The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-10
More Submarine Freighters to
Arrive, Says Captain.
Deutschland Commander Tells
Of Daredevil Trip.
SIGHTED AN ENEMY ONLY ONCE
Travelled on the Surface Nearly
All the Way.
Custom Officials Find Vessel
Carries No Guns.

Baltimore, July 10.-Defln1te an
nouncement that the great German
submarine merchantmen Deutschland
which reached Chesapeake Bay yes
terday is the first of a fleet of such
craft built to ply regularly in the
transatlantic trade, was made here
early today by Captain Paul KONG,
master of the super-submarine
This is not the only one that is
coming" said the captain. "Just wait.
There will be more here soon and we
are going back for another cargo. We
are going to have a regular line"
1t was to port officials that the cap
tain talked. as his vessel was pre-
pairing to move up to dock from the
lower harbor where she dropped an
Choir at II O'Clock last night, at the
end of her memorable voyage across
the Atlantic, through lanes Of vigilant
warships He spoke freely to the Of
ficers and laughed over his feat
Newspaper men shouted questions
over the ships side, and he explained
that a formal statement would be is
sued later by the representatives Of
the owners.
All during the night, a considerable
part of the Deutschland's crew had
been astir and small searchlight
played almost constantly upon a news
paper yacht anchored nearby The
tug, Thomas F. Timmons, conveying
the submarine also kept the yacht
under close surveillance.
Shortly after o'clock, when day
light was beginning to show family
through heavy low-lying clouds and a
steadily drizzling rain, a boat with
health and customs officials aboard
put out from the quarantine station
and went alongside the submarine To
the municipal health officer, DR..
Thomas M. Richardson, the skipper
presented his bill of health, issued to
him by William Thomas Fee, United
States consul at Bremen on June Il.
Presents Ships Official Papers.
The document describes the
Deutschland as "a vessel engaged in
Boston or other eastern Atlantic
ports.''
It records her gross tonnage as 791,
says she is newly built, has cargo CT
dye-stuffs in good condition and a
wholesome supply of water from the
Bremen waterWorkS."
One thing the boarding officers
noted neutrality-suspicious. were no tor
pedo guns aboard the vessel. They
had been told that she mounted two
small caliber rifles for defense but
came ashore convinced that the visitor
was wholly unarmed.
1t was learned that The boat left
Bremen with her load of about $50
tons of dye-stuffs which her owners
hope to sell to American manufac-
turers for a fortune. At Helgoland
she waited nine days, leaving there
June % to pillow deeply beneath the
surface of the North sea to escape the
watchful eyes of the allied blockaders.
Captain KONG intimated that the pur-
pose of his long delay at Helgoland
was to deceive the enemy, who I'M
doubtedly had heard rumors of the
GIL bY,a COMING
I'VE stopped there for very good
reasons" the captain explained with a
broad smile.
Week Late Only a Ruse
This accounted for the belief in the
United States that the vessel was
week overdue, a Misrepresentation that
caused German embassy officials to
fear that she had run into allied war
ships or fallen victim to an Atlantic
storm.
Once outside the blockading lines
and into the Atlantic, according to the
captains story, he headed straight
across and only devfated from his
course once when he saw what he
took to be an enemy craft. Most of
the time he sped along on the surface
making about fourteen knots an hour
with his powerful twin Diesel oil en-
gines. Submerged he could go at the
rate of seven and a half knots
Approaching the capes late Satur-
day, Captain Konig' found his path
apparently clear. He laid to with his
decks awash, however, waiting until
darkness fell before nearing the coast.
When the bright half moon went
down, shortly after midnight, he put
on all speed and shot between the Vir-
ginia capes, to be greeted by the tug
Timmons, sent there more than a week
ago to await his coming