The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-02-03
Prize Crew and Others
Connected With Armed
Forces Will be Held.
STATUS OF VESSEL
STILL UNDECIDED
Both Germans and British
Are Laying Claim
to Her.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.

Two hundred and forty-five persons,
held prisoners by the German prize
crew on the former passenger liner
Appan, were informed today they are
at liberty to land on American soil.
More than two hundred others aboard
including the German prize crew,
captain and crew Of the Appam and
certain passengers alleged to belong
to the armed froces of Great Britain,
will be held aboard the Appam until
the United States definitely deter
mines their status and that of the
ship itself.
This was arranged on orders from
Washington at a conference between
representatives of Great Britain and
German governments this afternoon
with American Collector Hamilton
acting as intermediary. The Appam
will go, to Newport News tomorrow
to disembark those allowed to land
1t was discovered today that G. d.
Taghaferra, a naturalized American
citizen, is aboard and he will also
E land A number Of prominent Brit
ish colonial officials % board in
GLIDING Sir Edward Meriwether, came
ashore a short time tonight and ar
ranged for taking care of the British
who will land tomorrow.
MANY VERSIONS OF IDENTITY.
Versions of the identity of the Ger
man raider which captured the APP
pam still differ. Prince Won HAITI
feldt of the German embassy at
Washington, insists she was the Ger
man cruiser Moewe, built in 1913 or
1914 for the German navy. All the
captured British Shippers agree the
raider was a converted merchantmen
of about five thousand tons, named
Ponga, probably completed q few
months ago, mounting six masked
guns, of near six-inch calibre and
having two torpedo tubes.
Shippers believed she slipped out Of
the Kiel canal recently. Except for
minor details all the stories agree
that the raider, flying the British
flag, got close to the Appam off the
Madeira Islands, unmasked her guns,
sent a shot across the Appam's bow
and ordered her to surrender which
the Appa1n did with little waste of
Il time.
/, According to reports the Appam
has on board a large quantity of ex-
plosives, probably part of. the 5000
tons of general cargo she was car
ryfng when caught, and the prize
lcrew had rugged a device for blowing
up the ship in the event of a rising of
the more than 400 prisoners held by
the little prize crew of twenty-five,
At least, it is said, the threat of such
a catastrophe had been held over the
heads of the captives to insure their
good behavior.
It was understood last night that
| Sir E. Meriwether, governor of Sierre
i Leone: and many of the other first
class passengers on the liner would be
permitted to come ashore here at least
temporarily for hotel accommoda-
tions. Collector Hamilton decided to-
lday. however, that owing to the pc
culiar and almost unprecedented ques-
tons involved in the case, all per
sons must remain on board until the
ships status had been determined by
Washington.
The collector 1ntlmated that the
Appam probably viii be taken to Nor
folk or Newport News late today OF
tomorrow in order to facilitate the
handling of her case and the removal
of the civilians of the ships company
when the time comes. immigration
INSPECTOR w. r. Morton boarded the
vessel today and checked up the list
of persons aboard, with a view to hav.
ing everything in readiness for land,
ing.
i So far, only officials of the United
States navy, customs service, public
health service and immigration bu
, reau have boarded the Appam since
the pilot left her at Old Point yes
!, terdav. All of the officials say con
ditions on the ship are good anC
everybody satisfied with the treat
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