Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-07
Eight Men. Including Sew.
eral Officers, Killed
by Explosion.
CREW RESISTED
SEIZURE BY U. S.
Cruiser cermersn, lntsrnsd at Guan'
Sunk by BIast Set by Members Of
Crow When American Officers
Sought to Take Possession = mers
Than 800 Members of crsw Taken
Prisoners Following sinkinS.

X n W9Sn1nSLOus APIA AAo
German cruiser Cormoran at Guam
Z has been blown UP.
The Cormoran refused to surrender
to the American forces which went to
take possession of her and was de-
stroyed by her crew.
Three German warrant officers ana
i've enlisted men were killed oy the
explosion. Twenty officers. twelve
!. warrant officers and 321 enlisted men
we're taken prisoners.
Hhe destruction of the Cormoran
took place at Guam at O'CLOCK lass
night, Washington time.
= Navy Department Report.
The navy department issued the fol.
lowing:
.Yhe German auxiliary cruiser Cor
moran was blown up in the haroor as
Akra, Island Of Guam. today by her
crew, sinking Immediately. One war
can't officer and one enlisted man are
dead; one warrant officer ana four en-
listed men are missing.
..Ons Oct. rs, 1914. the thirty five foot
enter called the Ocean Comber' en-.
tesed the harbor Of Apra. Island OF
Guam: In charge Of Lieutenant Won
Kipos,s OF the imperial German navy.
4 IS q ldls ana party of three Officers
~ = 6ss nj lfrSs ~ 0ulnsas had
& I1iiI6u lss - s1ed i 1ouG fimss having
III fH6 e ii. 3. Cor1noran Tor the pur-
nose 81 sending cable to San Fran
cisco for supplies The date Of the
,etpher was Oct. 1, and the location
of the Cormoran was not disclosed.
Permission was not granted to send
the cablegram and officers and men
were interned.
Runs Short Of Coal.
..On Dec. IL, 1914, the German auxi-
liary cruiser Cornoran appeared of
the harbor OF Apra and sent a radio
asking permission to enter for coal and
provisions. She was allowed to enter
and the commanding officer to visit
the. governor.
..Commanding Officer Juckschwerdt
stated that he had just come from tho
south seas and was short of coal. had
only about fifty tons on board, and re-
3quested 1,500 tons of coal and prov1-
sions to reach his nearest home port IN
German East Africa. The governor re-
piled that he could furnish only 200
tons of coal, and thirty days provi-
sions only could be spared: the COM
manding officer was given the alter
native OF departing in twenty-four
hours or being interned.
ION Dec Is, 1914, at 10 a. m. the
commander decided to remain in port
and the ship and its personnel were
sinterned. There were on board twenty
one officers, one midshipman. three
ships officers. SO7 petty officers and
men, four Chinese and twenty-nine
south sea islands >natives.
Former Russian Ship.
"The Cormoran was formerly a
steamer in the Russian fleet and was
captured on Aug. 8 by the s. NJ. s.
Emden and was formally put In SER
vice as b German auxiliary cruiser.
Before her capture she was the 'Rjae-
san. During peace she was in the
passenger trade between Shanghai and
syladivostock. She Is q new speedy
ship, built .at the German works at
Schichau. She was taken to Using
Tao and was overhauled and could do
better than seventeen knots. She was
equipped with guns manned by Ger
man crew. The old German gunboat
sCormoran was being dismantled at
Tsing Tao and the captain and most
sof her crew were transferred to the
new cruiser.
She was taken the hrst night Of the
I war and made the first prize of the
Enitien. The Russians claimed she
I had been taken inside the territorial
waters Of Japan prior to Japan's en-
srSrinC war"