The Nome daily nugget., 1918-01-04


 been obtained by the, Navy Depart ment from Captain Haldor Smith of the American schooner R. c. Shade. and three other mariners who landed at Tutuila In an open boat September 29 after being marooned on Mopeha Island by the master of the Seeadler when the raider grounded and was abandoned
 The Seeadler formerly the American ship Pass of Balmaha, belonged to the Boston Lumber Co.,. and was In the Nova Scotia trade before the war. Af- ter the war broke out she was put un- der the American flag and was cap- tured by the British and Q prize off cer was put aboard her with instruc- tlons to take her to Kirkwall, Scotland. On the way, she was captured by 9 German submarine and sent to Bremen and fitted out as a raider. X picked crew was placed aboard, some of whom spoke Norwegian, and sent out into the Atlantic under the guise of a Nor wegian ship.
 The ruse worked so well that nfter lefving Bremen on December 21, 1916 the Seeadler was held up by the Brit ish auxiliary cruiser Highland Scot. examined and passed. Sailors iden- tification books issued by the Norwe. stan Government were furnished tho men, although they were probably talk cn from captured Norwegian vessels and given to the men who seemed to fit the descriptions given. These, to sethcr with pictures of Norwegian kings and queens. gave the ship ,he appearance of Norwegian.
 Captain Smith learned that. while cruising in tho Atlantic, thirteen ships. valued by the Germans at G0.000.00o marks were captured, and four In the Pacific, the +. c. Shade. the Ameri- can schooner A. B. Johnson, the Amer ican schooner Manila and the French schooner Luteee.
 Relating the story of the capture of his ship. the Slade. Captain Smith said:
 T loft Sydney on April 2i. 1917. and proceeded without any incident until the evening of June F. when was in latitude about north and longitude l50 west On the evening of June IT, about o'clock. the second mate re- ported to me that a ship was fireins on us l went on deck md looked aft, and instantly. as came on deck. they fired again. and I saw the shell fall short about miles. She was about 8 miles off. There was a heavy suuali starting 10 eastward--wind favorable to this time-and thought 1t possible to get away md kept holding on. But ahe kept firing at me at intervals of about 5 to 10 minutes. and was coming up on me fast.
 Tho ninth shot fired about o'clock struck very close. passing the poop and splashing water on the ship. Then I concluded that there wasn't any use. and lowered down spanker. clewed down topsail, hoisted American flag. and hove to. About 2 o'clock the raid CT was up alongside and asked what ship. I told him what it was and he told me to lower down sails, and stand by, and he would send an officer aboard me. Shortly after. the prize officer came aboard. and doctor and about 10 men. These officers were in uniform. They told me to leave the shin and to go aboard the raider. and they would give me time in the morning to pack my clothes.
 They took all our men aboard the raider except the cook. Next morning went back on board with all my men and packed up. We left the ship with out belongings. June IS. We were put on board the raider again. Shortly
 
 cut holes in the masts and placed dynamite bornbs in, each mast and put fire to both ends of the ship and left her. I saw the masts go over the side and tho ship wns burning from end to end. and the raider steamed away"
 Captain Smith said the raider was a full-rigged ship of steel CT Iron. about 2.3o0 tons. propelled by oil burning en :. zines. Her captain was Felix Graf von Luckner Active Captain-L -Lieuten. ant: the First Lieutenant. Alfred King: Prize Officer, Richard Pless There was also a chief engineer. a nav. igatins lieutenant, a mate and a doctor All told. her compliment was 6s officers