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Show HOW KARLSRUHE : TRAPHESSELS Passengers on Captured British Brit-ish Merchantman Tell of German Commander's Methods. CAPTURE FLOTILLA Wireless Reports Proximity of Prize Ship and Speed Warship War-ship Soon Appears. New York. Nov. 1 --How the German Ger-man cruiser Karlsruhe sets its traps for vessels flying the flags of nations na-tions of war with Germany waa told today by passengers of the British merchantman Van Dyck, captured by I the Karlsruhe while on a voyage from lluenos Aires to New York These passengers arrived today on the steamship Sao Paulo from Para From Captain Hans Fritsch, a member mem-ber of the German naval reserve commanding the steamer Asuncion, to which those aboard the Van Dyck were transferred after the Van Dyck I had been chased and captured by the Karlsruhe, en October 26. the passengers passen-gers obtained their information Captain Cap-tain Fritsch said that the Karlsruhe was constantly accompanied by four raptured merchant vessels, manned by prize crews The flotilla, when there was reason to believe a merchantman mer-chantman was near spread out over a line about 166 miles long. When a vessel flvinr the enemy's flag wa3 sighted hv one of the ships, the wireless wire-less notified the cruiser and the Korlsruhe with her superior speed, would dash in and capture the prize. Captain Fritsch said that the Karlsruhe had captured seventeen ship ir or near equatorial Atlantic waters Story of Capture. Danie 1 indo of New York, as spokesman for the passengers, told the following story of the capture of the Van Dyck "The Van Dyck left Buenos Aires, on October 15, with 198 passengers and a ciew of 210. The British cruiser cruis-er Bristol convoyed the ship between Rio lanlero and Bahia Just before our arrival at Bahla, the Bristol left US "About 11 o'clock on the morning of October 26, after we left Bahia, two columns of smoke were seen over the horizon. In a half hour more we saw a gray war vessel coming com-ing in our direction at great speed. Soon we found out that the warship was the Karlsruhe and the Van Dyck was a prize of war. In the wake of the cruiser there came the steamship Farn. which we learned later was a caotured vessel. "A long boat filled with officers and men rut off from the cruiser. U It came alongside, we saw that all the men were armed with rifles and revolvers The officers came aboard and, after Inspecting the ship's papers, informed us that we would be tiansfcrred to another vessel ves-sel and taken Into some port. "In the meantime three other v es-Bels es-Bels had come up Thev were the Rio Negro, the Asuncion and the In-drar.1. In-drar.1. The first two used to be vessels ves-sels of the Hamburg-American line; the Indranl was a captured vessel. t C o'clock the next morning, the passengers, baggage and bedding, were transferred to the Asuncion. Capture Vessels on Patrol. "The Asuncion with 511 passengers I aboard patrolled north and south over a path sixty miles long, for six days to prevent news ot the capture of the Van Dyck from becoming known.; The Karisnthe was watching for the steamer Vestris, which was bound ' south and reported to be nearby. "Captain Fritsch told us that the function strained without clearance papers from Santos, August 8, with a full supply of coal and provision? She loined the Karlsruhe at a small 'island off the coast of South America. Amer-ica. The coal and prnlsions were transferred to the cruiser, which was badly in need of them The Vsunclon had been in touch with the cruiser ever since the captain said He also Bald that 'in taking the Van Dyck j the Germans believed they had sealed their fate They felt that the British naVy would make extraordinary efforts ef-forts to destroy the Karlsruhe after ,1,,. v .' Dyck's capture should become be-come known. Captain Fritsch said that the Karlsruhe bad captured the following follow-ing vessels: "AugUSl 31, Maple Branch: September Sep-tember I. Strathroy; September 14. Highland Hope; September 17 In-drani. In-drani. September 21. Maria, a Dutch vessel wi!h contraband l' war aboard. and the jti Icyana; September 22, Cornish City; October 5, Maria De Larrlnawi and ths Meitade; October 6, Farn; October 7, Lycronna; Octo- HIIIIIIIIBIIHI ber IS, Glanton; October 23. Hurht-J dale, aud October 26, Van Dyck. ' fin I |
