The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-11


the Eitel Friedrich managed 10 es-
cape.
Again, when near Valparaiso. the
Germans heard English warshlps
communicating with each other by
wireless. They used numbers. how
ever. and the officers could not make
out what they were saying.
The Eitel Friedrich sunk ship
day for Ave days In February. On
February ls she sank the British
steamer Mary Ada Scott and rescued
her crew of twenty-eight On Feb
ruary ~ she sank the French liner
Florida, and on February 20 she sank
the British steamer whisky and res
cued her crew of twenty-seven. The
latter ship sailed from Marsailies on
February for Buenos Ayres. and was
4 near her destination when overtaken
/ by the Eitel Friedrich.
On January ~, the German. after
chase OF nine hours, captured and sank
the Russian sailing ship Isabella Brown
and the French sailing ship Pierre
Lott.
Axmar Ericsson master of the Russian
ship, Is one of the six men, according
to members OF the Friedrich. who re-
fused to sign an agreement to the ef-
feet that he would not take UP arms
against Germany.
Captain King. of the British sailing
ship Ivercoe, which was also sent to
the bottom, is prisoner on the
German cruiser. He says ne m!stook
the Friedrich for a French liner. but
that he could not have escaped had he
known the identity of the steamer.
His ship which was loaded with grain.
was sunk February IL. He and his
crew of twenty-three were rescued.
Radly In Need of Repafrs,
Members of the engineer corps OF
the Friedrich say the ship needs re-
pairs to her machinery. She Ia equip
ped with a modern repair shop. but
! one of her cranks Is worn. and she
NAV have to install a new one.
Two plates on her starboard side,
damaged by shell from French
gunboat in South American waters.
were repaired by members of the
Friedrichs crew.
Captain Thierischens says he order
ed the destruction or the American
|, ship william p. Frye because she car
ried contraband Of war. He says that
he and other officers on his ship held
, a conference and II was decided thai
! the cargo OF wheat carried by the Frye
! was contraband, and they decided &c
: destroy the vessel. He said:
Seven months ago when the Prince
- Eitel Friedrich left Tsing-Tsau oul
q crew was composed OF men and or.
ficers from the gunboats Tiger and
/ Iuchs and the three eight-inch guns
. and eight five-inch guns we mounted
from those two boats which were dis
! I'VE passed out through the Japanese
islands and eluded several English
French and Japanese warships. The
q Prince Eitel had been converted intt
Z an armed merchantmen on such shor
~
, our war paint Our first capture wal
: the Schargost. an English steamer o
v 900 tons. We were anxious to ge
n coal and were greatly disappointet
when we found the Schargost carried
4 very little. Next we encountered tn
il French sailing ship Jean. coal laden
This ship WAS towned $500 miles t
Easter Island. transferred her coal u
h our own ounkers, and landed there sur
vivors from the Jean, schargost AM
= the English steamer Relation. which "
q had oyertaken and destroyed while Ell
s route to Easter Island.
j after landing the survivors TN
] Jean was blown up"
- Dodged Many Wsrships.
: Captain Thierischens said Will
l. coming up the South Atlantic his wire
less operator heard eight warship
l exchanging wireless messages. III
. believed these 10 De otutuVc
squadron, which sank the Germans OF
the Falkland Islands. The Russia,
= bark Isabella Brown was the next vic
. tim OF the Prince Eitel. The Brow
! was burned. Next came the French
9 shin Pierre Lott. which was sunk
l Then the American bark William
, Frye was sunk. and the French bari
. Jacobsen. encountered soon after. me
the same fate.
: I'VE tried to catch some other yes
sells" said Captain Thierischens. 'bu
encountered only neutrals. and 81
! steamed north. On February W.
I met the Norwegian bark Thalasia and
= let her go unframed. The British
bark Invarcoe was sunk on Februar,
10 and the steamer Mary Ada scout
laden with maize, was sunk. The
next day we met and sank the French