New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-09
KAISER A CAPTIVE,
WAS STORY OF SEA
Skipper Karstadt, Nearing
England, FleeS After
FrenChman'S News.
INDRA HAD 100000
IN NITRATE ABOARD
Finds Safety Here After $50
Days on Ocean and Often
Near Capture.

What might have been n fine. fat
prize OF war. rich with nitrate, slipped
through the fingers Of the Allies sea
dogs yesterday when the German full
rigger lndrs y came into port and
dropped anchor off Stapleton. In short
she had been slipping by danger ever
since the European war began. having
been bounding over the Pacific and At
lantic for $50 days with 29,67s bags of
the stun that helps make gunpowder.
captain Will Karstadt. master Of
the lndra. who speaks good English
even If he is German, lay back in
an easy chair in his cabin yesterday
and laughed for an hour He shook
hands with his crew of twenty-one men,
with himself and with the reporters
who dropped in on him just M he was
preparing to write letter 10 his frau
in Hamburg.
over in the corner Of the lndra's
cabin, with hardly word TO say but
with an enviable smile. rocked Captain
Reincro. the burly skipper Of the Ger
man ship Matador. which on August IS
got safely into New York Harbor His
vessel is anchored near by. and when
he saw the Indra come in yesterday he
got out in a gig in hurry TO CON
graduate Captain karstadt.
Kaiser at War with World
I've left Taltal. Chill. June H." said
Captain Karstadt with cargo Of
nitrate of soda consigned to an Eng
lsh company in Dunkrk. We never
dreamed Of war when we left Rough
weather stayed with US all the way
down the Pacific. and we rounded Cape
Horn in a blizzard July %.
Coming up the Atlantic the weather
was good. and on August Pc we spoke
a Swedish bark. The master told us
that Germany had got into a war with
the whole world and was making
hard fight. didn't know whether he
was joking or not. but thought there
was something in il. and decided TO
keep out of the way Of all war vessels.
if possible
"On September we fetched UP of
Flores Island. the Azores, and for four
days ! stood off about eighty miles,
hoping to get word from some mer-
chantmen regarding the affairs in Eu-
rope and find out If there really was a
war under way. We did not sight a
vessel, so we squared away for the
English Channel.
when off the Scilly Islands, on Sep
TENDER 20, | thought surely ] would
get some news. and stood off until Oc-
tober 8, when ! hailed a French barque
with a master who tells lies.
81 asked him how the war was get
ting on and he replied that the war
was all over; that Berlin was in the
- - L..
ing arranged for in Paris. where the
Kaiser was held captive. and that VIII
helm II was to be exiled when the
peace terms we're decided.
Was Not To Be Caught.
81 did not like that news. but the
Frenchman spoke earnestly, and
thought maybe he was telling the truth.
He said it would be perfectly safe for
me 20 run right up to Dunkirk OF
course, il would | knew that myself,
but | did not want the Allies 70 get
that nitrate cargo or the Indra.
ION October 4 ! spoke the American
liner Philadelphia, and she told me
that the war was still going on. The
only place open for me was New York.
and put about and started for Amer
lea That night / saw two British
cruisers. They came swfully close.
but their searchlight missed US. They
came so close ! heard the piping of the
boatswain's mate.
Il nearly choked my bloodhound Mel
lie to keep her from barking, and we
lad 10 take our eight chickens below
for fear they might make noise. We
held our course and soon ran into a
fog. On the morning Of October the
weather cleared, but no war vessels
were in sight.
1--WE made Sable Island on October
26. and at noon on Saturday we were
of the Delaware Breakwater. | kept
as close to the three-mile limit as pos
sible, and at o'clock this morning
gave a line to the tub Forsythe Broth
ers, which lowed US safely TO port
Captain Karstadt sighted q three
funnelled cruiser FIVE miles to the
southeast, and was glad to take the
tow. A bargain was made with the tug
master and the lndra was taken into
port for 5000. The German was so
anxious TO get away that he would not
stop 10 take on a pilot. Once inside
the lightship the skipper put up the
German flag for the first time since
he hauled it down on August 26 when
a Swedish bark informed him that the
Kaiser was at war with the world.
CAPTAIN Karstadt said yesterday that
his cargo Of nitrate, which is probably
now worth about 100000, will not fall
into British hands. He said that as it
ordaV Of tho m - q ~