Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-02-03

!
a German prize crew ON the formci pas
scnCcr liner Appam were informed to-
NIGHT that they were At liberty TO land ON
| American soil. More than -oo others. in
Guiding tho German captora the captain
and crew of the liner and certain pa ssen-
gers ALLEGED to belong to the armed forces
of Great Britain will hc held ON board
until the United states government deli
nitely determines their status and that
of the ship itself
This arrangement was reached on or
ders from Washington after a conference
between representatives. of the German
aud British governments on the Old Point
wharf with the Norfolk collector Of Gus
toms. Norman 4. Hamilton. acting as in
| tcrmedlary.
AMERICAN CITIZEN ABOARD
The captured liner. at anchor in
Hampton Roads off Fortress Monroe
| Slhc" she put into the Virginia capcs
! Tuesday morning, will move up to
Newport News carly tomorrow to dis
embark her passengers With the 9th.
ers will land q. u. Tagliarcrri. a nat
| Iuralizcd American Of Nevada. tho on,
citizen of the Unitcd States aboard.
ITagliafcrri. who although CARRYING his
Icittzenship papers had not made his
| Identity known. was discovered to- da y
| by the immigration officers.
| I'icutonant Berg. the German rcsorv-
| iSt commanding the prize crew. still
maintains in full authority on board
til" linor hut he is acting under order
/ is from the United States government
through Collector Hamilton. He has
agreed to move tho ship to Newport
Ncws and hold her there pending fur
ther Developments
PROTECTION FOR PASSENGERS
''Nou have sought asylum in a port
of the United States" said Mr.. lIamil-
ton. addressing Lieutenant Bcrc
! 'While you arc in these waters YOU
Will De afforded prot ection and all tho
others will he given similar protection >
Tho passengers expressed their ap-
proNal by applause.
VERY we'll" returned Lieutenant Borg,
Mr. Hamilton cx1'lancd that his in
structions had been to release every
4 body aboard except members Of tho prize
crew, hut since Lieutenant Berg had
1 raised the point that tho members of
/ the Appams crow should hc detained
because they had resisted capture and
also tho = alleged military members
th"y would bc kept aboard until the
state department had passed ON this
! question:
ALLOWED TO DEPART.
After the conference on the wharf tho
British representatives told Collector
! Hamilton that those aboard who wcr,
free to depart had some uncertainty
! at, l.oi, ,rl, l..
on Mr.. Hamilton to return to the shr
| and make the same statement he haG
! made at the conference.
The passengers We're assembled i'm tho
dining salon and Sir Edward Mercweth-
er introduced Collector Hamilton. Th,
latter then explained that all thos,
aboard were free to leave except tn,
German prize crew. the crew of tn,
Appam and 70 passengers who the Ger
mans contend have British military con
| nectons.
| passenger who spoke as the repre-
sentative of these l. men asked Collec
tor Hamilton whether they would hav,
| the protection Of the United States gov
crnmcnt while the ship was within
American territorial waters Lieutcnan
| Berg objected to the passenger usin;
| the term american protection" remind
ing him that he was aboard a ship fly
inE the German flag which was eauiVa
lent TO being on German soil. The col
lector intercedcd for the passenger.
| Immediately after to-night's confer
! cnce "A selected group of Englishmen
including Sir Edward Merewcther. Fred
rrick. Seton. James Francis. Charlie
| Fuller, DR.. F.. r. Rice, the Appam's pul
| ser and the masters of the six Britisl
vessels captured by the raider whic'
took the Appan. were brought ashor
TO aid in perfecting arrangements 70
| the landing of the others. Mr.. Jane
remained at an Old Point hotel, bu
the rest of the party returned to spen
one more night aboard the Appam.
PASSENGERS WE'LL TREATED.
Reports agree that AL the passenger
were accorded the best treatment posi-
BILE by the prize crew under the circum
stances Food ana water ran short dur
ing the last few days of the long Noy
age from the African coast but the pas
sengers say they had the same fare a
their captors and had no complain, t
make
MOEWE UNIDENTIFIED.
Versions Of the identity of the Germa
, raider which captured the Appam an
the other craft stlll differ. Prince Hat2
, feldt of the German embassy at Wash
, inSton asserts that she is the Germa
cruiser Moewe, built In 1919 or 1914 70
the imperial navy and commanded b
6 Captain Count Dohna. All the capture
, British shippers agree, however tina
. the raider is converted merchantma
. OF about 5000 tons, named Ponga, prob
ably captured a few months ago, mount
c ing six masked guns of near six-inc
calibre and having two torpedo tubes
The Engishmen believe she was titte
out recently as "a commerce destroyS
and slipped out to the high seas frOi
{ the Gervan naval base at the Kiel can;
y shortly before she began her career #"
e the coast of Africa by capturing I'll
d steamer Ferringford on January II.
}, "They may call her what they please
s said Mr. James tonight, but | hay
s dined aboard the old naval Mocwe. an
g she was only s0O-ton ship Mayt
G they are calling the raider the Mocw
lnow." - =