Evening star., 1939-12-20
Ship Chased Into u. 5.
Port May Remain
Two or Three Years
German Freighter Aroueo
EIudes British Cruiser
OFF Florida Coast

By the Associated Press.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla, Dec.
20.-The captain of the German
freighter Arauca, chased into Port
Everglades Harbor by a British
cruiser, indicated today the ship
might remain here indefinitely.
1T looks as if we might be here
for two or three years." Capt. Fred
erick Stengler laughed when told
the German luxury liner Colum-
bus had been scuttled off the At
lantic Coast to avoid capture or
sinking.
The 4,354- ton Arauca, on its maid
en- voyage, was intercepted yes
terday by the eight-gunned cruiser
Orion a few miles northeast of here
In view of the ocean front.
Eye witnesses said the freighter
headed full speed toward the beach.
Warning Shot Fired.
Capt. Stengler asserted the Orion
fired a warning shot across the
Arauca's bow, about o. miles from
shore, and signaled for the freighter
to follow the British cruiser east
ward into Bahaman waters.
Instead of that" he grinned, Il
went the other way"
Spectators said an airplane cata-
pulted from the Orion and circled
over the freighter before Coast
Guard plane and an Army neutral
ity patrol bomber arrived to watch.
The British cruiser waited off
shore awhile and then cruised slowly
northeastward.
Speeding toward the beach, the
Arauca stopped abruptly just short
of the Hillsboro reef and turned
around. Witnesses said it then
moved out near two southbound
American passenger ships, and used
one of them, the Shawnee, as
shield until it reached the Port
Everglades Harbor.
Eyewitness Stories.
EyeWitnesses said they saw no
shots fired from the British cruiser,
but Government worker, who de-
clined use of his name. said dull
explosion he heard sounded like
blank fired from cannon.
There had been recurring rumors
Of British warships in nearby waters,
presumably on a hunt mainly for the
German luxury liner Columbus, but
this was the coasts first dramatic
evidence of this grim game of marine
hide -and-seek.
Officers of two coastWise ships told
Of watching the pursuit from the
sea and two eyewitnesses said the
freighter escaped capture by the
narrow margin of Is minutes.
None of the officers heard a gun
fired.
Capt. H. E. Blake of the Mer-
chants & Miners liner Fairfax re-
ported he saw the merchant ship
steaming northWard with its life
boats swung over the side ready for
launching. The German craft was
within the 3-mile limit, he said,
while the cruiser stalked it in deep
sea cat-and-mouse fashion IL miles
out
Hull Asks Information.
AT Diamond Shoals the Nazl craft
would have had to put IL miles to
sea to escape shallow water. While
the FairfaX's passengers lined the
rails to watch the drama, the
freighter swung around and headed
for Fort Lauderdale, the cruiser also
swung around. pacing its intended
prey, Capt. Blake said
Two officers of the Clyde Mallory
liner Shawnee told of the German
craft cutting IN toward shore and
reported it appeared to narrowly
escape capture. They declined to
permit use of their names.
Capt. Stengler said he had been
given official assurance his ship
might stay here. as long as it liked
because of its status as a merchant
man.
In Washington, Secretary of State
Hull asked for full information be-
fore deciding whether the Western
Hemisphere neutrality zone had
been violated.
The Arauca sailed from Germany
IN August and left Vera Cruz,
Mexico. December IA, with a gen.
eral cargo. She carried a crew
of 50