Evening star., 1940-11-16
4 Nozi B|ockode-Runners Dash
From Tompico, Mexico, Fails;
One Is Fired and Disappears
Second Towed Back
To Port; z Others
Give Up Attempt
" the Associated Press,

~ the Associated Press.
TAMPICO, Mexico, Nov. 16.-A
bold attempt of four German
freighters to escape from wartime
refuge here ended in apparent fall
ure today when one caught fire and
apparently sunk and the other three
returned to port.
One of the ships, apparently the
l,137-ton Phrygia, was seen burning
of shore, but disappeared from view
about 8 o'clock.
Its crew ploughed through rough
seas in hfeboats and reached shore
this morning.
Rumors ran like wildHre around
the water front, but there was no
confirmation of a report that Brit
lsh warships, standing guard in the
gulf, had fired on one Of the Ger
mans.
Waterfront reports said search
light beams, apparently from q war
ship. had been seen southeastward
Of the harbor in the night, shortly
after the ships started leaving.
Biggest of the four ships, the
O,660-ton Orinoco, nmped back into
port under tow, 1t had signaled
shortly after midnight that one Of
It's engines had failed.
The two other vessels, the Rhein
Of 6,03l tons and the Idarwald Of
6,033 tons, were reported heading
back to the berths they have oc-
cupied in Tampico Harbor for
months, fearful Of running the Brit
lsh blockade.
Origin Of Fire Unknown.
What caused them to turn back
was not known. Water front
sources suggested they might have
returned to stand by the stricken
Orinoco.
The origin of the reported fire on
the Phrygia also was unknown, but
Villasana said it was possible its
crew had set 1t ablaze when the
ship encountered enemy" warships
presumably British in the Gulf.
A furious storm was whipping up
the Gulf waters when the first Of
the ships put to sea about 10 O'Clock
last night. BY midnight the other
two, the Orinoco last, had sailed.
Two hours later the Phrygia was
reported on fire and the Orinoco
turning back because Of engine
trouble. ..
The tugboat Sabalo, getting up
steam to 60 to the assistance Of the
Phrygia. received the Orinoco signal
and went to Its rescue and towed
It in.
The Orinoco carried . crew Of
200 the other vesse Is 10 men each.
Storm Hampers Relief.
The furious storm prevented re-
lief boats from putting out to the
assistance of the burning ship.
The ships obtained clearance pa
pers late yesterday, three Of them
giving the Canary Islands as their
destination, and the fourth, Vigo,
Spain.
Shipping circles speculated that
they might be planning to keep q
rendezvous with German war ves-
sci.
Reports Of German surface war
ships operating in Caribbean wa
tiers have been prevalent for some
time.
(Shipping circles in New York
heard unconfirmed reports last
night that the 2,297-ton German
freighter HelgOland, which
slipped out of Barranquila, Co
lombia, October 20, had been sunk
by a British warship in the
Caribbean.)
Other Ships Dared Blockade.
First indications that the German
ships might leave here was seen last
week when crew members were
called aboard and they began taking
on large stores Of provisions. A num-
ber of live hogs were included in
their cargo.
Other German ships have dared
the British blockade from Mexican
ports.
The Columbus, 32,5s1 tons, left
Vera Cruz last December, but was
overtaken by a British destroyer.
Her crew scuttled her 400 miles OF
the United States Atlantic Coast and
q United States cruiser rescued the
crew Of 578 men.
The German cargo ship Weser,
which left Manzanillo on the Pacific
Coast, was captured late in Septem-
ber by a Canadian merchant cruiser.
The fate of the German freighter
Havelland, which left Manzanillo
June ~, still Is in doubt.
There were rumors last February
that the four German ships which
left Tampico during the night were
preparing to sail. At that time q
British cruiser was reported waiting
of the coast to intercept them. Some
Of the vessels took on fuel oil. but
made no other move to depart.
Only last month Mexicans re-
| ported that the crews Of the vessels
had apparently become resigned to
remaining in Tampico indefinitely.
Some Of the sailors were said to have
married Mexican girls and applied
Tor Mexican citizenship.
Spain Rescinds Ban
On American Newsmen