New Britain herald., 1914-08-04
Finest Sea Prize Ever Open to Capture Races Through Fog for Two Nights With
 Unreduced Speed.

Bar Harbor, Me-, Aug. 4.-The North German Lloyd steamer Kron- brinzessin Cecilie. carrying more han $1O,O00,00O in gold and whose vherea bouts has been more or less If mystery since she sailed from Sew York last Tuesday, arrived in he harbor here today.
 The Cecilie dropped anchor here at o'clock this morning after a forced un, of four days, her officers fearing apture.
 With a cargo of ten millions in gold nd million in silver consigned to Trench and English bankers, with an stimated value of over five millions \ herself, the Kronprinzessin Cecilie as constituted probably the finest ca prize ever open to capture.
 Blanketed With Canvas.
 As she crept along the Maine coast nd into the harbor under the cover f night, each deck, at every port ole, was blanketed with canvas so hat not a gleam of light betrayed her vhereabouts. Her four stout stacks ad been tipped with black paint so hat she resembled an English steam hip.
 At .one time capture seemed immi- |ent Captain Charles Po1ack report d on Sunday that he had intercepted wireless message from one French essel to another giving warning of he Cecilie's proximity, but under the rotection of a providential fog the orth German Lloyd liner escaped.
 Sailed Tuesday Morning.
 rTNJ,> Jof orl&, 1o tuesday morning, July 2S, bound for remen via Plymouth and /Cher- burg, with $50 first class, 13O'second ass and 736 steerage passengers. bout a third of the first class are ermans, who sailed to anticipate the ar crisis whose sudden precipitation rove them back to America. Most the rest are Americans.
 Friday night while dance was in rogress, one of the passengers oticed that the position of the moon hd unaccountably shifted to the port de of the ship. Before the signif- nce of this was realized the captain lled the men into the smoking om.
 Captain Explains Situation.
 "Gentlemen," he said, war has zen declared between England, rance, Germany and Austria; we are ping back to America. We have hough coal for our return home, and is my earnest hope that we shall bt be intercepted by foreign war essels.'
 There was nervous laughter, ap- ause, paths, congratulations, pro- cfc xyIioh ate of apprehension as the serious ess of the situation became appar- It.. Electric lights were turned off nd the ship was covered from prov stern in a shroud of canvas. This bothered whatever beams of light caped through chinks in the state- om windows. According to the ships g, she was then 46 degrees 46 inutes north latitude, 30. degrees 21 inutes west longitude. In two days
 Offer to Buy Ship.
 A group. of financiers on board of- red to buy the ship and sail her der American colors, but to all pro- |sals the captain replied that his ty was spelled by his orders from Femen,e which instructed him to Tn back ana save, his ship. There Is stampede for the wireless but e captain announced that no mes- ges would be sent for fear of be- tying the ships location.
 The American port which the cap- h would try to make was matter countless speculation. It was not til the passengers awoke this brning in sight of the green Maine Is that the liners destination be- me certain.
 For two nights with her head and G lights extinguished and every her illumination plotted out with nvas. the Kronprinzessin Cecilie ,nged through the fog with unre- eed speee and without sounding fog horn.
 Ships Passengers Protest.
 rsa ptain Polack's explanation to a egation of passengers who pro- ted against fast running under such ,ditions was that it was his motive save his ship from capture. He ded that he did not consider the oeer appreciable, as he was not on usual path.
 Fer time the protest against at the passengers looked upon as s;snosition on the part of the cap- n.to risk their lives threatened to . inc form of written demand he reduce the speed of the ship. 3. captain's only concession was to md the fog horn.
 ,assengers Congratulate Captain. when the vessel steamed safely ln- Bar Harbor today he recelved hg line of passengers who congratu- ed him on his achievement. Cap n Polack is lieutenant commander the Naval Reserves at Germany. At g o'clock the ship was waiting
 arrival of boarding officers.
 Arnone the passengers were c. G. ,end. A. J. Barchfeld of Pennsyl-