The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-08
E|TEL FRIEDRICH H
inter NED. FOR
REST OF WAR
Found Ii Not Wise To Make Dash
From Newport News
WAITED IN VAIN FOR HELP
Commander Says That in View of
Conditions He Would Not De-
liver Crew to obstruction

Newport News. Va, April THE
United States government At 10
o'clock tonight, at the request of Com
mander Thierichens, took over for in
ternment the German converted cruis-
er Prinz EiteI Friedrich, TO hold her
till the end of the war
Collector of Customs Hamilton il
formed the German officer on March
20 that the departure of the ship must
not be later than midnight OF April q,
or internment would follow. Mr..
Hamilton at 8 o'clock this evening
presented a further requirement that
the Prinz Eite pass the three-mile
limit, leaving American territorial
waters not later than 4 o'clock tomcI-
row morning. Commander Thierich-
ems. who was expecting the Collect
ors' visit, answered by presenting 4
typed letter in which he asked Tor in
ternment. The letter follows:
TO Collector of Customs
| inform you l intend to intern s.
NJ. S. Prinz Titel Friedrich. The re
lief expected appear not to arrive in
time. so the number and force Of the
enemy cruisers watching the entrance
of the bay makes, to me, impossible
the dash for the open sea with any
hope of success. | hare decided not
to deliver crew and ship to the fruit.
less and certain destruction.
Being obliged for the courtesy
shown by all United States autilorit-
les, am expecting your orders.
have sent the same oformatlon to
Rear Admiral Helm, U. S S. Alabama.
Respectfully,
April Z, 1915. Thierichens.
The commander of the German raid
er indicated that up to the last NOM
ment he had hoped to put to- sea-
that he. had looked forward for four
weeks to the arrival of a German
force off the Capes that by attackinl
the British and French ships there
would give him chance to break
through. 1t is understood that the re-
lief he expected was the German bat
tie cruiser Won Der Tam, which is
said to have left Germany some weeks
ago carrying submarines on her deck
and which since then has been report
ed to be in the South Atlantic. The
plan was for the submarines to attack
the enemy. while the Van Der Tam
made a diversion from the sea and
the Prinz Eitel Friedrich escaped
from the harbor.
Though Commander Thierichcns
had known for almost three weeks
just when his time would expire, not
once did he give any intimation that
he would intern, and his sailors to-
night were in ignorance that intern
ment was all accomplished fact. The
Commander was sad sort of g man
when the Collector visited him this
evening, and his face expressed his
disappointment at the failure of aid
to reach him.
Il would like to go out" he said
with a little smile. but have to
think of my men,
The last few days of the Eitels free
stay in this port proved to be SER
ious embarrassment to British com
merce. Since few days after aer ar
rival here she has held not less than
three British cruisers and one French |
warship in idleness off the capes in
expectation of her departure. Yester
day in order to give the cruiser a free
exit, if she decided to go, the Americ. |
an government held up dozen Brit |
ish and Russian ships that were ready J
to sail, and today twice that number |
of ship Captains were complaining of |
their inability to get away.