New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-14
THE SEA UNSAFE FOR GERMAN SHIPS SEEK SAFETY

breezes of the southwest monsoon, jumped
toward the hundred mark.
The Kuria Muria group of islands belongs to
Great Britain; so, at least, the atlas states
More than little red ink on an atlas is nee
essary to hold good harbor in war time.
These islands are uninhabited and furnished
just the refuge the Zeten was seeking.
The Koengsberg returned to give our cap
tain some farewell instructions, as well as to
dispose of the City Of Winchester. While the
launch was waiting to take our captain aboard
the cruiser talked with one of the young OF"
hcers who had sat a: our table during the
earlier part of the trip.
How long can you hold out1" asked, hav-
ing in mind the fact that the Koenigsberg was
consuming a great deal Of coal and had no
base of supplies.
mot more than three weeks at the most,
he replied sadly. What a rotten business
this is! I wonder what will happen to us"
Perhaps, poor fellow he was thinking OF that
girl in Germany whom he had been going
home to marry He was mistaken in his es-
innate of time. The Koenigsberg did hold
great deal of the work for which the Emden
was credited by the English newspapers. At
present she is ashore, six miles up river,
over in German East Africa. She has landed
her guns made Notifications and perhaps the
wedding may come to pass after all. l hope
so, for he is gentleman.
An hour later and we were at sea, full
speed, travelling due south. After crossing
the steamer tracks from Bombay and CO.
lombo we slowed down again to an econom-
ical speed, which would give US the maximum
distance for the minimum of coal. Evidently
it was to be long voyage.
Would the food and water hold outf 1t
was becoming more and more scarce on the
table each day. Five hundred people con-
sumo great deal In each three meals. Then
there were the steerage passengers packed in
with none too great sanitary precautions.
What if an epidemic should break out among
them. Each day brought the passengers of
the Zeiten some new fear or rumor with which
to kill the time.
Then there was the question of coal again.
We knew that it was running short. One
night we saw the smokestacks shooting up
mass Of fame. The stokers had been feeding
in too much OIL, cocJanuts and copra with
the coal That light must have been visible
for fifty miles, but no one saw it. The Indian
Ocean is big place.
One night the first officer from the City
Of Winchester struggled out his instrument
and took an observation. We had crossed
the equator and were further south than Oar
es-Salaam. The atlas had disappeared from
the smoking room table, but in anticipation
of that had made some tracings Of all the
maps which might be useful. The next day
we changed our course few points to the
southwest, and toward evening the English
captain assured me he felt land breeze
At daybreak on August 20 we sighted some
low-lying sandhils over the starboard bow
An hour later we spied a settlement The
Zeiten hoisted an English flag and signalled
for pilot. Once safely inside the three-mile
limit the Union Jack was replaced by the Ger
man emblem and none too soon for us-we
were passing under the neutral guns OF the
old fort at Mozambique, Portuguese East
Africa.
Mozambique was a disappointment It
the government could spare US no water, the
cisterns being nearly dry. Owing to the
war, trading had been interrupted, and there
was a scarcity of food on the island The
Zeiten would have to look out for its own
people.
For three weeks the passengers waited
there, the monotony Of life varied only by an
occasional trip to the shore.
A few of us. more fortunate than the 9TH
ers, were able to get taken of the Zeiten ten
days later and sent to Lourenzo Marques,
whence we found our way through Johannes
burg and the Transvaal down to Cape Town.
and after a long delay to London.
A relief ship sent up to the Zeiten from
South Africa to take of the citizens OF all
except the German government The latter
are still! interned at Mozambique harbor.
Seventy-one days from Colombo to Londonl
One can circle the globe. from New York to
New York, in less thaS thirty-seven days