CHARGE OF INHUMANITY-AGAINST THE BRITISH NAVY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2662, 6 January 1916, Page 5

CHARGE OF INHUMANITY-AGAINST THE BRITISH NAVY

THE BARALONG INCIDENT GERMAN MEMORANDUM AND THE BRITISH .. REPLY By Telegraph—Press Aji'ociklhjn—Copy rii; lit (lice. January 5, 8.5 p.m.) London, January 4. The Press Bureau lias issued the Memorandum of tlie German Government rewarding the alleged incidents in connection with the destruction of a German submarine by the auxiliary bruiser Baralong on August 19, and Sir Edward Grey's reply thereto.. , The German document alleges that the steamer Nicosian was stopped by a German submarine, which fired oil the Nicosian after the crew had left. _ A steamer was seen approaching, flying the American flag, while the submarine was firing at the Nicosian. The stranger, which proved to be the Baralong, suddenly opened fire with hitherto hidden arms. The submarine began to sink, and her crew jumped overboard. Several who were clinging to the ropes of the Nicosian were killed by the gunfire of the Baralong and partly by the rifle-fire of the Baralong's crew.. One witness named Currau, an American, states that fclie commander of the Baralong ordered his men to shoot a helpless German seaman in the water. Curran and another witness named Palen, also an American, assert that the commander gave a definite order not to take prisoners. The statement continues: "The commander of the 'submariiuywhile swimming, raised his hand as a sign of surrender, and was shot in the neck and killed. The commander of the Baralong requested the captain of the Nicosian to impress upon his crew the necessity of not saving anything. No doubt the commander gave orders to kill the German seamen in a cowardly manner, also that tho crew obeyed the order and share the guilt of murder. The German Government informs the British Government of this terrible deed, and will take it for granted that the British will proceed on a charge of murder against the captain of the Baralong, otherwise they will consider themselves obliged to' take tho serious decision of retribution for an unpunished crime." Sir Edward Grey's Reply. Si? Edward Grev's Memorandum to Mr. W. H. Page (American Ambassador)- states: "The British note with satisfaction, though with some surprise, the German anxiety that the principles of civilised warfare should be vindicated. It is evident to single out the case of the Baralong is tho height of absurdity, and suggests that the whole question of atrocities by land and sea mi<*ht be fitly examined by an impartial tribunal. As the multitude of allegations against Germany would overload the tribunal, the inquiry might be confined to three incidents which occurred within a few hours of the Baralong allegations." The Memorandum continues: "Britain docs not accept the allegation's but in any case tho charge is negligible compared with the crimes which seem'to have been deliberately committed by German-officers, and recalls the fact that within forty-eight hours of the Nicosian affair a German submarine torpedoed the Arabic, no effort was made to save the crew, and forty-seven non-combatants lost their lives. This was an act of barbarism. The second incident was that a German destroyer fired on a stranded British submarine on the Danish coast, and when the crew attempted to swim ashore the destroyer fired on them. Forty-eight hours later a German submarine fired shrapnel at the steamer Rue], when one man was killed and eight wounded. No statement was offered justifying this cold-blooded and cowardly-,, outrage." > The Memorandum concludes: "These incidents might, with the case of the Baralong, be brought before an impartial Court,_ say, of officers of the American Navy, and Britain will do all in her power to' further tho inquiry and to cany out the findings of the Court. It is unnecessary to reply to the suggestion that the British Navy is guilty of inhumanity. The number of German sailors rescued from drowning amounts to 1150, while tho German Navy can show no such record." Sir Edward Grey concluded: "The German Navy does not sliov.' such a record, perhaps through want of opportunity."

Affidavits of Americans Aboard the Nicosian.

The German document includes affidavits by six Americans aboard the Nicosian, which, it is alleged, was carrying 350 mules, which ivere landed safely at Avonmoutli, whither the vessel was towed and docked. The witnesses, who shipped as muleteers, and the superintendents allege that the Baralong had large canvas shields, on which the American flag was painted. Four of the crew of the German submarine who scrambled up the Nicosian and were found' in the engine-room, were shot in cold blood by the Baralong's boat's crew. = L. Holland, an American, .makes an affidavit as.follows: "I am a member of the crew of the Baralong, which was disguised as an armed cruiser. On August 19 we picked up a wireless message. The submarino which sank the Arabic was attacking the Nicosian. We rushed to the scene. Several of the crew of tlie submarine were killed by shots when in _the_ water; only one got aboard the Nicosian. After our crew hoarded the Nicosian we found the submariner on deck, and when asked if his submarine sank the Arabic he refused to give any information, and said: 'Why do yo\i shoot?' A marine then shot him and threw r the body overboard." 1 J. M. Garrett, an American, m his affidavit says: "Twelve of the crew of the submarine jumped into the water. Mostof them were naked. Twenty-five marines fired on the submarine's captain while in the water." He saw others similarly shot. After the submarine was blown up the Nicosian's captain (Manning) ordered his men with oars to hit the German on the head if he swam near.. ' . . . ' James J. Chicago, in hm ailiaavit, says: "The Baralong's second shot smashed the periscope, the third carried away the base of the conning tower, blowing two Germans into the air, and the submarine quickly sank." After the British seamen- boarded the Nicosian lie saw the bodies of five Germans, each with "a hole in the forehead. A revolting phase of the affair was when the bodies were taken on decjc, and some of the crew of the Nicosian kicked the dead faces before throwing them overboard.

PAST REFERENCES TO THE INCIDENT

Herr von Bethmann Hollweg, the Imperial Chancellor, in the course of a speech ill tlio Rcichstag, cabled on December 10, is reported to have said:— "The depth of the enemy's liatn is shown in the Baralong case, in which a British warship murdered the'crew of a helpless German submarine. The British Press hushed lip this. ' The British have been proud of its Navy's spirit, but thov cannot reply to this murder, which r«nwii»» » MiwU rtain Mil .Ha Navy's history." . ~ t , . , The following repW was immediately issued:-?

The Press Bureau states that the circumstances attending the destruction of the German submarine and her crew by the Baralong in August are now the subject of communication between Britain and America, and therefore tlio Admiralty does not propose to make a public statement at present, beyond repudiating Ilerr Bethmann Hollweg's unwarranted charge. [Tlie Nicosian was a vessel of. 6369 tons, built in 1912, and was owned by F. Zevland and Co., Ltd., Liverpool. The auxiliary cruiser Baralong is a vessel'of 4192 tons gross, was built by Armstrong, Whitwortli, and Co., Ltd., in 1901 and belongs to the Ellerman and Bucknalf S.S. Company, Ltd.]