The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-02-04
BRITISH LINER APPAhi
IN CHARGE OE GERMANS
CAPTURED By SUBMARINE OFF
CANARY ISLANDS.
The Vessel, Given up for Lost, Steams
Into Hampton Reads Flying the
German Man.0f- War Flag.

can lrdQe, aPpedISu line oil dPPdlIt4oAi
in Hampton Roads today. flying the
German naval ensign, and with her
ships company under guard Of Ger
man prize crew. She brought word of
a mysterious German commerce raider,
the Moewe, which now roams the seas,
and had on board the crews Of seven
British merchantmen and admiralty
transports captured by the Moewe be-
fore she seized the Appam and started
her across the Atlantic for an Ameri-
can port, with Lieut. Hans Berge OF
the German naval reserve and twenty
two men in charge The Appam now
lies of Old Point Comfort, under the
guns of Fortress Monroe waiting for
the state department at Washington to
determine ner status-whether she is
man-of- war subject to internment
or a German prize. By tomorrow the
customs authorities here hope to have
orders to send the ship either to Nor
folk or Newport News, where the anx-
iously awaited British civilians will be
put ashore.
According to the story, told with
great reserve by Lieut. Berge to Col
lector Hamilton when he formally re-
ported his presence in American
waters late today, the Moewe captured
the Appam, bound from Dakar, French
West Africa, for Liverpool, after a
brief show of resistance, on January
Is, sixty miles north of the Madeira
islands. On board the Moewe then
were the crews of five vessels pre-
viously captured, all of whom were
transferred to the Appam.
Mysterious Rafder.
From all reports the raider is a con-
Yerted German merchantmen, with
false canvas forecastle, concealing a
battery of guns of fairly large calibre.
On January II she engaged in battle
an armed Australian trader, the Clan
McTavish, which she sank after an
exciting combat with a loss Of fifteen
men killed on the Clan McTavish.
The Appam, which was ten miles
away at the time, in charge of the
prize crew, steamed back TO the scene
and rescued four members of the crew
of the sinking Clan McTaVish, who
were struggling in the water.
Later, under orders from the COM
mander of the raider, Lieut.. Berge
headed his prize for an American port
and parted company with the Moewe.
Nothing mas been seen or heard OF the
raider since, and the lAppam steamed
across the ocean on an uneVentful
voyage, reaching the Virginia Capes
at 5:45 this morning.
On board the Appam all told are 452
persons-the prize crew of %; 20 Ger
man civilians who were on their way
to England for internement; 13S sea-
men captured with the British steam
ships; 116 passengers on the Appam
and the Appam's crew of 155.
Lieut.. Berge claims the Appam is
prize of war, but government officials
have not yet accepted this view. She
had one mounted rife aboard when
captured, but this was removed by the
Moewe, and there were no guns aboard
when she reached port except small
arms carried by the prize crew.
Record of the MoeWe.
On January 10 the Moewe captured
and sank the British steamship Far
ringford, carrying 500 tons of copper
ore. Later On the same day she cap
tured the British steamship Corbridge
with a cargo of 6 900 tons of coal. The
Moewe did not sink the vessel, but
sent a crew aboard and held ner as a
collier.
For three days the Moewe was in
active and then the British admiralty
transport Dromonby hove in sight on
January 13. She offered no resistance
and was captured and sunk. Before
that day was over the raider had met
and destroyed the British steamship
Author, carrying 5000 tons of general
cargo, and the admiralty transport
Trader with 5000 tons Of sugar.
No ship of the enemy was sighted on
the 14th, but on the 18th the British
steamship (Ariadue crossed the raiders
path and was sent to the bottom, with
fler corga of $4,000 tons Of wheat.
Next, day. January 16, there appear
ed the biggest prize of all, the liner
Appam, carrying 5000 tons of general
including large quan-
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