New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-12
CAPTAIN of One of Her Vic
tins Nearly Rammed
German Raider.
NO FLAG SHOWN
BY THE CRUISER
Prisoners Say She Got Close to
Their Ships Before Arousa
ing Suspicion.
Lrr rclesraph 10 The Tribune. ]

Norfolk, Va, March 11.-One Of the
strangest stories told by prisoners
aboard the Prinz Eitel is the following,
by Second Officer Herve, of the French
liner Floride:
Before our ship was sent to the
bottom by bomb the Germans had
stripped her of everything worth TAX
ing. Not even an ounce Of anything to
eat was overlooked. An OK aboard was
slaughtered and taken.
you can imagine my surprise and
10y when reaching the deck of the Eitel
to spy my 0rother-in-law, Captain
Terouk. We had not seen each other
for two years. We fell into each
others arms weeping for Joy and yet
sad at heart.
II soon heard his story, how his ship
the bark Jacobsen, had been over
hauled few days before and sent to
the bottom. He had witnessed the dis
aster to my ship"
Herve declared that the Prinz Eitel
Friedrich few no flag when within
sight of any other ship, and that yes
sells captured were usually too near to
escape before any suspicion was
aroused as to the character OF the Ger
man. lie declared all prisoners were
courteously treated and well fed.
The Floride Stripped.
at was 10 o'clock in the morning
when we first sighted a strange steam
er making toward u.s." said Captain
Moussain, Of the Floride. Within hall
an hour she had overhauled US and sig
nailed for us TO await boarding
party. 1t was the Prinz Eitel.
"No time was lost by the Germans
/ in stripping the ship of everything
needed, including our coal. We haC
/ been ordered TO lower boats and trans
| fer our personal baggage 10 the Eltel
This was accomplished within an hour
! "A bomb was planted on the Florid'
and exploded. In few minutes the
| Floride was one sheet of fame: A
| we steamed away her bow was deeply
awash and her stern high in the air
am satisfied she sank in few minutes
after we lost sight of her"
Members Of the crew of the Frye ant
officers OF other sunken ships revealed
more thrilling stories OF the Prlni
| Eitel's marine wrecking career. Cap
! tain J. Wedgewood, of the British
steamship Willerby, sunk on February
/ 20. described how he narrowly missed
/ sinking the Prinz Eitel Friedrich witt
/ her crew and scores of his own coun
trvmen who had been captured before
/ THE German ship was almost on Us
/ before we discovered her." said Captain
| Wedgewood. Eve were going full
speed ahead and the Friedrich was com
| ing full speed, about to ram US broad
| side. She hoisted signal for us e
/ stop.
Nearly Rammed the German.
al kept right on, but swervcd anC
/ tried to claw around her TO get by.
| soon saw there was no chance, for The
| Friedrich also swerved toward oul
stern. Instantly, / saw my chance e
ram her and gave the order, 'Revers,
the engines and give 'em hell for al
you're worth
II thought had her. We were soor
going full speed astern. and 1t seemed
we could not fail to strike. We saw
men and women wildly motioning
They seemed hysterical. Little did
/ know that there were British, French
and Russian prisoners on board.
only thought of the chance TO ram anC
sink the enemy and take TO set IN oul