Evening star., 1939-10-12

Report OF lime Bomb
Secreted on Ship Was
Most Disturbing
BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Oct. IA terrific
three day storm and an ever-f1owing
stream of sinister rumors tortured
788 Americans-577 passengers and
21l crewmen - who reached New
York last night on the liner Iro-
quois-the ship which the German
admiralty warned would be sunk,
supposedly by an allied belligerent.
Ablaze with lights, the 12-year-old
vessel dropped anchor to the cheers
of some 1000 who had gathered to
greet her. A giant spotlight played
on large American flag at her
stern. Other powerful lights were
directed on two other flags-l2 by
20 feet-painted on her sides.
Mrs. Mary Stiegelman of Balti-
more, one of the passengers, de-
clared, IF ever there were a ship
of horrors, this was it. The storm
was so bad that some of the officers
said they expected the top of the
boat to blow off. Every one was ill.
Then they started searching our
baggage and wouldn't say what for.
They made us go into the holds
dark, dirty holds-to identify our
trunks. Some of us were so sick we
couldn't go. When We told them we
couldn't go, they told us they would
smash our trunks open
Destroyers Alarm Passengers.
Several passengers agreed the
most frightening of the speculations
aboard ship was that time bomb
had been secreted somewhere.
Even two United States destroyers
which met the 394-foot ship Monday
to form a convoy on orders of the
White House caused alarm at first,
some passengers rushing to the
conclusion that they were hostile
vessels.
The master of the Iroquois, Capt
E. A. Chelton, said he was advised
by Washington last Thursday of an
extraordinary message from Berlin
which warned that the ship would
be sunk near the American coast
under circumstances similar to those
surrounding the destruction of the
British liner Athena. The Ger
mans have contended the British,
not they, were responsible for that
disaster.
The warning seemed incredible,
the captain said, but I was told I
had to believe it until it was proved
otherwise.
Six Days of Suspense.
That meant six days of awful
suspense.
The first thing I did," he said,
was to call the heads of the (ship)
departments together and tell them
about it, instructing them at the
same time not to speak to the pas
sengers about it.
Then had the ship searched for
radios Gin case some one aboard
might be signaling marauding craft
We took off radio antennae and re-
moved tubes from several Short
wave sets the crew had. The pas
sengers did not have radios.
"Of course, the crew knew, and the
passengers too, that there was some
thing up but they didn't know what.
"On Sunday morning when the
cutter came up, told the passengers
part of what had happened. said
I had information there would be
other ships sunk as was the Athena,
but I didn't mention the Iroquois
The next day two United States de-
stroyers came up. and then I gath
cred the passengers in the lounge
and announced specifically what my
information was. They all cheered.
Ship Searched Daily.
II had the ship searched every
day until we got here" the captain
said, but found absolutely nothing"
Neil Fitzgerald, an actor from
Hollywood, told of one of the many
rumors which kept the passengers
jittery.
I'VE heard" he said, that mys-
terious man tried to get on board
at Liverpool. but failed. He was
then supposed to have taken the
overnight boat to Dublin and then
on to Cobb.
"At Cobb, however, all trace Of
him was lost and the supposition
was that he got aboard the Iroquois.
He was supposed to have carried a
brown package containing bomb.
When this rumor got around the
officers searched all the baggage and
staterooms.
Scores of passengers suffered black
eyes and bruises last Thursday, Fri
day and Saturday when the little
ship rolled like tin can" in a
heavy gale. Tables were over
turned. Sleepers were hurled from
their hunks. Much of the bars
glassware was broken. Seasickness
abounded.