The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-08-12
BIG Prize IS SAFE
FIFTEEN MILLION WAR PRIZE
DCDGES FRENCH SHIPS
Tells THRILLING TALE

North Atlantic is Dotted With Ger
man Liners Scurrying to Safety
Fear Capture by French or British
Warships, and Make for Neutral
Port.
With war formally declared be-
tween England and Germany there
was keen interest in marine circles
Tuesday night regarding the move
ment of transatlantic steamships, par
ticularly German liners, which are
scurrying to port to avoid possible
capture.
The arrival of the treasure-laden
Krfonprinzessin Cecille at Bar Har-
Dor, Me, Tuesday led TO the belief
that another North German Lloyd
liner, the Kaiser Wilhelm II, hours
overdue inNew York may turn up
unexpectedly in some other American
port. This vessel has not been heard
from since touching at Cherburg July
.I2s.
German steamship agents at New
York are taking every precaution to
prevent any hostile movement against
their vessels. The Vaterland, Of the
Hamburg-American line, is guarded
lat her Hobokenpier. Company off,
cials are adopting measures to frus-
trate any attempt to blow up the
vessel. The German consul in New
York directed that all the French
jwaiters on the Vaterland be discharg-
led.
| At the Vaterland's pier at night a
searchlight was turned on every pass
ling vessel. The Vaterland was being
iloaded with coal all day, but it was
istated no move would be made to
Isend the vessel to Germany nor would
the Imperator, now in Hamburg,
leave that port.
4 With transatlantic steamships at
sea hurrying to safety and few yes
sells undertaking voyages, the United
Estates government and steamship
companies at New York at co-operat-
ling to give transportation to Ameri-
leans to Europe. The United Trout
company, announced Tuesday that
eighteen of its vessels capable of car
Trying $500 passengers home from
iabroad. The Luckenbach Steamship
company is fitting out three ocean
vessels to sail tc foreign ports.
/ The story told by the Kronzprn-
lzesson Cecille is thrilling one. With
her cargo of 10 millions in gold and
a million in silver, consigned to
French and English bankers and with
an estimated value of over five mil
lions herself the Kronzprinzessin Ce-
1 celie has constituted probably the
finest sea prize ever open to capture.
As she crept along the Maine coast
and into the harbor under the cover
| of night each deck at every portfolio
Twas blanketed with canvas so that
mot gleam of light betrayed her
whereabouts. Her four stout stacks
had been tipped with black paint so
THAT she resembled an English steam
ship.
At one time capture seemed immi-
nent Captain Charles Polack re-
Iported on Sunday that he had inter
icepted wireless message from one
French vessel to another giving warn
ling Of the Cecelie's proximity but un-
Ider the protection of a providential
fog the North German Lloyd liner
ESCAPED.
| The Kronzprinzessin Cecelie left
New York early last Tuesday morn
ing bound for Bremen via Plymouth
land Cherbourg. She had $50 first
class, 130 second class and 736 steer
age passengers. About a third of
the first class were Germans. Most
LOT the rest were Americans.
Friday night, while dance was in
|progress, one OF the passengers no
|ticed that the position Of the moon
ha unaccountably shifted to the port
side of the ship. Before the signifi-
Icance of this was realized the cap
tain called the men into the smoking
room.
Gentlemen he said, "was has
been declared between England.
France, Germany and Austria; we are
are going back to America. We have
|enough coal for our return home and
it is my earnest hope that we shall
not be intercepted by foreign war
vesels."
There was nervous laughter, ap-
lplause, oats. congratulations and
iprotests. But all this gave way to
a grave state of apprehension as the
seriousness of the situation became
lapparent. Electric lights were turn
ed off and the ship was covered from
prov to stern in a a shroud of canvas.
This smothered whatever beams of
light escaped through chinks in the
tateroom windows. According to the
[ship's log she was then 46.46 north
latitude 3S.1 west longitude In two
dayc she would have docked at Ply
mouth.
| A group of financiers on board Of
fered to buy the ship and sail her un-
/ der American colors. But to all pro-
posals 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 cap
tain announced no messages would
be sent for fear of betraying the
ships location.
The America port which the cap
tain would try to make was a mat
ter for unlimited speculation. 1t was
not until the passengers awoke Tues
dow uorninp in sight Of the green