in Rio de JRneirO.