Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-13
WANTS TO RESUME
SEA-RA|D|NG TASK
Commander of Kronprinz Will
helm Evidently Not Think
ing of Internment.
SHIP REMAINS AT ANCHOR
Not Permitted in Dry Dock Until
He Makes Formal
Statement.

NEWPORT NEWS. VA. April lc.-
The German merchant raider k-onprinz
Wilhelm. under orders from the Wash
!ngton government. wiil not he per-
mittcd TO go into dry dock at the ship
yard here until Lieutenant Captain
The!rfclder, commander Of tn. ship. has
made formal request In writing as to
the repairs he wishes 10 make to render
his vessel seaworthy and for supplies
necessary TO take him to the nearest
home port
Captain Thiertclder told Collector Of
Customs Hamilton tonight that he
would make his formal request as soon
as possible, but that he could not do
80 before tomorrow. Meanwhile. the
sea SCARED commerce destroyer re-
mains at anchor in the James River
and was examined late to-day by eX-
perts from the Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock Company. who
found the ship leaking slightly and her
boilers in bad shape. Unoficially. It
was learned that the vessel Is In need
OF much tinkering before she could be
made seaworthy. and this was taken
as an indication that the ship event
ually may be forced to follow her pre-
decessor. the Prlnz E!tel Friedrich. to
intcrnment at this port for the period
of the war.
CAPTAIN DETERMINED TO
RETURN TO HIGH SEAS
The doughty German captain, how
ever. is insistent that he must hasten
TO repair his ship and return upon the
work commissioned him by the Ger
man government az merchant raider
on the high seas.
Il VIII decide upon repairs necessary
TO my ship as soon as II is humanity
possible" Captain Thicrfelder said to-
night, because II is necessary that ]
proceed as soon as possible. 1t Is
OF utmost Importance that resume the
duties assigned to me by my govern
ment at sea"
The German commander to-day dis
charged officers and men OF the Brit
ish ships Temar and Colby, whom he
brought to this port. and they we're
transferred to the British horse
steamer Cassandra amid the plaudits
OF their fellow -countrymen aboard
ships in the harbor Tonight they
left for England, all OF them glad to
he alive and wondering how they
slipped through the warships OF the
allies of the Virginia capes. That the
escape WAS miraculous one was at
tested to by Captain Thierfelder him
self tonight in an interview on his
experience in racing to this refuge
from the equator after destroying the
Colby on March 81 last
we started north from the EQUATOR
short OF coal and provisions" said Cap
tain Thiertelder. as he took a respite
from official business late in the day.
We also had sick sailors aboard
afflicted because OF too much rice diet
and lack OF fresh vegetables. When
we started north we hoped and had
Planned TO meet up with German sup
ply ships Unfortunately for us. none
or the supply ships we expected
turned up. What became OF them
40 not know, except we saw from the
shelter OF overhanging clouds one
collier we had expected being chased
oE two British cruisers. which. fortu-
nately, could not sight US, and we made
our escape
"Cnfortunately, also, on our trim
north through the mid Atlantic we did
not meet up with any merchant vessel
from which we could get coal and sup-
pies. In this situation, It was nece.
sary for US to get to port and al.o TO
dry dock. and picked out Newport
News as the place to come
CONTINUALLY HEAR
wAHSHIPs TALKING
AS We came UP wc continually heard
tho British warships talking to each
other on the wireless. II seemed on
some days and nights that there vera
rs many as eight OF these warship,
within radius OF few hundred miles
But we kept OH due north, running as
rapidly as wc could, with our shin
darkened at night. One night wa
heard the exchange Of news about the
Prinz Ettcl Friedrich being at Newport
news Thereafter we heard informa
ton about the Eitel every night. But
suddenly few night ago we got the
news from the British wireless that tho
I'rinz Eitel had been interned Imme
diately therea fter all this talking he
tween the British warships ceased
we presume from this that the fleet OF
warships was breaking up, and on Sat
urday night we decided to go for the
Virginia capes. With all lights out
"e started at top speed, but had not
gone far when we again picked up the
wireless OF the allied warships. But
we Kept on. AS we got nearer the
coast Ii seemed to us from the signals
that there were as many as three Brit
ish warships and one French shin with
In distances varying from three to flfty
miles of us. One ship seemed danger
ously near as we approached the capes
At daybrenk we were safe within tho
capes. and took aboard a pilot, who
steered us here"
"One night on our way up we were
to have met German collier. and made
for her There were low overhanging
clouds about US, but In the distance
brilliant moonlight showed us our
ship. and there were two British war
ships after her. The clouds protected
us. and We escaped. We never heard
OF the collier again"
From other sources It was learned
that this collier was believed to be
the Macedonia which was renortod ~