GERMAN RAIDING CENTRE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2265, 26 September 1914, Page 8

GERMAN RAIDING CENTRE

BORKUM NAVAL BASE WHERE THE GERMAN SUBMARINES CAME FROM , The arrest in 1910 of two English officers, Messrs. Brandon and Trench on a charge of espionage on the island of Borkum led the London "Daily Mail" to publish some interesting matter concerning the works in progress on that island, from which it appears the German submarines that sunk the Cressy, Hogue,' and Aboukir issued . . Borkum, it should be explained, ie the most westerly of tho East Frisian Islands, which stretch along the German coast from the frontier of Holland towards, the mouth of the Elbe. They area chain of-sandy islets, almost destitute of vegetation, and with a chain of shallow waterways behind them. Mr. WillianV Maxwell, the "Daily Mail's" special correspondent, writing ■in. 1910, said:—lt is-clear that in Borkum, at Emden, and at Malmedy—to take only three, important points—operations are in progress to strengthen materially- the position of Germany with regard to Holland and Belgium. The importance of Emden in the waters that divide Holland from Germany and flow into the North Sea is unquestionably great, though its capacity as a naval base has been sometimes exaggerated. Eighteen months ago, I found nothing to justify some or ■• legends that have, been written about it. ■'■'.-..-'• -■■■■..•■ The inner harboUT is little more than a .broad canal fed for the River Ems, •and separated from the outer-harbour by sluice-gates. The outer-harbour it-self-is''.narrow .'and difficult of access, arid its limited accommodation and machinery are taxed. . Id the. utmost b} the merchant ships and colliers . that crowd.the wharf. At the most Emden would at present be practicable only for' torpedo and small!'craft , in. war. But the importance of Emden as a naval base /is already undergoing a change., A few • montlis. ago' work was begun on a now and a- greater dock ai ; the east.of the outer-harbour. : jAlready sufficient progress ha'v .been.-made .tc' show,that this new harbour will"; greatly to the capacity of Emden for commerce and for warj Not only in sizo but also in facilities for access : latest addition to.the resources of thi> Dolalrtis Vastly superior to the existing' accommodation; and will amply re. pay the-.expenditure. ..' /The importance of the Dolla'rt—tho name given toilless waters—needs no demonstration. .-'• A glance at the map shows it.'Not only does the Dollart expose Delfzyl: and an important flank of Holland: to '.attack from Germany, but it also gives tho access to tlio North Sea;and the British coast. Not for commercial reasons alone does Germany lay claim to exclusive possession of the channel and spend so much timo and. money in preserving and improving it. ■ Activity is not confined to-Emden and the mouth of the 15ir.s. Opposite tho ciitrance to the Dollart lies the island of-Borkum, <ne of the lino of sentries that seem -, to guard'the , Frisian coast. Uiitil the arrest of Messrs. Brandon and Trench tho name- of JJorkum: was unknown iu Britain, though it suggests to: the North German all tho' attractions that the Isle of Wight .has for tho citizen of London or the Islo of Man for the north countryman. In recent years Borkum has become a popular summer- resort, and vast sums are being spent oil protecting it from the encroachments of the sea. The waters aro shallow, but a great mole, partly natural and partly aniUcial, stretches out from the south-east to-give anchor-, ago for ships. 'The enterprieo, so manifest to every visitor, is.not restricted to holiday attractions. The day is approaching when Borktira.will be. known not as a holiday resort in the North Sea but as a flying base for naval opeiations. Though there are at present no forts of the kind to attract a "camera fiend," there are works in progress with vigilant and suspicious sentinels over them and a little barracks for artillerymen cautiously tucked away among tue sand-dunes, over Which is written on every side the word "Verboten" (For- ■ bidden).. - ' ' ../ . . ■ German journalists now acknowledge that the fortress chain, of which Borkum and- Juist and Nofdorney are the western links, will ultimately extend across Heligoland Bay.- to the island of. Bylt, and will provide a screen behind which the German Meet can manoeuvre without exposing itself to attack. Heligoland, which was ceded to Germany by Great Britain in 1890, is tho crowning liiik in this chain. In twenty years tno face of this island in the A'orth Sea has been changed beyond recognition. Millions have been spent in protecting Heligoland from the aestruuw'vo.assaults ot the sea. Massive, ramparts of granite, constructed at a,cost, of one million pounds, confront the wavos ori the south-west. Three : other great sea-walls have been built, and in time the whole island will be encased in gianito. in places whei'6 the porous red rock Las corroded. like a nollow tooth, the corrosion has been arrested and replaced with cement. Tho waves have been robbed of their prey, and tho twenty-first century will.nnd Heligoland not .the submerged rock, as was once imagined, but strong and defiant, the Gibraltar of. the North Sea. . i The most powerful of .fortress guns and howitzers■ arm, this German Gibraltar. It has vast stores of- munitions of war, arid is provisioned against ■a ■ long siege, -its garrison is complete, and, should an enemy succeed in silencing its batteries, the difficulty of scaling the rock would bo made impossible by the military defences of tho island. . Deep water good anchorage to the greatest, battleships, and there is to bo a new harbour for torpedo-boats and email craft, tor which- tho sum of £1,800,000 has been voted. - ' Heligoland , lias been made impregr nable'. Not even Prince Bismarck, who looked upon die- gift of Britain as a .burden and a menace, would wish to see it again in neutral ■ hands. It stands an armed sentinel at the gates of tho Elbe and the Weser, aud stretches cut its '"mailed fiists" to tho armed sen-' tincls across the bay far into the North Sea.