The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-02-06
Acting '.under Orders Captains
Of Teuton Refugee Ships Ruin
Boilers Of Vessels and Wreck
Machinery With Hammers
HALF MILLION DOLLARS
WORTH OF DAMAGE DONE
Great Ships Now Little Better
Than Floating HuIks; Uncle
Sam Steps In and Assumes
Charge Too Late to Avert Ruin
tFrom Monday Advertiserl

Il y H Il
! (From Monday Advertiser)
IEVERY German merchant ref
- ugee vessel in the harbor has
been disabled by her crew acting
under orders" Not one vessel,
with the possible exception of the
Setos, could put to sea. Damage
Twill aggregate at least $4,000,
and perhaps more. The great
Pommern has been damaged most
seriously. Cost of her repairs
might be $4,000.
! When inspection Of the vessels
was made yesterday morning the
sailors, in answer to questions,
merely said: Orders" without
saying from whom the orders had
come. One replied: Orders is
ordersP Only one likely source
ofsuch instructions is known, and
that is German officials in the
United States. Cabled instruc-
tons to take the action revealed
yesterday came to the individual
captains on Wednesday last.
All members of-the crews have
been taken in custody by immi-
gration authorities. The crews
of the Prinz Waldemar and Pom
mern were arrested yesterday
morning on warrants sworn to by
United States District Attorney
Huber charged with violating the
laws Of the United States by de-
stroying engines and machinery
of merchant vessels. They too
were turned over to the immigra-
ton authorities last evening. Civ
ling the aliens into charge Of the
Immigration, Office assures their
being held without the necessity
of bringing formal charges
against them.
WORK BEGAN WEDNESDAY
Work OF destroying the boilers
and engines of the vessels began
"Wednesday, it was admitted. The
work on one ship, the little gaso-
line schooner Hermes, began a
week ago. it was said by members
of her crew. ,-.. Ill.,. p.
| Delay in. preventing the dam
age was due in part to Washing
tou. 1t is known that the capital
was, advised prior to yesterday Of
what was being done.
The. ships damaged are as follows,
| figures being net tonnage! "
i Pommern F. .....,...........408 6
Prinx Waldemar 1857
Staatsseluetar Kraetke ,..... .l208 .
betOS .f...t,.,. ...,.. .3084
| honeymoon /. 1915
| Holsatia .................3 610
Gouyerneur Jaeschke $780,. 1045
i Hermes .....!...s......... lib
Not content with starting fires under
dry boilers, the German sailors also
damaged engines, smashing valves,
guages and castings.
The Pommern' Is boilers probably are
totally ruined. 1t must have been a
hot fire, fed With tallow, that blazed
in her furnace. Moreover, valves had
been smashed, the dynamo battered,
connection broken between the arma-
ture and eommutator, this being slight,
however; the engine telegraph gear ON
the bridge smashed and the main air
pump battered ~ s%E
Ready To Scuttle IS. .asE j..
| A seacock had been prepared for
opening, which would have seuttled the
ship. Nuts of all the studs except one
had been removed. A few turns with
wrench or blow with a hammer
would have opened the cock. Why
the cock was not opened and the ship
Iscuttled at the dock is not known.
The Waldemar's engines were dam.
aged the most. They may be almost
a complete loss, The slide valves were
smashed, Her boilers also are in bad
condition. n Z" t
Only on the setos was the work of
destruction lacking in thoroughness. II
appeared to have been done half,hear