The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-03-29
Story of FIorence's Cruise in
West Indies Is Stranger
Than Fiction.
Islands in Panic as Swift French Boat
Puts in at Their Ports-"Captured"
by an Allied Warship as She
Reaches Her Destination.

New York.-HOw the steam yacht
Florence, sold to French owners, ter
rorized West Indian ports and made
British merchantmen flee from her be-
cause they thought she was Prussian
raider, was told in graphic language
by her commander Capt. John Triton.
when he called at the New York Her.
aid Ship News Office on his return to
this city.
All unwittingly the Florence, on her
way from this port to Martinique,
where she was turned over to her new
owners, was responsible for much per-
turbatiOn on the part of many mer-
chant vessels, according to Captain
Triton, and caused hearts in French
and British West Indian ports to skip
several beats when her rakish form
was sighted. The captains story lays
at rest the ghost of the mysterious
raider that was reported cruising in
the West Indies.
Stranger Than Fiction.
The story of the Florence'S trip
reads like the widest of fiction. One
merchantmen who sighted her off Cape
HatteraS almost ran on the shoals in
her efforts to avoid the speedy craft !;
the governor of Nassau was convinced
that she entered that port for SIMS
ter purpose; the French consul at
Puerto Plata denounced her as Prus-
sian raider, and when she finally
snfn h0rhnts of Fort 6n
France, her designation, she narrowly
escaped being blown out of the water
by shore batteries and the guns of the
French cruiser Jeanne dare.
To understand the story of the Flor
ence one must begin at the beginning.
Built in 1903, by Lewis Nixon, at the
Crescent ship yards, EliZabethtown, N.
J., and christened the Czarina, she was
sold some years later to John G. Eaton
of Toronto, Canada, and renamed the
Emeline. At the outbreak of the war
she was turned over by him for the use
of the Canadian coast guard, and once
more rechriStened, this time the Flor
ence She was sold a short time ago
to the SOciete Generate de Transports
of Martinique, French concern,
which was to place her in the freight
service in the West Indies. She came
from Canada to New York, and was
refitted for her new service, leaving
this port under command of Captain
Triton and q crew of 10 on January 8.
From the time she left New York,
Captain Triton said, she met nothing
but heavy weather. The Florence
went slamming through the ruck at
good clip, for Captain Triton had or
derS to deliver her as soon as posi-
BILE. On January IL she made Hamp-
ton Roads. Leaving there the next
day she ran into her first adventure.
She passed Hatteras that night, and,
according to Captain Triton, went in
side the light vessel. A merchantmen
going the same way also was passing
inside.
Merchantmen Flees.
AS the yacht, logging a good 16
knots, came racing through the heavy
seas, with occasional flames squirting
from her funnel, the merchantmen
turned inshore in an effort to get out
of her way and make the three-mile
limit. She was almost in the shoals
before she turned out again. By that
time the Florence was well by.
The Florence made Nassau, BAHIA
mas, and on her arrival those aboard
saw a great disturbance on shore. Sol
dierS could be seen assembling, and
when the captain went ashore he found
an automobile awaiting him. He was
hurried to the home of the governor,
and there underwent four hours of
gruelling before he could make the au-
thOrities believe that he was only what
he had represented himself to be.
IF you had come in at night" he
said the governor told him. "you would
have caused q riot"
eff / had come in / would have
played my searchlight on the port"
Triton said he replied, and the gov
ernOr told him If he had there prob
ably would have been an exodus from
the town.
On January 2S the yacht touched at
Great Inagua.
passed between TOrtuga island and
Porto Paix, on the mainland of Hayti,
passing through the funnel-like straits
with an S5-mile gale behind her. Cap
tain Triton said that once in the
straits he could not turn back and
could only keep his vessel going before
the wind. with all the steam he could
crowd on, to give her steerage way.
She made Agul bay with difficulty. hav-
ing no pilot. and went bowling through
the reefs at great rate, with two nen
in the chains sounding. Captain Trit-
ton was able to bring her in to safety
without incident.
Makes for Cape Hatien.
From there the Florence made for
Cape Hatien, meeting on the way the
Dutch steamship Orange Nassau, on
her way to this port. Captain Triton
took his vessel through the banks of
Monte Christi, for he himself was TAX
ing no chances on meeting Prussian