The Republican journal., 1915-06-24
Sack from Europe.
master Tells of Tension of Traversing
line Field: Cargo Was Seized.


line Field: Cargo Was Seized.
et Arthur, Texas, News, June 9thl
Watts the flag painted on the sides
ship for?" said the marine report
p. 1 The News to Captain Amos A.
Dos. master of the American steamer
DIE. ,hee, discharging cargo in the port
81 .5Is time. Whats the flag painted on
3f. It's too early for the Fourth O. July
amt you rushing the season."
Just been across" said the master of
he o geechee, land that's the safety first
rgr YOU re seeing. Been over to Bremen
md back, and like to have never got back;
Missed foater-one of those mines, you
.row, that go adrift from their moorings
missed it by barely ten feet, and we
sN number of other mines and lots of
rift that we thought were mines, but
mich really were not; but when one is
i've days and nights in mine field with
he ifeboats lowered over the sides, pro-
.sioned, and with axes handy to cut the
lpss with, the thing gets on ones nerves
r everything you see floating looks
Ike a mine adrlft. You may not believe
. Uut really once we gave wide berth
wnat afterward proved to be a per-
fv innocent barrel, and at another
ue we sighted something that looked
-rty bad in our nervous condition, but
aca proved to be derelict fishing net
1 the buoys in cluster. There's the
t officer, ask him. Mr.. Hyler met
newspaper man. You see, Mr.. Hyler
IL. nief officer on the steamer Satilla
-r that vessel made trip across and
navigating the mine fields the tent
# suspense was so intense that none
The deck officers had their clothes off
u aine days. Mr.. Hyler was one Of
l You sleep with your eyes open
n he ship is among floating mines.
VI ~ up for the night, you say? What
Use? These floating mines drifting
ust d ship would explode, as they are
tact mines and the action of the waves
aelng them against the side of ship
--7t would detonate them. One might
rs yell 90 ahead in the night and run the
-ns Of being hit as lay to and have
M ioater explode by drifting against
ssel, it's IS safe one way as the
- Tell you about the trip? Certain
LIST between you and me, but not for
eation.
We left Savannah February 22ni for
.an with 6S32 bales of cotton. The
~ was inspected in loading by the
sh consular Office, the matches were
under its agency, and we were
ed for Bremen via the KirkWell,
~ Island to report to the British
atty for orders concerning q safe
f travel. We arrived March 18th
me ships papers were being in
. III. and | understood the salient fea-
# them were forwarded to Lon
We laid there three days, being
sailing instructions March 10th,
took us in straight line toward
zen, Norway, d route out of our
s-, but we were instructed to pro-
to the Norwegian coast and follow
asst down to Lister Deep, where we
00-7 take on the German pilot. No eX-
uati0n was given why we were to pro-
-5s toward Bergen. A torpedo boat
owed US, evidently to guard US against
-sTap, but snow storm coming up we
sight of the craft and took on the
plot at Lister Deep, arriving in Bremen
lrch 10th.
We loaded a full cargo at Bremen for
'-W Y Ork, and it was very valuable
Cargo. | think it would have amounted
at least $500, 900 in value, and one
fem may be interesting: it was parcel
Of 1000 barrels of moth balls. There
We're wines, silk goods, toys, artificial
lowers for ladies' hats, and varied as
sgrtment, including large quantity of
1yestutfs. The silk goods alone on the
vessel was said to have been valued at
,60 200.
We left Bremen April 3rd, proceed
ing up the coast to Norway and in strik.
Ing across to leave the Farce Islands to
The north we were overhauled by the
Hntsh cruiser Orepesa in latitude CO. sc
~, longitude $50 W., and were ordered
70 follow the vessel to calmer seas. We
We're stopped by two blank shots fired
aaf1ss our stern, a lieutenant and eight
arlnes coming on board. We followed
cruiser in a heavy gale for eight
ours, covering 80 miles and arriving
lar the lee of the Farce Islands,
.s there was smooth water Here
ere told that the cargo of the Ogee-
vas prize and that the Ogeechee
~ proceed to port in the Habrides
vs. SIS, and to report to Rear Admiral
asr.
we arrived at the Hebrides April
and were informed IN arriving that
-rgO had been fhrowi into 4ne prize
and thar che steamer was TO pro-
80 Sharpness to disct arge, another
and eight MAXINE. lslnlng aboard
Ike charge of the ship. We arrived
q. arpness April l8tn, where all the
70 was taken out and put into ware
.alses, leaving the ship with only one
sa'omobiIe on board and that belonging
q an American and being shipped back
Zone from Bremen. We took on 700
IONS of coal for ballast, arriving May
18th at New York.
We had very exciting time and for
q part of the time when seeing so many
hIngs that suspiclously resembled float
ulg mines we had nervous time, but we
we're treated mighty nice by both the
Iagllsh and the Germans; nothing i'm
polte about their business relations with
Us u.s. We had to give up the cargo, but
,iat part of their war over there and
1e English officers who overhauled us
aal took charge of the ship were mighty
ae9 about it; it was on their program
aua they were carrying it out, and here
we are, but if some of those things we
Sa~ floating had hit US we would not be
SGwn here at Port Arthur, and that g
Say the United States flag is painted big
aha prominent on the sides of the Ogee-
Suee, although it is nearly three weeks
's' till the Fourth of july"