Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-18
Four Hundred Lives Los, Says
One Report-British Cruis-s
erS Search Atlantic. 4.
TERROR OF THE OCEAN
WORKING N0RTHWARD
Americans Among Survivors Landed
at Permambuco-Nervous Tension
in Shipping Circles.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. January Irwin ths
possibility that the German sea r,idss
which sank or captured from fifteen en
a score of allied ships is still continu.
ing her depredations. steamship ovners
and marine underwriters were in q staes
OF nervous tension today. The losses In
ships and cargoes thus far represent
from $4,000, 0vo to sec, 0,000, 900.
Gordon of British cruisers. reported
to number fifteen. Is believed to be
sweeping the southern seas in search Of
the raider. which. according to one re-
port may be tho auxiliary cruises
vineta; according to another the cruiser
Moewe. the same sea rover which played
havoc with allied shipping about yeas
ago.
Working Northward.
Steamship circles were especially COM
cerned today over a wireless warning
that the German raider was working
northward to more freQuented lanes Of
steamship travel. The possibility that
the raider may have armed and manned
one or more of her prizes and dispatched
them also on commerce preying missions
One report was that the British stea
St Theodore was thus transformed.
Definite news Of the fate Of this vessel
and OF the Yarrowdale, reported to have
on board some Of the crews OF other cap
tured vessels, was still lacking today.
Number Placed at Fifteen.
Drn rANErDn Yo.,,., - n>.-.-
raider for the past month has been sink
ing vessels Of the entente allied powers
in the south Atlantic. Latest reports nx
the number at fifteen. Survivors Of the
destroyed vessels to tho number Of 237
have been landed at Pernambuco, and
the fate Of nearly 80 men 10 stu un~
known.
Ehirteen Americans are among the vic
tins Of the German raider. who have been
landed at Pernambuco. The remaining
number is made up OF ITO Engiishmen and
"a Frenchmen.
A Pernambuco newspaper. the Jornal
the purser Of the British steamer Neither
by Hall that the raider sank an English
ship without warning and that 400 per-
sons are believed to have lost their lives.
The first official statements given out
here regarding the raider were to the
effect that seven vessels had been sunk
and nine captured. In communfca-
tion to the minister of marine. the cap
tain of the port of Pernambuco declared
that he had learned the raider had also
sunk eight of the vessels which were
at first reported merely captured. Their
crews. the fate OF which is not KNOWN
numbered AL men.
Expected to Land.
1t is reported that the raider placed
these crews on board the British steam
er Yarrowdale. which then proceeded
for port. It is therefore believed that
they will be safely landed within q
day or two.
Another report has been received to
the effect that the St. Theodore has
been transformed into a raider.
The chamber of commerce and con-
sulate at Pernambuco are devoting
much attention to the care Of the ship-
The commander of the raider is said
to have declared that he attacked only
freighters, and did not interfere Win
passenger boats.
according to unofficial information
the raider has a crew Of $50 men. tn-
cluding four officers Of the German
navy According to reports ctrcuhteo
here the officers of the japanese ship
GA ptured were shot on account OF tno
resistance they offered. Another report
SAYS that twenty-five English sailors were
compelled to work in the engine room %
the raider.
Speculation az to Identity.
While nothing is definitely knows
as to the identity of the raider two
hypothesis have been constructed from
the details supplied by the crews Of the
oP fu
vessel is the German auxiliary cruiser
vineta, but the one most generally
held is that the raider IL either the
Moewe itself or a sister ship. Every ds>
tail in regard to the ships constructions
seems to flt this latter supposition.
The exact position OF the Hudson
Maru when 1t lost sight OF the raider
10 and s2 west, latitude south.
According to telegraphic reports
from pernambuco the men landed
from the ships sunk by the raider reI
port that they were brutally treated.
The correspondent of the formal Do
Rrazu reports that sailors he inters
viewed. claim to have been kept for
two days without food. The commando
sr of the French steamer Nantes 10 said
tn have declared that the raider ape
proa ched his ship under the British haes
lag.
Anxiety in London Over Cargoes>
LONDON, January 1s.-No dehnito
news of the operations Of the Germau
-aider in the South Atlantic is publishs
ed here this morning beyond the ofiicial
in regard to the loss Of
sbips. The statements Of the admiralty
and Lloyd's are given q prominent
place in the morning papers. which
,therwise print nothing but comment
md speculation.
1t is generally admitted that the raids
n may possibly enjoy a long immunity
Is it is recognized that 1t is easier to
ind a needle in a haystack than a ship /
,ent on eluding capture in the Atlantic. !
Anxiety is expressed over the fate of
.argoes of grain and meat from Argen-
ina and steel from the United States.
I is admitted that the loss Of such car
,oes may be severely felt. coming on
on of the depredations of the subma-
ines.
A number of steamers. distinct from
he victims of the raider. are posted at
,loyds as missing. The raider Is as
umed to be identical with the vessel
eported on December 4, but there 10
lothing to indicate whether n dodged
d. .