The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-03-11
sinking OF FRYE
s1RS OFFICIALS
Continued From First Page.

derstood the United States probably
would seek the usual honorable amends.
as well as reparation for ,ne owners.
Since the warship and her officers are
under the jurisdiction of the Bnited
States owners of the FRYE and her ear.
go can institute libel proceedings to
recover for loss of their property.
Germany in Dilemma?
Whether the action of the captain of
the Prinz Eitel has not placed his gov.
eminent in dilemma by sinking the
American grain ship William P. FRYE,
was much discussed in official quarters
to-day. Assuming that the Frye.s car.
go was not consigned to the British
government. one view is that the Ger
man government either must repudiate
the action of Captain Thierehsen and
pay for the Frye and her cargo, or
withdraw its protest to the State De-
partment against the British assump.
tion to the right to seize food cargoes
bound from neutral country like the
United States to the civilian popula.
tion of Germany.
1t was believed possible ,nat Ger.
many might seek a middle course by
adopting the British view ths, goods
shipped "to ORDER are not entitled TO
the same exemption from seizure or de.
tention as those consigned TO some in
dividual or firm. That, however, is d.
reetly opposed to the American conten.
tlon, strongly set out in a number of
notes exchanged with the British CsE.
ernment early in the war in relation to
copper shipments and still maintained
May Have to Release Prisoners
Though the Prinz Etel Friedrich is
now German national vessel and on
the same footing as a full fledged man
of-war, it is held by some State De-
partment officials that being in Amer.
lean territorial waters, her commander
cannot legally hold a single prisoner,
not member of his own crew. There.
fore, if he has detained aboard ship
four British or French prisoners be-
cause they refused to promise not to
bear arms against Germany. port au-
thorities at Newport News may de-
mand their release as soon as their at,
tention is directed to the facts, prob
ably by one OF the embassies here, or
by consular officers at Norfolk.
German Commander to Explain
Newport News, Va, March IL
Collector of Customs Hamilton to-day |
under instructions from |
Washington, to proceed again to-day |
TO the German auxiliary cruiser Prinz !
Eitel Friedrich which put in here yes
terday to get formal statement from |
Commander Thieriehsen as to why he |
sank the American sailing ship Will
liam P Frye off the South American |
coast with $500 tons of wheat for |
England. Commander Thierichsen was
awaiting instructions from the German |
embassy at Washington and was ex- !
pecting Captain Boyd, naval attache |
of the embassy to be on hand to aid !
him. ALSO Captain H. H. Kiehne. mas
ter of the sunken American ship Will
liam P. Frye, who slept last night on,
the German warship was preparing to
give supplemental statement regard.
ing the fate of his ill-fated craft.
Glad to Be On American Soil
The commander of the ships sunk
by the auxiliary cruiser and who were
brought here on the ship spent the /
night at Newport News hotels. In ad- |
iition to these were group of first
class passengers Of the French passen-
ger ship Floride sunk by the German
ship, who were permitted to remain
ashore under guard of immigration Of
icials
Among the passengers was Raoul II
Massar, Belgian citizen, taken from
The Floride bound for the Argentine
republic. Massar was glad to be on
American soil and last night was
planning through negotiations with
" ashington to- Leave for New York
where he might embark for Paris to
'ejoin his family.
Terrible Tension Of Voyage
'Oh, the terrible tension of voy-
lge on converted cruiser" said NJ.
dassar last night at his hotel. Gun
ess one has experienced it he cannot