Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-12

bEceH OCT.
Tho Sceadler. nllcd with pride at
Its thirteen sinkings in tho Atlantic.
had como around the Horn carly in
juno and slipped up toward a place OF
vantage on the trade routes.
1t wasn't tho overtakins of tho John
son and tho firing OF guns and tho
final boarding that provided the fun;
all that was just one of the Jobs at
which tho Germans had mado them
selves expert by long practice.
But when they had their captive.
tho Americans got their bit OF fun
and 1t was SO much the bettcr because
the Seeadler's captain. Count Won
Luckncr, got az mad as a hornet, and
with good reason. IL you'll admit one
can get mad justly at a thing like a
ship.
TRIED TO BURN LUMBER
TO HIDE HORRIBLE CRIME,
First OF all they tried to burn the
lumber cargo and SO put an end to
the Johnson. They brought out their
very best bombs and placed them at
the very best places. and they lighted
their finest torches. And every time
they tried TO set the green lumber
ablazc, IT smothered the fame or made
1t as uninnammable a surface as a
stone wall except for the blackenins
Then they tried dynamite. They
used all the tricks they knew OF. and
with tho same result--or lack OF re-
suit
TO jettison the cargo would have been
job. and she'll fire seemed quicker.
40 the guns were taken out from their
blinds and the target shooting began.
That's just what 1t was-target-
shooting. They fired with the pcrsis-
tcnce of 4 small boy using his new toy
rifle en- a dead horse; they fired single
guns and salvos and fancy carom shots
and everything else they knew, and
all the time Graf Won Luckner, Cap
tain Petersen told me. stood on the
bridge shouting orders as il he com
manded a battle fleet in action, and
cureing and dancing and splitting great
strings OF German oaths on the blue
Pacific. and still the Johnson kept
ahoat. no moro perturbed than rhi-
noceros at swarm OF mosquitoes try
ing TO bite II.
Shell after she'll they pumped into
the schooner, and she shells burst and
wrecked and sent out hail Of splin-
ters. and not sign of fire started,
They shot the masts out. they shot
the rigging to nothing at ALL they shot
the bridge and the house and the poop
into smithereens, and in the end they
shot the stern completely away And
except for the damage to the wood
Work II all had no more effect than
the counts "Donnerwetters."
Shooting the stern away put an end
TO their last chance. for the Johnson
got waterloEged and after that TWEEN
~ pirate Dreadnoughts could not have
done much moro. guess.
SO. in the end. the count took oui
the rest OF his anger in beating his
ohicers at checkers. and the Seeadlcr
sailed away. and the waterloCEed hull,
drifted of. derelict. and Captain Pc
terscn and his officers and men tool.
up their existence on the raider with
,hree-day head start over us CT the
SHADE. No one has any love for :,
derelict. but l iaresay II did their
hearts good TO see the johnson hold
hcr own that way till the SeadIer had
TO give up in disgust
80 that was why the Germans we're
deighted TO ind copra in the Slad.
ana not green lumber: next TO cargo
OIL dynamite, copra probably gave thar,
mere satisfaction than anything else
would have. short of clothes or eggs
ana whether II was the hulk of The
Johnson or the Siade that was sieot
ed by the Ottilic Fjord later on he
lieNe me. the Fjo-d had close call
IL was such prey the SceadIer was
LOOKING fo:, and the first CIV would
nave sent her bearing down o, arv.
'h'ns That couldn't have put I'd a fight
NO LOOKOUT AT NIGHT
BECAUSE LIGHTS WE'RE OFT
by night thare was no use 70 Lne,
Lookout for prizes-they knew al,
vessels n those parts Of t.c p,,iec
were sailing without lights II ,ho,,
obGyed orders.
But by day. however. they kent ,uo
iookouts aloft.
And ii is worth while rencn,.r,,
this: They did not trust tho s,i,ons
The lookouts were petty ofrc.rs 800
there were two of thcm I, ~
saros--one in the fore and one in m.
mainland they had win ,h.
's"aiy powerful glasses. giving a range
of vision of thirty miles in .n, -
ton
W. much else Tor me TO nick
~ On the Seeadler. and plenty of time
LOT oolnE 1t. For a time there was
occupation in trying 10 count the nun,
ocT OF Germans aboard. 1t was like
inc game prisoner makes to pass the
oiae In his cell. They came and thew
went oelow. on deck, aloft, fore and
AT ousy at all kinds of jobs. and as
they went about. as hard to keen track
Oh as cards being shuhied. tried to
follow them, ono by one, and as a erouu.
"NtS' seventy, siXty-two sixty-four-
all those came as the total time and
again. but the one | believe Is right
!" siAly-eight. Let it go at that.
And there was one other not a Ger.
man, besides us of tho johnson and
the Siade. He was a Dutchman-a Hol-
lander taken with the rest of the crew
from the first of tho Atlantic prizes.
Much as the Germans OF the crew
mad to put up with-and they showed
and felt 1t when they dared-and much
as we Americans were forced to endure.
II was nothing beside what that Dutch
man went through.
but there was no sympathy for him
from men or officers; lie was sea law
yer, a trouble maker a Snarlar and ~