Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-10-26

London, Oct. 25.-The following two
letters intercepted on their way to
Germany were made public here today
The first one from Max 461
East Sth street. South Boston, ad-
dressed to his brother, said:
Dear Gustav: The Willehad sailed
today. am to stay here till the end of
the war. The Willehad will act within
the American three-mile limit as a tel
esraph station for submarines. He has
four months provisions aboard"
The second letter was from the cap
tain of the Willehad, named Jachens,
who wrote from New London to his
sister in Germany. saying:
Il rejoice l am now here as captain
of the Willehad. The Koln still lies at
Boston. l am here with the Willehad
on secret mission. Later you will hear
more from me. l rejoice that I have
done something for the Fatherland and
that l still have more to do"
The North German Lloyd steamship
Willehad, which took refuge in Bos-
ton soon after the beginning of the
war. was taken to New London on
Aug. rs last under command of Cap
tain Jachens and was tied up at the
pier of the Eastern Forwarding Co., the
American agent for the German sub
marine merchantmen. She was said to
carry a full crew of German sailors,
some of whom were declared at the
time to have been recruited from other
ships. The wireless on the Willehad as
well as on all other German and bel
l1gerent vessels In American ports was
dismantled and sealed by customs Of
hcers soon after the beginning of the
war. The steamship Koln also owned
b ythe North German Lloyd reached
Boston from Bremen on Aug. II, 1914,
after eluding British cruisers in the
Atlantic. She is still tied up at Bos-
ton.
The Willehad at New London was tax
en- to prepared dock on which the
Eastern Forwarding Co. had erected I'M
der rush orders, after the arrival of the
submersible Deutschland at Baltimore a
corrugated iron shed about 400 feet long
by 25 feet wide with the end of the
pier enclosed by high fence joined onto
the office of the company. Capt Hinsch,
former master of the North German
Lloyd liner Neckar, was brought from
Baltimore and placed in charge of the
property. The Willehad a. she now lies
is made fast to cluster piling 80 feet
away from the dock, her stern against
the bank of the Thames river. Her wire
less is sealed. Between the ship and the
dock is space of about so feet. In
tended for the reception of the expected
Bremen or other ships of the submarine
merchant fleet. To shut out possible
view or interruption of the '>ading and
unloading process of the merchant SUBJ
marine floating gate 30 feet high has
been constructed, made fast to piling at
the bow of the Willehad and so designed
that when shut the space between the
ship and the dock is completely closed In
The piling ur der the pier on which
the shed is built. as well as the piling
to which the Willehad IS made fast. is
said to have heen wired under the wat
err to prevent, it was said, possible dam
age to merchant submarine by boats
coming up to it under the docks. These
wires are electrically connected with a
gong in the office of the company.
The crew of the Willehad is doing all
the work around the docks and piers of
the Eastern Forwarding Co., including
that of watchmer 1t is also said in New
London that the sailors will be used to
discharge and oad cargo of any mer-
chant submarines which may arrive IN
the future.