The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-09-06
Loses ALL IN DISASTER
German Commander Gives Passengers
of Scandinavia Ten Minutes to
Leave Ship Before Tt is Sunk
Anger Drifts Eastward.

When a German warship bombed the
/ steamer Scandinavia off the coast
of South America more than ten months
ago, in the explosion all the possessions
of Franz Anger were blown to atoms,
according to the story which Anger
told to Richard F. Kaiser, secretary Of
the Chamber of Commerce, when he
appealed t. him Thursday to aid him
in obtaining work in Kcnosba. Among
| his losses was a Villaume cello, which
| according to his story was nearly two
! hundred years old and which he played
upon In solo concerts in many of the
largest cities of the world. Secretary
Kaiser, half believing his story, allow
ed Anger to repair his own cello and
when the work was done asked him to
| demonstrate his musical ability by Sc
lections from the masters True to his
word, Anger, with skill which only
years oftraining and natural musical
talent could produce, played concerto
nos, one after another, and convinced
Secretary Kaiser, who is probably the
most competent judge of cello music in
| the city, that he was indeed a master
Anglers story is fraught with hard
ship, adventure and in spite of it all,
honor and praise. Clad in a suit, per-
haps, little worn from wear, and ad-
hitting that at the present he was
"down and out" so far as money was
! concerned, the musician told of the
German frightfulness VIII ich h d
brought him to disaster. In December,
1916, Anger, having finished series
| of concerts in Rio de Janairo set sail
| on the Inflated Danish steamer, @Scan-
dinavia' for Buenos Ayres, where he
was scheduled to fill an engagement
with an orchestra. When the vessel
was fifteen miles of its destination it
was stopped by a German warship,
whose officers declared that, although
neutral ship, it was subject to cap
ture. The German commander gave the
passengers of the Scandinavia ten
minutes time to man the life boats and
when they were but a short distance
away gave the order for blowing the
ship to pieces. Anger explained that
no opportunity was given to allow the
passengers to secure any of their pos
| sessions and after the explosion which
followed his cello, his orchestrations,
the collection of a lifetime, and five
trunks of clothing were blown to pieces
and scattered in the sea. When he
reached Buenos Ayres, he was forced
to cancel his contract with the orches-
ira because he had no instrument.
Three months later he found himself
and his family in San Francisco, where
| he had come via Honolulu, and since
that time he has just drifted from city
to city in search Of work. He came
to Kenosha from Milwaukee, where in
desperation he had worked for several
weeks laying sewer tile but the rough
ness of the labor had so bruised his
hands that when he heard that Keno
sha might offer him a market for his
talent, he came here immediately.
If all that he says is true, and his
marvellous playing seems to put faith
in his assertions, Anger has seen life
Of ups and downs which causes the
pity and admiration of his hearers.
Now, admittedly at the ebb of his for
tunes, with a great deal Of pride, he
will tell you of a day when he was four
wears with tho Rnc+oy Srrp,1bour ar
chestra; he will tell of service in the
| Philomanic Societies OF Carlsbad and
Berlin. He claims many triumphs ON
the musical stage, the most important
of which is when he, stranger, only
moderately clad, won the gold medal
in San Francisco contest, in which
more than three hundred celloists were
entered. He claims to have had train
ing in the schools of Austria and Ger
many and plays with native enthusi-
asm the famous compositions Of Austri-
an and German masters.
Anger is a native born Austrian but
he has both his first and second papers
as an American citizen and seems to
have his patriotism right side up. He
! is strong in his denunciation of the
German government and blames it for
Austria s participation in the war He
asserts that the blowing up of the
Scandinavia !" was in no way justif-
able and that the treatment from the
Germans gave the passengers 40 OPP
p0rtunity of saving their belongings.
He claims to have wife and four chill
dren in San Francisco, whom he de-
clares he is expecting to bring to Ke-
nosha if he remains here
The musician was strong in his praise
of Secretary Kaiser's cello. HIt Is a
genuine Vi1laume, dated 1925" was his
1 comment. sit is In excellent condition