New Britain herald., 1919-01-29
e governors said Major Talbot
Refused to Permit Search.

The first open break occurred one !
day when the governor detailed a
captain of the Marine Corps to go !
aboard the cruiser for the purpose Of |
requesting permission to search it for
surplus coal or ammunition The
captain Of the COrmorant bluntly re-
fused to grant the request The nav
al governor of the island then ordered
the marines to search the craft, and
when the recalCitrant German officer
saw we meant business he sent word
ashore that the search could be made
with his permission
With the obvious purpose of get
ting back into the good graces of the
Americans, the captain of the Cor
morant a month later gave a dinner
to which Major Talbot said the otis
GERS stationed on the island were in
vited. Fulsome compliments We're
paid to the officers who attended, the
major continued, but the Americans
failed to become enthusiastic.
From February to April, 1917, the
time during which exchanges of notes
on the subject OF abandonment of
submarine warfare were taking place
between the United States and Ger
many, Major Talbot said that many
strange things occurred aboard the
cruiser and everything possible was
done by the Germans to make the
guard duty of the marines stationed
at the batteries overlooking the har-
Dor increasingly difficult. They formed
habit. he said, of holding drills in
the middle OF the night, of swim
ming before dayhreak. and signaling
with lanterns at all hours Of the night. |
The Cormorants sinking was the !
climax of a series of exciting events /
all Of which occurred Z to O'Clock !
on the morning ofg April g." Major !
Talbot said. AT 1880 on the same |
morning we were told by the govern |
or that war had been declared against |
Germany and that one OF the naval |
IIoutenants would go aboard the Cor |
morant to demand the surrender of |
the cruiser.
Batteqy Ready FOR Action.
II was instructed to prepare my |
battery for any resistance which |
might be made by the officers and |
crew Of the vessel 1t was arranged |
that the lowering OF the Cormorants !
flag was to be the signal that the YES
sci had surrendered.
LAS was usual, the cutter from the |
German cruiser which was in charge |
Of one of its officers, headed for shore |
shortly after T o'clock. AS soon as he |
was told that war had been declared |
against his country by the United |
States. He did not wait for his pro- !
visions, but returned imm ediately to /!
the Cormorant The German cutter |
was returning just about the time that !
our cutter carrying the naval lieuten- |
ant who was to demand the surren- !
der, departed for the COrmorant. |
When the two boats passed my bat |
terry the German cutter was about |
four lengths behind ours.
while the two cutters were pass |
ing by | noticed that the German Off |
Ger was attempting to signal his ship. |
and | detailed Corporal Cordrey of |
the marines and four men to stop his |
cutter In carrying out my commands |
Corporal Godfrey fired Americas first |
shot at Germany-in the harbor of |
Guam
jumped to Escape Explosion.
The tricky tendencies of the Ger |
mans was illustrated by what next oc- |
Cured. A moment after the Ameri- |
can naval officer boarded the Cor |
morant Major Talbot said the Ger /
man flag WAS slowly lowered, which |
led him to believe that the cruiser !
had surrendered. The flag went up |
again at the end of the minutes, the ]
Germans explaining later after the |
Cormorant was sunk, that the flag !
had been lowered merely as Il courtesy |
to the u. :. S. Supply, which was |
passing out of the harbor,
Major Talbot also gave the details ,
OF what happened on board the cruis- |
er when the American officer demand |
ed it's surrender.
you can have the men but not |
the ship the captain told the officer" |
Major Talbot said mo sooner had no |
said this than all the officers and |
crew Of the ship began hurrtedly as
som bling on deck. Our naval officer |
hastily left the boat and no sooner !
| had he jumped from the companion
way Of the German ship into the cut |
ter than the officers and crow loaped |
overheard with one accord and IN u !
| mad rush they swan away from the
! place.
"Our cutter was not fifty feet away
| from the German cruiser when loud
| rumbling noise, followed by n burst
| of fire and ending with an explosion
| through tho bridge of tho vessel, oc-
Cured and tho Cormorant dlsup-