New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-12
KRONPRINz DEFIED
BRITISH CRUISERS
Steamed from New York
TO Sea Without Lights
on August 3.
OFTEN SIGHTED
BY ENEMY SfilPS
paider Had Many Close Calls
but Kept Up Work of Destru''
ton for Months.

rL Kronnrinz Wilhelm's entrance
H. German war operations on the
I1uo ,,'as dramatic. With the opening
80 ancust a large fleet Of German
,,orchan. vessels were scurrylhg nv
n, ~ tie IN until the war was over.
NJ Wortb German Lloyd liner was
alroadv at her pier IN HoboNcn' 10
80 eyspected that her owners Woulu
a.. 10 run the gantlet OF allied YES
LA should England and France &c
clare war. .Lo Kron-
nrinz Wilhelm slipped quietly from
bcr nier. Her bunkers and hoios, III
mich CARGO was usually carried were
GIiod With coal. Her superstructuie
bod boon hastily painted gray ana Cd
80 that seemed TO be cannon were
iaebod "a her deck. covered with tar
ranIirs Only her crew were on posIu'
re- steamers captain had clearance
,,aners for Bremen. Il was reported
XXI no carried a general cargo ana
bod decided to make the dash LOT uei
manv despite the allied vessels,
Tbe hig steamship was completed lii
ION was 663 feet long. and OF 2l'1oo
tons She was one Of the most luNur-
iouslv appointed ships in the trans
Atlantic service. Her owners SAID tney
Mad no choice. The Kronprlnz vi
bcIrr was subsidized ship and the
German government had exercised rs
nrerogative in ordering her 10 SAL
Now York believed she was 0ound ior
Bremen, and it was rumored that tne
German cruiser Dresden was waiting
to escort her across.
nj roaI IN CruisPr
That was the last seen Of the liner
until early ia September, when she
was sighted by British cruisers on the
Rahamas. where she was transferring a
cargo OF coal TO the German cruiser
Karlsruhe. The British vessels gave
chase. but both German ships eiuded
,bem. While the karlsruhe engaged
the warships in a long running duel
the Kronprinz took to her heels.
The next definite news Of the con
vertod liner came on September %,
whom the sinking Of the British
steamer Indian Prince. which had lett
Brazil on September ,, was reported
Then il became known that when the
liner left Now York she was said TO be
armed with three 6-inch guns, several
smaller cannon and machine guns.
According to the crew of the Indian
Prince. the Britisher sighted the hron-
prinz two days after they left Is ALL
They thought she was a French cruiser,
and did not learn their mistake until
thew had come within range or the
German cruisers guns. The German
commander played with the Brltlsher
as cat plays with a mouse. Appar-
emily he did not know what TO do with
the steamer and the S1sO,OOO coffee
cargo Il carried.
For five days the Kronprinz made its
captive steam southeast, directly oppo-
site - the course on which she had
set ont. On the sixth day the German
removed the coal and nautical lnstru-
ments from he steamer and sank her.
The Krorprinz took the crew OF the
Indian Prince on board and carried
them for five days. until the German
freighter Edinburg was sighted. The
freighter took the captive crew into
Rio de Janeiro.
At Work In Southern Waters.
During January and February the
Kronprinz operated against British
merchantmen along the shipping
routes to South American ports. Among
her victims were the steamers Hem
isphere and Potaro and the sailing
ships Sumatra and Wilfred. The crews
were taken aboard the cruiser and
later transferred to the German steam