The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-04
SKIPPER 0F>U. s.
 PROTESTS ACTION OF BRITISH SHIP
American Vessel Held Up at Sea and Searched by
 Englishman.

r Shanghai, April 4.-Captain Frazier, the officer in charge of the American steamer China which was stopped by an English auxiliary cruiser January IS and delayed for five hours by the English searching the ship and re-. moving thirty-eight German, Austrian and Turkish passengers, has made a report of the occurrence to the local agent of the China Mail line of this city.
 Capt. Frazier protests the action of the British cruiser on three grounds. He maintains the English had no right to board the vessel with armed force. He holds the English were beyond their rights in removing busi- ness men travelling between neutral ports who had passports showing they were not military reservists. He also objects to the delaying of the United States mails for five hours.
 Capt. Frazier demanded an exp1ana- ton from Lieutenant Steele of the British cruiser when he boarded the China with an armed squad. The English officer explained his action at that time by saying it was necessary to prevent resistance on the part of the Germans. The English ship which stopped the China was formerly the White Star liner Laurentic, and has now been converted into an English auxiliary cruiser.
 Capt. Frazier's report says the China left Woosung at three minutes past eight on the morning of February 1 8. At 11:25 the pilot left the steamer and at 11:4 9the Laurentic was sighted. The China was then about ten miles from the mouth of the river. The warship ran up the signal: t'Stop in stant1y-" To back up the request, she fired two shots across the China's Fr1Io- AL second a solid projecti1e. The liner hove too and hoisted the American flag. The party that put off from the Laurentic consisted of three officers, and nineteen men, seven of whom fwhoom boarded the vessel.
 The passengers of the China were mustered on deck. Their passports and the ships papers were carefully examined. When the explanation was finished, the British took off twenty eight Germans, eight Austrians and two Turks, a total of thirty eight pas sengers. They left one German who was a para1ytic. The mail carried by the China was not moIested.
 The British officers told Capt. Fra zier that they had been waiting ff- teen days for the China A wireless message, from Shanghai, told them of the German passen- gers on thel steamer and when she sailed.
 The following is a full list of the passengers taken from the steamer:
 Germans: pr. w. Ey1e, H. Fokkes, G. Grotjhan, pr. R. Grimm, w. SHin- kle, B. Seimssen, F. Schiefer, A. Bach, SR;, A. Bach, Jr., w. SDoering,. A. Fred erick, J. Gartz, A. Gertzer, K. Goe- decke, B. Hauer, J. Janssen, R. Klein, K. Kraus, K. Krausch, P. Mainlze, w. Pigu1ia, l.. Rospeck, G. Streckguss. A. Schroeder, A. Schwartz, K. ToIkmitt, R. Weber.
 Austrians-C. Breckner, A. Camerle, F. WeurtI1. Anton Gerl, A. PIety, w. F. Schuetter, l. Haas, F. zednick.
 Turks-J. G1ickman, l.. Mech1in.
 Advices from Nagasah say that Mr.. Grotjahn had originally come from Kobe to Nagasaki to board the ves- sel. He learned that the China was late and fearing that he might be seiz- ed in Japan he came to Shanghai and got on board. He fell into the hands of the enemy with tine others
 Twenty Germans and one AustriarI left Nagasaki on the China for San Francisco. Most of these were mis- sionaries who have been deported from the South Sea Islands occupied by Japan.