Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-03-19
SUSPECT FOUL PLAY
TO THE |MPERAT0R
Former Great German Liner
Has Momentous and Thrill
ing Voyage.
FOR THREE DAYS HELPLESS
Many Passengers Received An
onymous Warnings. Advising
Against Taking Passage.
IBy Universal Service. ]


LONDON, March io.--Thc former
German. later American and now Brit
!sh liner lmperator has just completed
."e most aenaaiiona! journey OF her
career For three days the giant vcs-
%! was virtually heIp.css w.tn Iis;
- .ofty -hsu u.o.rea. ~ uumvcr ".
st-c.-sa s..4.c.oo.us were nuvuru
: '-H'14S ihSu'ue! - .uc Cre" were nil4.u.
! nc iLnp.!ntOr ir.L --ew loIn GA
tCH o. -h4' went "eIl unlIi iAsl Sun-
-"I evening "hen IN the couisc d
-v"ttTi al the nrst-v.asS sA.ouu oVv
..AsscASeIs were lnrown iIouI their
-e"'a as the uis snap uropi,cu tu i
-"aip Nst wH.ru in.re.Ssvu slcaulN.
iAc p.isaenscIs say lucIc w.iS uv
Ii.,hlc, ncSrr.
me cause oI the trouble is not quite
eitat "s !'.' ihoush 1t as known luerc
MAS a. cOns.dcravIe assn uIscnarsr a.,
.nc stoke noIu.
scNera. sAioon passengers stated de-
nn.tciy tnat thry received anonymous
WARNINGS not 10 san Ola the snip.
Mary Nash, the wcli-knuwn actress,
SAID:
Il received a mysterious warning
from Washington tnaL it would be
dangerous to- san the Imperator,
,o nu' @ de,ermined ri1, TO pay no "a, attention
rooms were fooued after the snip
listed. Ny own caoin had 4 foou and
! half or water. but | continued to
oceupy 1t, l had to crawl 10 my bed
over trunks that were noating around
over the hoor. but / wasn't alarmed.
The ofucers had assured US there was
no real danger"
! Arthur Hammerstein said:
Ne were, in grave danger. but did
not realize IL until. we reached south
amp,on ahrp,,nh o,,i inns 81, morning. morning noticed
had slight list. but 1 thought this
might be caused By the steering gear
being out vf order because we took
trouble however. until Sunday evening
when during a concert in the saloon
the ship canted SHARPLY, throwing the
The smoking room was filed with
rumors. The most persistent was that
the ash discharge machinery was de-
! fective. 1t was also stated that the
coal had shifted in the bunkers. /
was warned in New York not TO sal,
the warning. thought it was merely
| 4 scare started from German sources.''
.Ihe engineer STAFF battlcd day and
night with the disabled machinery.
the occasion. At his post continuously
for seVenty-two hours, up 10 his waist
in water
The passengers assert that when the
ship was berthcd at Southampton the
oodieS or three or four members OF
the engineroom STAFF were taken away
IN amDu!anccs. together with Il few
others who had been injured.
me iTperator was scheduled to sail
terday those who had bookings were
notified by telegraph tina; the sailing
had been cancelled. but no explanation
was given.
AT the Cunard Offices in London no
Information, was obtainable today. we
have no information. There has been
no report from the captain" was the
stereotyped reply to all inquiries.
The reason assigned for the listing
Of the Imperator by shipping experta
is that the vessel was designed for a
thirty-four- foot draught. but the ex :
cessive weight of the super-structurc
caused her to draw thir;y-eight feet.
flooding the ash electors when they
were opened