With this ship they exchanged
shots and were in turn slightly damaged, but they reached the Porte
in seaworthy condition, and were immediately sold to the Turkish
Government, which was then still neutral. The crews were sent to
Germany and were warmly welcomed at Berlin. The officers responsible
for their escape were disciplined by the British authorities.
Both Germany and England, the former by means of the eleven ships at
large, and the latter by means of her preponderance in the number of
ships, now made great efforts to capture trading ships of the enemy.
When England declared war there was issued a royal proclamation which
stated that up to midnight of August 14 England would permit German
merchantmen in British harbors to sail for home ports, provided
Germany gave British merchantmen the same privilege, but it was
specified that ships of over 5,000 tons would not receive the privilege
because they could be converted into fighting ships afterward. But
on the high seas enemy ships come upon were captured.
The German admiralty on August 1 had issued orders to German merchantmen
to keep within neutral ports, and by this means such important
ships as the _Friedrich der Grosse_ and the _Grosser Kurfuerst_
eluded capture. In the harbor of New York was the _Kronprinzessin
Cecilie_, a fast steamer of 23.5 knots. She left New York on July
28 carrying a cargo of $10,000,000 in gold, and was on the high
seas when England declared war.
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