The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-04-05
Involve OFFICIALS
IN AGASSIZ PLOT
Much Intrigue Revealed BY Cap
4. tmre Of Hun Raider, Partly
Owned In Honolulu

unfOlded as result OF the capture Of
the would be German corsair, Alexander
Agassiz, of the Mexican coast BY
United States warship, says the San
Diego Union. The captured vessel was
conveyed to San Diego with it's crew
OF five Germans and the two women
aboard, one Of whom was Miss Maud
Lochrane, an adopted sister Of Francis
E. Wheeler, Honolulu resident who Is
part owner Of the auxiliary schooner.
The AgassiZ, vessel of thirty.two
tons net, was not large enough to be
used extensively as a raider. Federal
officials say, however, according to n
San Diego Exchange. that II was tho
intention Of the German crew to cap
ture a Pacific mail boat running TO
banana, outfit it with heavier guns
than could be mounted on the Ans
siz, recruit a full crew from pro-Ger-
mars now living at west coast ports,
and then start out on n reign Of terror
-Four significant events leading up TO
the capture Of the Agassiz were as fol-
lows:
Four Significant Events
The Agassiz, while lying at n berth
near the Mexican customs wharf 1T
Mazatlan, was suddenly changed from
American to Mexican registry. How
this could have been done without the
knowledge of the Mexican customs Of
fee may be explained later
The Agassiz was then fitted up as
German raider and allowed to sail
from Mazatlan. flying the German flag.
At Salna Cruz . number OF pro
Germans have cached n quantity Of
war munitions. Among these munitions
were several rapidfire guns evidently
Intended to he taken aboard one OF
the ships captured by the Alexander
Agassiz.
The ringlcader- in the Agassiz affair
| is reliably reported to have been a
draft evader from California, who was
backed bv a syndicate of wealthy Ger.
mans at Mazatlan. rir
This map is reported to have nur.
chased the Agassiz from, the Pacific
| Coast Trading q Shipping Company Of
Los Angeles Members Of the company,
~ filed in the bill of sale at the time
the craft was sold by the regents Of
the University Of California Mt San
Diego. January q. 1917. included Fran
els C. Wheeler. Maud M. Lochrane and
William TAYLOR. .r
Taken OF Run - r wan,
The Alexander AVRssiz. following her
transfer TO the Pacific Coast Trading q
shipping Company, sailed from San
Diego. January %. 1917, for Acapulco
! For time the vesSeI carried oysters
from Tohari hav IN the Gulf of CaHfor-
nit to the floating cahnery John A.
North at Magdalena bay. when the
oysters were found to be Of poor Quail
ity, the .Arn Siz Vas takep off this run
and ptaeef ihAsatvfee between Mazat.
Ian and Manzanillo. d ~ .5s t@.}EF
Shortly after the new wear the Agas-
| siz was nSd7 In NJ a wharf Mt M"zat-
Ian. remaining there until she sailed out
under the German flag.
AttemDted revenge on Americans for
being hlhrklisted is said to be one of
the principal reasons for the nutfitting
Of the bgassiZ rs raider Funds for
the purrhase Of supplies and munitions
were raised by Mazatlan German firms
~hose trade has been seriously curtailed
since being placed on the American
blacklist. ~
Secret service men in the EMPLOY OF
the United States government have
been watching the movements Of the
conspirators for many months. They
obtained an inkling of their intention
regarding the Agassiz ard permitted
the leader TO proceed with his plans
until they thought that il was about
time for an American warship TO take
hand in the game. As usual the war.
ship was at the right spot nj the right
time. A little threerinch shell whizzed
across the ,Agassiz's bow. 1t was suf
ficient. A boatload Of blueiaek cts
boarded the erstwhile German raider
the kaiser's ensign was hauled down
and the Stars and Stripes raised in it,
place. 49, =
OF the -four Germans aboard the
Agassiz, all are said to have been sail.
ors aboard the German sailing ship
member Of the raider 3 crew IL reuor.ed
to have been Mexican, formerly first
engineer If Paeiic Coast steamer
Federal officials, however. have learn
ed that all Of the eleven German sail
ing ships interned at Santa ROsalia and
uuaymas. have been mined. large
eases OF dynamite have been plaeed al
the foot Of the nasts, more dynamite
has been placed in the holds md the
ship 50 wired that the dynamite NAV
| De PNpouefl DY pressing n burton nj
the head of the ladder leading to the
cantain = cabins
Mauv sailors from the informed Ger
man ships are living az MazatIan await
ing au opportunity to leave on n raider
The AleSander Agassiz was huilt a,
San Diego in 1907 expressly for re-
senr"h work as carried ont bv the binlo
Pira' irstitnte A. J n JoIla. The ~essn
Ia siVtv feet Overnu twenty feet beam
md lad n speed Of from ten to twelve
t"ots IN horr.
W0ehirrs+nn psrn-ts
WtSFINGToN. N"rch o"-r,.scci
n'cd P+hssN' Ii 'Af'er .rrpos dnsro t6he,
ha1 tod cf tka.. sc;-uro Of ,rsricicu,
craft in The fPariR. nv IN America
"rnisrr. he baSy department tonight
issnfd this STATEMENT:
"Th" navy dennrtmant announced
'""t"ht thht \ s'~"U American vessel
~" AGnssiz. witch sailed fro,r we.t
MEXICAN Dnrt Wh"~o sho nod Noo~ Fi+
ted out WIDER rir"ur,ston"os u.hioN 70
~" pN""N antbovi4ins w hn'iave .Lat
she wight he rsa1 as an e"or," r"i1er
h"S Ne"n seized 80 SEQ md taken % ,
Pacific Oort fn- i~-es+iqatiNn. THOR,
""re for0d ah""~A sever"l Gprweps
EPrmnn flaws riflns or1 n;stoI, WI -