A HIGH SEA EPISODE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2850, 15 August 1916, Page 6

A HIGH SEA EPISODE

TOLD ON THE CQRINTHIC

THE CAPTURE OF THE

APPAM

A GRIM VOYAGE

Since the White Star liner Corinthio was last in Wellington she has paid n visit to New York. Whilst tkro the British officers of the captured steamer Appam, iratornised with the Connthic s men, as sailor men do these men had then been- in New York for some considerable time a.waitiiv the decision of the United States Admiralty Court as to the ownership of the Appam (smoe given in England's favour) They were heartily sick of the whole business, of Press opinions pub he opinions, neutral opinions, and hyphenated opinions, concerning the vessel Yarning with the Corinthic's men, the Appam s officers told how the Moewo (not the vessel's real name) ~came up with them, and steamed abreast of the Appam at. a graduallydiminishing distance away. • The course of the Appam would be altered when the Moewe would follow suit This continued for two days, until tho Moewe, quite, sure of her prize, flawed tho -A.pp3.tn to stop, and at- tho samo time bared a row. of grinning guns, . f re -i a before had been the slab-sides of a peaceful trader. Tiio captain of tho Afcpam a.t once realised the; nopelessuess of his position. He had been blamed by some ]>eople for not fighting the Moewe with his solitary 12-pounder, but the officers all agreed that, with a pretty full complement of passengers, including some women and Jhildren\ it would have been courting disaster. The captain and chief mate were taken on board the Moewe, and a prize German crew placed on the Appam. Both the offi-ce-rs and the passengers wero decently treated on tho run to tho American coasfc

What was a t more interesting part of the story, as related by Air. Richardson, first officer of the Corinthio, are some sidelights on the experiences of those prisoners, who were ultimately transferred from the Moewo to the steamer AA'estburn, and lajided at Teneriffo. Towards tho end there were about 200 prisoners on the Moewe, who had a pretty rough time of it, owing to the small accommodation for cooking on tils vessel, not because they wero deliberately starved. AA'henever the Moewo sighted and chased a vessel, the passengers were all placed in a veritable "black,hole" right aft,, and immediately under the Moewe's magazine. 1 This was a compartment so small that there was not even room for them all to stand up with any comfort. .They were packed in- like sardines in the dark", whilst up above they could hear the turmoil of a fight, and occasionally and faintly German voices shouting orders. And at the time, they were nervously affected by tho knowledge that at any moment they might all be hurled to -perdition by a successful enemy shot—porliajis from of their own British ships. At last they were all drafted on .to the AA'estburn, feeling a grubby, dispirited crowd.

: On the Tramp v .On tho tramp niatters improved a bit. There was more room, and they were given a fair amount of liberty, but food was nono too plentiful. Tho vessel was in charge of a very young lieutenaut, who appeared to know little about his business, as far as navigation was concerned, .but he- had fairly sane views on the subject of tho preservation of his own life. ' Ho never moved about the deck without the close attendance of a watchful sailor, who was armed with, a bomb. That sailor's business was to let any person, with intent on the life of the officer, have tho full effect of that bomb. AYhether it was a loaded boinb or not was never discovered, • bnt it was ajways about, and had its effect on cowing tho spirits of his half-starved prisoners. So distrustful was tho German lieutenant of his seamanship that ho practically gave ■ over tho cliargo of the bridge to tho masters and mates among his. prisoners as the vessel threaded her way through tho Canary Islands to Tenenffe. By tho time that port was reached practically : all tho food on lward was consumed, so the arrival there was a relief to everybody.

Calling—Very,

The galling thing was that the Westbitrn had to run.; right under the nose of the British cruiser Sutlcj, which had only arrived from a enriso round the group in search of tho Moewo, and did not realise the. pent-up tragedy in the Westburu's arrival. But the German vessels interned did, and a band on one ■of them struck up "Tho Watch on the Rhine" as tho tramp steamed into the bay. In the meantime the position was acute on that vessel. The presence of a British cruiser filled the German prize crew with terror. Tlio prisoners were huddled up on the deck on tho side hidden from tho view of ihose oil board the Sutlej, and German seamen wore placed in overlooking positions armed with bombs a.nd instructed to hurl them on detecting anyone trying to signal tho warship. So it came to pass that a British ship, with a complement of British prisoners, in charge of a German lieutenant, slipped past a British warship into neutral waters, and, even after that, the German naval officer in charge had to look to a British skipper'to "moor ship."

To acid insult to injury, tho Germans,' after landing their prisoners, and being ordered to quit within' 24 hours by tho authorities, took the Westbum to tho neutral line and sunk her, whilst German sympathisers who had motored out from Tenerifl'o "to see tho fun" cheercd and laughed themselves hoarse at the —to them—screamingly funny end to a series of sea tragedies. -