The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-08-07
Mystery of Fate of the Karlsruhe,
Bremen and Strassburg Has
Kept Whole World Wondering.
Three German Warships Had
Brief but EventfuI Career Be-
fore Suddenly Disappearing.

TIME fate OF the three German
cruisers = Karlsruhe, Bremen
and Strassburg-bids fair -
become the puzzle of the war.
It adds quite a touch Of the romance
Of the old ocean stories. All these
three vessels were mentioned when
hostilides began as engaged on the
raiding account, and they have now
disappeared, but how, when and where
Is a mystery. The ancient mariners
were quite accustomed to such vanish
ings. Many an island they discovered
proved to be unreal, and many an an
cient bark sailed out into the unknown
however, with all the facilities science
has provided for the collection and dis
semination Of information, 1t is sur
prising that these cruisers should have
faded away like the phantom Flying
Dutchman.
The Karlsruhe, in the north Atlantic,
made q success Of commerce raiding
during the first four months Of the
war, and her record was nearly as
high as that Of the Emden, to which
she was q sister ship. She was spe-
cially notorious for the number Of aux
Hilary vessels, some of them her Owl
captures, which she employed, spread
web, to give notice Of incoming flies
or warning Of danger. She was also
noted for her alleged hairbreadth es-
cape from British cruisers. Toward
the end of November, however, her ac-
tivfties appear to have ceased. and
since that time there have been many
reports concerning her fate. The fact
that one Of her auxiliaries. the Rio Ne
gro, was reported to have arrived at
Kiel early in December; that another,
the Farm, gave herself up at San Juan,
Porto Rico, a month later, and that
others were hiding in South American
rivers, gave support to the rumor that
the parent cruiser had gone. Nothing
certain has since been heard of her,
but all the reports point to something
having happened of the island of Gre
NADIA at the end of 1914.
Io8 BOOK run OF tnF'Hss
The Karlsruhe's log book would tell
q story more thrilling than those OF the
famous Alabama, the Bonhomme Rich
ard and the Emden, all rolled into one.
Her commander, Captain Kohler, earn
ed a name for himself which rivals
those of such naval heroes as Nelson.
Semmes, John Paul Jones and Won
Muller. Consider, first, the sea traps
the Karlsruhe so ably set for its vic
tins.
When Germany went TO war the
cruiser was In the harbor at San Juan.
Porto Rico. The British and French
consuls there entered q vigorous pro-
test with the United States government
against her being allowed to remain
in port unless she was informed. The
following day the Karlsruhe left for
an unknown destination. From that
day until this she has showed herself
I no port.
Three weeks after she left Porto
Rico. however, she had gathered about
her a feet of three German merchant
men. These ships, as have already
sped to certain prearranged
points on the ocean the instant 1t APP
peared that there was a chance that
Germany might soon be at war. AT
those points the Karlsruhe found them.
These three ships the Karlsruhe
spread across the steamship lanes Ell
Their between North and South Amer
Ica or between South America and Eu-
as was desired. After several
merchantmen flying flags of the ma
lions allied against Germany had been