THE SHELLING OF PAPEETE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2282, 16 October 1914, Page 6

THE SHELLING OF PAPEETE

STOUT OF THE GERMAN BOMBARDMENT DEMAND FOR COAL ANDWATER DEFIANT REFUSAL GUNBOAT ZELEE SINKS WITH COLOURS FLYING GERMAN STEAMER ALSO SUNK With tho arrival of .the Maitai yesterday came the '.first' direct news of the bombardment of the Papeete (Taiuti) by the German cruisers ScharnJioret and Gneisenau, on September 22. iiveryono on board were able to see tor themselves tho effect of modern sholl fire. . ill-. Gray, second officer of the Maitai, an olticer who knows Tahiti well, stated that news of tho bombardment had.been co.mmunicated to tho Maitai by wireless from the Moana on the run down from San Francisco, but no •H-Jaspcr of the news was allowed to reach the- passengers. The first intimation they received of the affair was the smoke rising from a big stack of coal, which the French authorities had ordered to be burned on the arrival 'oft the port of the'cruisers, and the shotholes in some of the roofs of tho places along the waterfront. The general impression conveyed by the cables (which amv«d by way of i'aris) was that the bombardment took place at night. "That," says Mr. Gray, "was not the case. I learned from authentic sources that the two cruisers arrived off Papeete at about 6 o'clock on the mornnig of September 22, accompanied by a large collier.that was said to be flying light. _ The cruieers signalled in the in-' ternation'al code, "Will you supply coal and water?" '

To this request the French authorities replied, -'No." And at once the place was all activity. Orders were given to fire the reserve of coal in the town; entrenchments were made in the streets, and the fort was inarmed. Alarming the Town. "Ten blank" shots were fired from iha forts as a signal for the people to get out before 'the band began to play ' The cruisers also fired a few blanks, hopmg, perhaps, to scare up a favourable signal. But the French people, poorly equipped as they were, were game. Nearly all the townspeople left hurriedly for the hills at the back of the town, as tbe guiis of the cruisers opened fire. The Zoleo, which was lying near the wharf, had her flag flyuig, and naturally was made a good target, as the whole of .the waterfront was plainly visible to the cruisers across tuo low-lying 'reef. The gunboat■ had been partly dismantled, and her guns were said to have been mounted at the- forts, but as tho cruisers stood about q milo off, tho Zelee's shots landed about halfway, whilst the first .shell from the bcharnhorst put tho fort out of action, ihe Zeleo herself was mortally wounded with the liret two or three' shells, but some timo elapsed before they sank tho Walkure."

"Wo were told by cablo that tho Walkure gotaMay with the cruisers," said the interviewer. . .

"Oh, that's not eo," said the officer. '\\ hea we went up to San Francisco she wag lying off the elip, round near the reef, and when we got into Papeete on the way down she was sunk in the same spot. Hero's a picture of her!" With that Mr. Gray produced'a photograph of the scene. '•Indeed," sa.id he resuming, "1 was told that no fewer than-42 shots were fired at the Walkuro before she sank, and• even now she is only three-parts submerged, as it is shallow water on that sido of the harbour. The Zeleo sank in deep water near the wharf, and nothing of her is visible. . She- went down with her colours flying like a good Frenchman. "About halt' tho town was demolished by shells, and the resultant fires. This consisted of tho big markets and the shopping and tradesmen's quarters, an area of buildings (wooden, brick, and concrete), of some acres in extent between tho harbour front and the Roman Catholic Church (which was not affected). The damage was roughly estimated at about £180,000.

Only Two Deaths. "There were only two deaths—a Chinaman and a Tahitian, who, I was given- to understand, were killed by splinters i'lom shells. Here are a few of them." With that Mr. Gray pulled out a drawer and produced a couple of pieces of jagged iron, riven and twisted, which he had found in the market place, unquestionably from the German shells. Captain Careon, of the Maitai, also had a large ugly piece of a shell that had been found after the trouble was over. "Practically little damage was done along the waterfront.. The wharf, a ricketty old structure 'which would fall down with a good push, was untouched. A. B. Donald and.Co. , s big two-story brisk store got olf with a few broken windows, and 1 don't think the Sociote Oommercialo's .place suffered. In front of S. R. Maxwell and Co.'s store for the Union Steam Ship Company) wae an American schooner flying an American flag, which probably saved that building, as the Germans would think twice about firing on the American flag. Three, shots were fired at the British Consul's place on the opposite side of the harbour to the ship, but no damage was done. It is believed that the German warships fired between 150 and 160 shells during the foui hours' bombardment, but a great number of them flew high over the town, and found billots in open spaces and occasionally in a deserted suburban, residence." Gorman Prisoners Allowed to Escape. "As soon as they heard at Tahiti that tho German prisoners had been places on Somes Island hero they rounded all the Germans up in Tahiti and placed them on Quarantine Island. There were- about thirty of them altogether, but'finding that they wore a bit of.a nuisance to feed and guard, .they allowed the majority of them to leave for America by the schooner referred to. The rest of tho Germans wero brought to Tahiti after.the'bombardment, and made to cloar up the debris of the fires caused by the shellfire.

"Ono of tho shells struck the wellknown Club Hotel, a wooden structure, bored l a hole- right through from front to back, cut through the trunk of a treo, and then exploded in the market area behind, showing that considerable resistance is needed to explodo a shell in fliglit."

Mr. Gray ventured the opinion that the story about the Walkure leaving with tho cruisers probably aroso out of the fact that tho,warships had a collier in attendance. The French people of Papeete seemed to be quito cheerful over tlioir loss, and gleeful that they wero able to prevent the cruisers getting coal. The still blazing heap testified to tlioir loyalty in. that respect. Was tho Zelee Scuttled? Captain Carson, of tho Maitai, slates that ho .heard that tho Zelcn was scuttled by the French authorities, and therefore, was not sunk by the lire of the Gern/au cruisers. That report ia.

I hardly confirmed by other stories brought by the Maitai's passengers. Mr. Thomas Cropp, formerly of the Thames, wlio has been visiting the United States, confirms tho report that tho coal reserve for-'tho French Government was still burning when they arrived in Papeete, but it was not until tho shot-holes in tho roofs and tho sunken Waikure were seen that the passengers knew that Papceto had been visited by the German cruisers. Mr. Cropp .said that the cruisers arrived off the port at daylight, and were at first mistaken for British warships. Tho pilot was half-way out to them before ho discovered that the vessels were enemy ships. He confirms the report about the place being awakened to the danger by tho firing of blank charges from tho forts, but did not hear that the cruisers fired any "blanks," after their signalled request for coal and water had been refused. He had been told that the first shell flew high ovor tho Zelee, and'struck the town in the middle, but tho second struck the old gunboat fairly, and momentarily lifted her out of the water. Then she fell back on her side, filled and sank in 150 feet of water.

Mr. Cropp states that he understood that when the.cruisers arrived off the port the Waikure was lying alongside the wliarf with tho Zelee on the outside of her, and that some of the German shells penetrated right through the gunboat above the water-line. According to his story when tho Walkuro was found to be sinking (she was towed (after tlie cruisers had gone) to shallow water over near the slip, where she now lies. Mr. Gray, on being consulted on tlie point, said he had not heard that, and could only say that the vessel was now sunk in the same position where she lay anchored on the Maitai's last visit to Papeete.