A NARROW ESCAPE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2281, 15 October 1914, Page 6

A NARROW ESCAPE

'■STEAMER.SLIPS BETWEEN > •"" • GERMAN' CRUISERS. ,

Tae steamer Tofua, which recently arrived at Sydney' from the Islands, met the small Island steamer Dawn at- Apia, and those on board, the 1 latter, reported a sensational experience ..which befell them' shortly beforei arriving-there.. The Dawn,' which is a British-owned vessel, was 'making for Apiiif'shortly after'the visit to 4ho ''port;:bf the-Gorman lyarScharrihorst. She was. just, to the'north, of the Samo'an Group oho'dark night, ,and was. ruii-! ning with all -lights out' to avoid being picked up.;by.'the enemy's ships. • Suddenly'the officer in charge noticed,; a light flashing off the port bowj'and/ 1 as soon : as' it stopped, another light'broke the .darkness- off tho starboard bow with a series of flashes. . . \ The officer in charge of the Dawii realised that the'flashes were coming from tho mastheads of two warships which were conversing with each other in an unknown code. /> The two -war-"' ships wore coining straight towards the Dawn, and, like her, had all lights screened. '■■ ; "■!_ ';■

For a while the position of the little steamer was critical. There was no time to change the course without running a big risk of being cut down. The officer on the bridge accordingly kept a smart look-out for the positions of the flashes ahead,'and, with not aTay of light escaping from any part of his vessel, steered the Dawn straight for the dark space between the two signal lights. ' In. this manner.: he passed unseen between .the two warships, and congratulated himself on his fortunate escape'when, on arriving at Apia, he learned that he had run the gauntlet of the German cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, which had shortly before left Apia. '- \\