ON THE HIGH SEAS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2272, 5 October 1914, Page 6

ON THE HIGH SEAS

GERMAN CRUISERS BOMBARD ' (PAPEETE ' NEWS OF THE SCHARNHORST AND '; : ; : GNEISENAU i (Rec. October 4, 4.10 p.m.) i ■;-.■■■' Paris, Friday, midnight. . '.' . ' Official;— The German cruisers Scharn- ' horst and Gneisenau, on September 22,disarmed and'sank-the French gunboat. Zelee, off; Papeete, and disappeared' after bombarding Papeete. The whereabouts of the German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau,; two fairly formidable hostile ships which ■ have been prowling about the Pacific, : has been a. baffling' mystery to the general public. This is practically the first.definite news of the movements of these, warships Bince the outbreak of ". .the war.- ■. : . - '- ..,-■■ The German armoured cruiser- Gnei- ; senau is a warship of 11,420 tons, 28.806 h.p., and was completed at Bremen *in ■'-~:-.".-1908. Her armament consists of eight B.2in. guns, six 5.9iu. guns,, twenty • . 3.4 in. guns, and fourteen smaller guns. .'■: She steams 23.8 knots, and carries a complement of 764 The Scharnhorst, ■ 11,420 tous, 27J759 h.p., is the same ago as the Gneisenaiij is similarly armoured and equipped, but is, a slower vessel, ... steaming 22.5 knots.' She carries .the ; same crow. '■■■■;■ .- ■■'.•'"'■' The Zelee was a small gun vessel of .554 tons, 185* feet long, 26ft. beam, ,1000 h.p., and completed in. 1900. She ■ carried two 3.9 in., four 2.5 in., and four I.4in. guns, steamed 13 knots, and carried a complement of 75. Papeete, the capital of Tahiti and ■ ' '■: the.chief port and trading centre, is the seat of. government of the French establishments in Oceania. The town has a ■■• ■' population of 4280 (2500 French): It 6tandson the'N.W. coast of the island, on a beautiful harbour, entered by two . . passages through the protecting reef, and backedhy five mountains. Papeete . is French in character as far as concerns'the richer quarters. It has a cathedral, barracks and arsenal, Government buildings, and a botanical gar- ; dens. The Chinese quarter and the pic- ' turesgue native market contrast strong- - ly with the European settlement. Just before the war broke out measures were ; being' taken to improve and deepen Papeete harbour, extend the wharfage, and enlarge the .facilities for the storage of coal. LEIPZIG AGAIN '•:' ".' '■____■ .'■■ BRITISH STEAMER SIM ■ London, October 2. ■-..'■"■■ The cruiser Leipzig sank the British steamer 'Bankfields, 3763 tons, with half a million dollars' worth of sugar. crew landed, at. Callao. : ' RUSSIAN BALTIC FLEET. DAMAGES OR LOSSES DENIED. ;';. (Reo. October 4, 2.30 p.m.) Petrograd, October 3. The Russian Naval Staff states that . . no Russian ships . have been lost or -damaged since the beginning of the. war. ANXIETY IN FREMANTLE. CLAN MACMILLAN OVERDUE. , :'■' : _'..•.'.;' Fremantle, October 3. There is some anxiety for the steamer Can Macmillan, now three weeks overdue from the Tyne. ... WAR RISKS ADVANCED. - :.'.'■■ '■ v I ; :.'•.:'• ON FIJI-AUSTRALIAN VESSELS. Sydney, October 3. War risks on vessels trading between :''Australia and Fiji has' advanced 1to' 2 per centum. . NEUTRAL SHIPS AND THEIR CARGOES. UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN. New York, October 2. The British Ambassador (Sir C. A. . j>pring-ltice) conferred with the State officials concerning the seizure of American copper on neutral vessels for neutral ports, oh the presumption that it was destined for Krupp's. The Ambassador intimated that Britain- would in- ._ demnify the owners, and also would not interfere with American shipments .of foodstuffs to Holland. .. President . Wilson has informed inquirers that Britain displayed a most friendly attitude regarding possible nonneutral shipments, and' he had no doubt a satisfactory, arrangement would .: be reached. ■ • ' ■ ' .' GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISERS . " SUNK, (Rec. October 4, 11.20 p.m.) Paris, October 3. Official.—A French gunboat sank the German auxilia-y ships Rhios and Itolo. The Itolo was a steel screw steamer <»f 29J) tons, built in 1903. ! BRITISH STEAMER MINED 'AND SUNK.' • (Rec. October 4, 11.25 p.m.) London, October 3. _ The British steamer Dawdon, bound hom Hull to Antwerp, was sunk by a mine. Eight of the crew were brought to 06tencl, nine are missing. [The. Dawdon was an iron screw steamer of 1310 tons, classed Al at Lloyd's. She ;.' ' was built in 1878.1 GERMAN SEA-PLANES ON THE PROWL. x (Rec. October 3, 5,5 p.m.) London, October 2. A Grimsby trawler reports that six German seaplanes are ' patrolling the German coast, supervising the shipping, circling vessels, and compelling suspects to steer for German ports.— ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.)