Evening star., 1940-01-28

few hundred yards away" said Will
liam Taylor, an engine room wiper
from Nashville, Tenn. "The Ger
mans knew 1t was 1imey' cruiser
and they ducked for cover in
hurry.
But a little 85-foot Norwegian
gunboat that was tagging along with
us poked her nose right at the Brit
Usher, flashed her own searchlights
over her, and told her to get out
these are neutral waters And the
limey got out"
There had been fears that the
American freighter might be the
victim of an attempt by the British
Navy to try to take her from the
Nazis on the desperate run for a
German port.
But apparently the German cap
tors decided not to risk a battle.
Capt. Gainard said the commander
of the prize crew aboard the freight
er received from passing German
ship definite orders from his govern
nent to put into Haugesund, Nor
way, as they approached that port.
The skipper's statement cleared up
to some extent the mystery that
had surrounded the circumstances
of the City of Flint's stopping at
Haugesund and at 'Murmansk-
points that had been the center of
controversy involving the United
States, Germany, Russia and Nor
way.
Prize Crew Interned.
He said the Germans wanted to
put forward the excuse of engine
trouble for going into Haugesund,
but realized that wouldn't work"
with the Norwegians and instead
claimed sailor needed hospital
treatment - after definite orders
from Berlin to stop there no mat
ter what.
Norwegian authorities found no
sailor sick enough to justify stop
, ping in neutral waters, and so
promptly interned the German prize
crew and turned the ship back to
Capt. Gainard and his crew. This
occurred November 8.
The United States contended
Russia should have taken similar
action at Murmansk when the ship
was taken in there October %.
International law provides that
prize crew may take captured ship
into a neutral port only in. case of
stress of weather. want of fuel or
provision or necessity of repairs. In
all other cases, the neutral is obli-
gated to intern the prize crew and
restore the vessel to it's original crew.
Russia allowed the Germans to
take the City of Flint out of Muir
mansk after f1ve-day stay there
on the grounds that it had been
necessary to put into repair de
fective machinery
There was nothing the matter
with the machinery Of this ship at
Murmansk or anywhere else" Capt.
Gainard fatty declared.
Bitter sarcasm crept into his re-
cital of his treatment by the Russian
authorities at Murmansk.
only the naval officer among
those that boarded us extended the
usual courtesies," he said. 1.-THE
rest of them didn't know"
Unable to Phone Envoy.
Asked whether the Russians
looked starved or well-fed, Capt
Gainard said ne couldn't tell be-
cause "A Russian has no look-he
has the same expression as a COW
in a field
Russian naval commander boarded
the City of Flint as soon as it put
into Murmansk, he related, took off
the ships papers and the German
prize crew and told Capt. Gainard
that he would be free to leave with
his ship as soon as the papers were
examined ashore and sent back
apparently intending then to act
under the international law provi-
sions later observed by Norway.
But those papers didn't come
back for four days, % hours and
10 minutes" Capt. Gainard said
with a wry grin, land when they
did, the Germans came back, too
IN charge again-and we started
heading for Germany"
Throughout the stay at Muir
mansk, he added, he tried unsuc-
cessfully to get in touch with the
American Ambassador at Moscow
u gave messages addressed to the
Ambassador to the boarding off,
cials each day, and they said they
would send them along-but they
didn't get there. asked to 20
ashore to telephone Moscow, out
wasn't allowed to. even asked If
there was any possibility of them
putting at my disposal for a trip
to Moscow one of their 1000 Won
derful warplanes."
Captain Talks Freely.
Capt. Gainard, his officers and
seamen talked freely with reporters
who boarded his vessel from the
Coast Guard Cutter Calumet as the
City of Flint lay off quarantine
station an hours run from her
dock this morning.
There were no reports of any
fights or other trouble between the
American crew members and the
German captors, despite what one
seanen described as "a lot of bull'
that had been spread about the
situation.
I'VE got along fine after we got
acquainted" said Mr. Taylor as he
and half dozen other sailors of
watch waited in the mess room for
a mess boy to set up their places
for q midday meal on the red
checkered tableclothes covering the
tables.
THE Germans seemed to be glad
to be able to learn to speak little
English. They learned to play hearts
and other card games we play here
on the mess tables. They told us
would have a big time when we got
to Germany.
q