The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1915-04-15
CRUISER WILHELM
At NEWPORT NEWS
SECOND GERMAN SEA RAIDER Az
RIvES AT AMERICAN PORT
SEEKS COAL.
ELUOES ALLIED WARSHIPS
kron Prinz Wilhelm, Many Times Re-
ported Destroyed, Evades Hostile
Ships for Eight Months
Sinks Fourteen Vessels.

Newport News, April 13.-The Ger
man converted cruiser Kron Primz VIII
helm, the elusive raider of commerce
in the South Atlantic, has arrived at
Newport News and asked for fuel and
provisions.
Many times reported destroyed, the
former North German Lloyd liner had
evaded hostile warships for eight
months, during which time she carried
on an unrelentiHg warfare against hos
tile shipping.
Her officers said she was forced To-
steal her way past four allied cruisers
off the Virginia capes to reach this
refuge.
I'VE got in without being seen by
the enemy and we can get out the
same way" declared her commander,
Lieutenant-Captaiu Paul Thierfelder.
formerly navigating officer of the Ger
mar cruiser Karlsruhe, in a statement.
Coal Supply Low.
When she dropped anchor the Kron
Prinz Wilhelm had less than % ions
Of coal and scanty provisions for the
crew of 500 men and 81 prisoners
from a British merchant ship sunk in
the South Atlantic.
OF the IA ships that the cruiser
sank nine were British, four French
and one Norwegian. The value of
these ships and their cargoes, officers
of the Wilhelm estimated, was $1,000
600.
When the Kron Prinz Wilhelm ar
rived off Thimble Shoals after passing
inside the Virginia capes, two United
States submarines, the G-1 and Do met
her. The appearance of the subma-
rines caused considerable surprise
among the crew, but there was no
demonstration as the little vessels CON
yoyed the German raider to quaran~
tine, where DR.. MacCafferty, United
State quarantine officer, boarded her.
Commander Thierfelder reported &C Of
the crew and prisoners were i'll with
beri-beri and requested that they be
taken to a hospital.
U. S. Collector Goes Aboard.
Collector of Customs Norman r
Hamilton reached Newport News from
Norfolk early in the day after the
Prinz Wilhelm had anchored in the
James river in almost the same place
taken by the Prinz Eitel when she
reached here March 10. The collector
went aboard, i%nstructing the com
mander he must leave port within "a
hours unless he needed coal and pro-
visions and time to make repairs.
The German commander came
ashore with the collector and asked
for 300 tons Of coal and supplies for
three days. Collector Hamilton, after
consulting Washington, allowed him
$50 tons, which will be put aboard at
once, and the provisions required
What repairs are necessary the Ger
man commander was unable to deter
mine, and the United States naval
board will be asked to make an exami-
nation.
When Collector Hamilton took Com
mander Thierfelder back to his ship,
there stood or the Wilhelm's deck
Commander Thierichens of the in
termed Prinz Eitel Friedrich, and his
staff. AS Commander Thierfelder
reached the deck the two embraced
and retired for consultation. Later Of
ficers of the two German sea raiders
dined together.
Escape British Cruisers.
Newspaper men were permitted
aboard the ship, but were denied &C
cess to the British prisoners, who will
be released Immediately.
Officers of the raider said they es-
capped detection from British cruisers
on several occasions. One showed a
sketch he had made of a scene when
a German coaling ship which was to
bring the Prinz Wilhelm relief, was
captured by British cruisers.
I'VE could see them take our coal
ship and sink her." he said, but they
never saw us. There were two Brit
ish warships. We got away as soon
as we could and never heard of II