Norwich bulletin., 1915-04-12
Slipped by Hostile Warships and Entered Port
at Newport News, Va.
FOURTEEN SHIPS SUNK BY GERMAN CRUISER
Destruction of Ships is Estimated ST. 600 OOO-Many
Times Reported Destroyed Had Been at Sea 225 Days
Deadly Work by German Raider Was Accomplished
With Four Guns-Has Taken 96O Prisoners.

Newport News, Va. April 1.-THE
German coverted cruiser Kronprinz
Wilhelm, the elusive raider of COM
merce in the South Atlantic, slipped
into this port today and asked for
fuel ard provisions. Many times re-
ported destroyed, the former North
German Lloyd liner had evaded hos
tile WarShipS for eight months while
she sent fourteen merchantmen to
the bottom. Her officers said she was
forced to steal her way past four al
lied cruisers off the Nirginain capes
to reach this refuge.
We got in without being seen by the
enemy and we will get out the same
way declared her commander, Lieu
tenant Camptain Paul Thierfelder,
fGrmerly navigating officer of the Ger
| man cruiser Karlsruhe. in a statement
| tonight. When she dropped anchor
the kronprinz Wilhelm, had less than
% 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.
Sank Fourteen Ships.
| OF the II ships sunk by the $4,000
| ton cruiser, nine We're British four
French and one Norwegian. The value
! of thes ships and their cargoes, Off
| GERS of the Wilhelm estimated tonight
| at $7,000,000.
When the Kronprinz Wilhelm ar
rived off Thimble Shoals, after pass
| ing in the Virginia capes early today,
! the United States submarines, the G.
| 1 and DE-, met her. The appearance
i of the submarines caused considera-
| Bile surprise among the crew, but
! there was no demonstration as the
| little vessels conveyed the German
raider to quarantine, where DR.. Nc
| Caffery, United States quarantine Of
! ficer, boarded her. Commander Their
| fielder reported Sc of the. crew and
| nd
requested that they be taken to a
| hospital.
Has Taken $50 Prisoners.
The Kronprinz Wilhelm followed in
the wake of the interned Prinz Eitel
/ Friedrich, which arrived here a
month ago yesterday after thrilling
| and effective operations for the Ger
man arms. In her raid Of the seas,
| since she slipped out Of New York
harbor' August 3rd, last, as a Ger
man merchant and passenger steamer,
the Hronrrinz Wilhelm never touch
ed land and took $50 prisoners from
various vessels destroyed.
Most of these prisoners were sent
| to South American ports at different
| times on German ships which met the
raider in response to wireless calls
| The sixty-one now on board, who will
be landed here tomorrow, are British
sailors from the steamships lamar
destroyed March 25, and Coleby, des-
troyeG March 27 last.
Thrilling Story of Voyage.
The raider brought as thrilling a
story as did the Eitel F'riedrichh He1
record of destruction, however, was
accomplished with only four guns, two
taken from the German cruiser Karls-
ruhe and two captured later from the
British merchant steamer LIE Corren-
tina, sunk October Z, 1914
The most connected story Of the
long voyage from New York 225 days
in a1l-waS told tonight by Over Lieu
tenant Alb Warneke, the first Officer
who left New York harbor with the
ship:
I'VE left August and put out into
the great hig ocean," said Lieutenant
Warneke. we were not a warshiI
then. but three days out off Berrnu-
da- we met the German cruiser Karls-
ruhe. We took from her two 3-incf
guns, which we mounted on the boy
of the ship and took Lieutenant Cap
tain Thierfelder, her navigating Of
ficer to command our ship. We
also took seventeen of the Karlsruhe:
junior officers and men, took on more
coal and provisions and put to sea-
I'VE made for the South Aa1antiC
and the first ship we encountered wa!
the British ship Indian Prince, which
we sank, September 4, 1914. From
that time on we remained on th'
ocean, destroying the enemy wher'
we might find her.
Has British Guns.
"I want to say that Sir Edward
Grey, the British premier, has beer
kind to us and that if Great Britain
. had been organized as we were tt
patrol the South Atlantic, we neve
would have remained alive these man!
months Sir Edward Grey sent Ill
those two big guns on our after deck
He sent them to Rs on the Br1usi
merchant steamer La Correntfna OF
October 7th. When we got thise fou
! inch guns we felt pretty SAFE La Cor
, reatina could not use her guns be
? cause she did not have any ammuni
ton
1--WE didn't give her battle, because
she was helpless, but after we took hel
guns and what of her cargo we wanted
we put some bombs into her and dowr
she went. We made ammunition fol
+ her guns on board ship Some of the
merchant ships we sank with our owl
guns, some we blew up with bombs
to ram the ships.
Had 10000 Tons of Coal from England
"Sir Edward Grey was also kind t.
us in sending US coal, for we took OF
board from enemy ships during oul
{ voyage more than 10000 tons.
1--WE were a peculiar looking crowt
, until France came to our rescue will
: the uniforms we wear. We made th'
uniforms for all our merchant crew
l from cloth captured from the French
t steamship Guadeloupe Feb. %. TIL
color is not exactly German, but tn
cloth is good. We wanted dark blue
but could find only this gray blue, AM
Q | so you see we are strange lookin,
:. German saiIormen today. From th'
t Guadeloupe we also got shoes, leathe
e and thousands Of dollars worth o
= things which were on their way 70
: the French army. I tell you the sink
n ing of the Guadeloupe was bad strok
= for the French