Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-04-13

Continued from Page one)
tenant Captain Paul Thierfeder, formerly
navigating officer Of the German cruiser
KARLSRUHE, I'm a statement tonight.
When 1t dropped anchor the Kronprinz
Wilhelm had less than twenty-five tons
Of coal and scanty provisions for the
crew of 500 men and sixty-one prisoners
from British merchant ships sunk in the
South Atlantic.
Fourteen ships sunk.
OF the fourteen ships that the 15,oOO-ton
cruiser sank, nine were British. four
French and one Norwegian. The value
of these ships and their cargoes, officers
of the Wilhelm estimated at 100000.
Met by U. $. Submarines.
When the kronprinz Wilhelm arrived
off Thimble shoals, after passing the
Virginia capes, early today, two United
States submarines. the GIL and d., met
st. The appearance of the submarines
caused considerable surprise among the
crew. but there was no demonstration
as the little vessels conveyed the Ger
man raider to quarantine. where DR.
MacCafferty, United States quarantine
officer. boarded It.
Commander Thierfelder reported sixty
six Of the crew and prisoners were i'll
with beri beri and requested that they
be taken to a hospital.
The Kronprinz Wilhelm followed in the
wake of the interned Prinz Eitel Frieder-
ich. which arrived here a month ago yes
terday after thrilling and effective opera
tons for the German arms.
In it's raid of the seas since II slipped
out OF New York harbor August last as
n German merchant and passenger
steamer. the Kronprinz Wilhelm never
touched land and took $50 prisoners from
various vessels destroyed.
Most of these were sent to South Amer
lean ports at different times on German
ships which met the raider in response to
wireless calls.
The second OF the raiders brought as
' thrilling a story as did the Eitel Fr.eder-
ich. Its record of destruction, however,
was accomplished with only four guns,
two taken from the German cruiser
Karlsruhe and two captured later from
the British merchant steamer La Cor
rentina, sunk October Z. 1914
Fresh Food Taken Aboard.
One hundred and fifty tons of coal.
fifty tons OF fresh water and three days
supply of fresh meats, fruits and vege-
tables were loaded on barges during the
night and were alongside the cruiser at
sunrise. These provisions were allotted
the raider by Collector Of Cuctoms Hamil-
ton after conference with the Washing
ton authorities.
Early today United States naval patrol
of the James river was begun in the VI
entity of the Wilhelm's anchorage. The
naval tug Patuxent took a position along
side the German raider, while torpedo
boats and submarines anchored in posi-
tions leading 20 Hampton Roads.
The provisions taken on by the cruiser
we're for use in this port only. They con-
sisted of vegetables and fresh meats. the
lack of which was responsible for the
epidemic of beri-beri.
Daniels Orders Survey.
WASHINGTON, April 12-without
awaiting formal application from Captain
Thierfelder of the Kron Prinz Wilhelm
for board OF naval officers to survey
his vessel and determine the repairs
necessary and the amount of coal and
provisions to which 1t is entitled,
Secretary Daniels has instructed Admiral
Fletcher at Hampton Reads to follow the
precedent established in the case of the
Prinz Eitel Friedrich, just interned at
Norfolk.
II the captain asks for repairs. the ex-
tent of the overhauling as well as the
time required will be kept a strict secret
by government officials,