Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-29
SINKING OF GERMAN CRUISER
Captain Tells How the Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse Was Sunk.

was berthed in the East River.
When Capt. Meyer was urged to tell
of the destruction of his vessel, hailed
in 1897 as the "Giantess Of the Ocean,
and the first four funnelled steamer to
enter this port, he said:
The Kaiser was at her berth in
Bremen when the war started. The
German government Immediately took
over my ship and put ten four-inch
guns on her. 4 German naval officer
was placed in command, but ] went
along as navigating officer. we were
one Of the very few German auxiliary
cruisers that succeeded in getting tc
sea.
Sank Three British Ships.
I'VE made our way down the coast
of Africa, sank three British ships, the
Tubal Cain, the Kaipara and the Ny
ANA, and Aug. Is, captured the steam
ship Galician of the Union Castle Line
We sent out wireless calls for British
merchantmen and by posing as Brit
ish warship got the location of the Ga
lcian. Then when we went up to hel
she recognized us and Immediately
sent out several @ S calls in rapid
succession. We sent word back, Send
one more letter and we will sink you.
She then hove to,
Two of our officers boarded her
told her to put out all lights and follow
us We took off Lieut.. Deane and Pri.
vate Sturmer of a Lancashire regiment
and made them prisoners Of war Thai
night Ws started out to sea with ou1
prize, but her calls must have beer
heard by the Highflyer because we be-
gan getting responses to the S O S. OF
course we did not answer them, but
kept dodying about for days and finally
let the Galiciaf go,
I'VE cruised about until the night o.
Aug. 26, when we saw the HighhyeI
through mist and crept away, Early
that morning we picked up the Be-
thania with coal for US and we began
coaling from her as fast as we could
But at two o'clock that afternoon we
sighted the Highhyer again coming
for us under forced draught. We could
do twenty-one and a half knots ordi-
narily, but we did not have enough
steam to escape and the cruiser came
down on us like shot. When she was
four miles away she landed a shot on
our top deck amidShips.
Il swung the Kaiser around so that
she was bow on to the cruiser, and less
of mark, but shells fell all around us
We poured some lead at that cruiser
too.
Sunk by the Hishflyer
Great holes soon were torn in the
Kaiser's hull and the water poured into
several of them under water. She be-
gan to list, and when ! was certain she
would not stay afiOat but two or three
minutes longer ] called to all hands to
jump overheard.
I'VE had about 600 men on board
Some of them grabbed life preservers
but most of them swan for pieces OF
wreckage that were strewn about over
the water. There was plenty Of that
as much of the superstructure had
been shot overheard. l don't know how
many were drowned. have heard
While they were in the water the
FIighhyer kept up her firing: ] could
not understand why the Kaiser did
not go down. Finally the bridge was
shot away and | went operbQard with
it. 4 moment later l saw the Kaiser
settle with Iurch and then stop. She
had gone down in only about thirty six
feet Of water.
The Highflyer then stopped firing
and the Dcthania put over boats and
picked UP the men in the water. The
llighilyer also put over boats and
placed the men she rescued on the
collier. lay on Il section of deck
house partially stunned. | must have
been there three hours before an off
Ger from the Bethania grabbed me and
pulled me into boat.
when all the men that could be
found were on board the Bethania the
IIighilyer let her go. The cruiser took
the two Britishers. The Rethania tried
to make Charleston, 5. G., but was cap
tured twenty-one miles off that port ny
the British cruiser Essex and taken IL
Kingston, where we arrived Sept g.
There ! was taken To a hospital and fl