Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-03-12
PRINz EITEL's WORK.
Eleven Ships Sunk on Voyage From
China 10 Newport News.

| IflllZ Dliel TISuei' 'NH' 10 epv"e h"i }
years old and as keen-witted as he is
clever. He told in terse English
broken a bit. but graphic, the story
! of the cruise Of The sea rover he
commands. From the day the Prinz
Eitel steamed out Of Using Tau
! China, through the long Voyage
! across the Pacific and around the
horn, up the South Atlantic coast and
into Hampton Roads, willingly. and
at times smilingly, he described the
raids made by his ship against the
sea-borne commerce of his country's
enemies.
"Seven omnths ago the Prinz Eitel
Frederick left Using Tau" he said,
"Our crew was composed Of men and
officers from the gunboats Tiger and
Luchs, and the guns we mounted
came from those two boats. which
were demantled.
We passed out through the Japa-
nese islands and eluded number of
English, French and Japanese war
ships. The Prinz Eitel Frederick had
been converted into an armed mer-
chantman on such short notice that
we had no time to put on our war
paint. Our first capture was the
Schargost. an English steamer Of
5000 tons. We were anxious to get
coal and were greatly disappointed
when we found the Schargost carried
very little Next we encountered the
French sailing ship Jean, coal laden.
This ship we towed l,5o0 miles to
Easter Island. transferred her coal TO
our own bUnkers and landed there
survivors from the Jean, the Schar-
COST and the English steamer ZELDA
ton. overtaken and destroyed Ell
route to Easter Island. After land
ing survivors the Jean was blown up.
Then we proceeded down the
Chilean coast to Cape Horn and ZIP
the Atlantic"
CAPTAIN ThierichenS said while
coming up the South Atlantic, his
wireless. operator heard eight var
ships exchanging wireless messages.
He believed these TO be Admiral Stur-
dee's squadron, which sank the Ger
mans off the Falkland Island. The
Russian bark isabelle Brown was the
next victim Of the Prinz Eitel. The
Brown was burned.
Next came the French ship Pierre
Lott, which was sunk.
Then the American bark William
?. Frye was sunk and the French
bark Jacobsen encountered soon AZ
ter met the same fate II
"We tried to catch some other YES
sells" said Captain Thicrichcns. "bnt
encountered only neutrals and 50
steamed north. On February 8 We
met the Norwegian bark Thalasia and
let her go unharmed. The British
bark lndracoe was sunk. and on Feb
ruary 18 the steamer Mary Ada
Short, laden with maize, was sunk.
The next day we met and sank the
French steamer Floride, after taking
off passengers, crew and provisions.
The Floride we left burning and
about to go down of the Brazilian
coast.
"On the goth of February we sank
the British steamer Willerhy, and the
same night we heard English war
ships sending wireless messages. One
of them we thought was the Bruins
wick. So we put to sea to leave the
neighborhocd We have put in here
to land $50 prisoners. 40 women and
children. and to effect urgent repairs.
81 believe we were followed by six
British men of war when we were
nearing the Virginia capes. At night
we ran with every light out"
According to Captain Thierichens,
his ship was near the battle off the
Chilean coast when the British squad
ron was defeated by the Germans.
and heard messages exchanged be-
tween the ships participating in, that
engagement The Prinz Eitel. trav-
eled for while in the company Of
her famous fellow sea rover, the En-
den. and when she left the Emden
that ship was accompanied by the
Cormorant
Captain Thieritcher had no news of
the Kron Prinz Wilhelm. /.
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