New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-14
LETTERS OF LIGHT
TO PROTECT LINER
Nieuw Amsterdam Will
Show Name on Trip
by Huge Signs.

y .
An electrician and a sign painter
went aboard the Holland-America liner
Nieuw Amsterdam soon after she
warped into her dock In Hoboken yes
terday. after a stormy passage from
Rotterdam. and took measurements.
They had an unusual contract Tor deco
ration on the big liner, and when she
steams for Rotterdam on Saturday
their handiwork may be apparent TO
spectators along the waterfront.
The words Nieuw Amsterdam, IN
white paint and in glittering incandes-
cent display, are to be put all over the
vessel before she leaves this port for
her trip through the English Channel,
a waterway which has been declared
war zone by the German government.
CAPTAIN Baron is not going to use
the American flag to protect his vessel
from German submarine attack, but by
sanction Of the government Of the
Netherlands he is going to have the
name of his ship painted on her big
black sides extending from stem TO
stern. 3,
whats in a name?" he was asked
to take measurements.
"An awful lot these days." replied
the skipper with a smile, and those
letters are going to be as big as box
cars"
The white letters will serve to let
the German periscopes know what is
coming along in the daytime, and at
night two electric signs, big enough to
dim upper Broadway, will serve notice
upon hostile craft that the great Hol-
land America liner Nieuw Amsterdam,
the most neutral of neutral vessels,
is anxious to be let alone.
Chance for Deception.
When it was suggested to the skipper
that the Lusitania or any other British
vessel might paint up and electrify
itself with similar words. he merely
shrugged his shoulders.
Among the Nieuw Amsterdam's pas
sengers were the four children of the
late Countess de Bruisseret, who was
the wife of the Belgian Minister to
Petrograd. They were Michel, aged
thirteen; Guy, twelve; Robert, eight,
and Beatrice, four.
The countess, who was a Miss Caro-
line Story, daughter of General John
P. Story, U. S. A., was married about
fifteen years ago, when her husband
was In the diplomatic service for Bel
GUM in Washington.
When the Germans invaded Belgium
the counts house near Brussels was in
the line Of fire Of the forts, and was
RACED by the Belgian army. The coun-
tess, who had been in poor health, was
greatly affected by the destruction of
her home and over the inability of her
husband to join her in Brussels. He
applied for permission to see her, but
the German military authorities re-
fused him admission to Belgium on
the ground that he was diplomat.
Later he hurried to England via Scan
dinavis, and the day he arrived in
London his wife died. Then he ap-
pealed to the German authorities for
permission to visit his children before
they came to America and was permit
ted to see them for a few hours at The
Hague.
The youngsters were accompanied
here by Miss Margaret Carr, a gov
erness. They were met at the pier by
their uncle, John P. Story, jr., Of
Washington.
Big Liner Held Up.
A report that the Nieuw Amsterdam
was detained off Sandy Hook on her
last eastward passage to Rotterdam by
the converted cruiser Caronia was
confirmed yesterday on her arrival.
lieutenant from the war craft
boarded the steamship and asked to
see the passports of all whose names
he thought were of German origin.
Franz II. Krebs, a Boston newspaper
man, declined TO show his passport on
the ground that he believed the board
ing officer had no authority to demand
it. Later he handed il to Captain
Baron, who showed il to the lieuten-
ant and the vessel was released.
Also on the big liner were four Bel
gian families who will settle on farms
near Wilmington, n. c., provided for
them by Hugh MacRae, a banker Of
Wilmington.
Among others on board were A. F.
NJ. Lange, the architect, who rebuilt
the embassy building in Berlin for
Ambassador Gerard, and Miss Sue
Harvard, an American singer who had
been singing in Dresden.
+. b. Nelson, an American who has
been associated with Red Cross work
with the German army, returned for
short vacation. He had seen some
hard fighting, he said, in East Prussia
and was for several weeks at LODI. 1t
was here. he said, that the Germans
proved the inferiority of the Russians
lie said the Germans had a scheme for
Turing the enemy which worked splen-
didly. An aeroplane, he said. went up
over the Russian troops and dropped
into the trenches notes inviting the
enemy to come over and share to-
bacco, cigarettes and food and drink
Some Of the men accepted the invita-
tions dropped from the air and were
promptly made prisoners. Others.
however, were released as bait for fur
Their assertions, the Germans ALWAYS
holding the visiting enemy when their
numbers were sufficiently large to war
"a ~