PRISONERS OF WAR ESCAPE
FROM MOTUIHI ISLAND . A DANGEROUS PARTY STATEMENT BY DEFENCE MINISTER. The Minister of Defence made the following announcement yesterday for publication :— Eleven prisoners of war, including two naval officers, escaped horn Motuihi Island, in Auckland Harbourj in a launch on Thursday evening. It is not known in what direction they . have gone. Steps have been taken to search for them, and tho public are invited to bo on the watch, and to report at once to the police any information which may aid in the discovery of'those who escaped. Motuihi Island is the prison camp in which the German prisoners of higher rank, military or civil, have been confined in New Zealand. It may he taken for granted that they are as a class a more dangerous, because more intelligent, lot of men than those who are detained at Somes Island in Wellington.
HOW THE ESCAPE WAS EFFECTED SEARCH PROCEEDING, (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Auckland, December 14, Ten German prisoners effected an escape from the internment camp at Motuibi Island at about 6.30 yesterday evening. They included Lieuten-ant-Commander Felix von Luckner, commander of the German raider See Adler; Lieutenant Kirscbeiss, navigating lieutenant of the Seo Adler; a man named Erdmanu, a member of the Seo Adler's crew; a plantation owner named von Egidy, formerly of Samoa; two wireless operators, and four naval cadets, who wore captured at Samoa, shortly after the outbreak of the war. Details 60 far obtainable show that the whole of the Germans were accounted for at tho usual roll-call at 6 p.m. yesterday. Soon afterwards the launch Pearl, used by the camp.commandant, disappeared. It is believed that two of the Germans secured possession of the launch and a dinghy, and. picked up the other eight at another point where they were waiting to embark. The Pearl and the dinghy were the only boats available, and pursuit liy the guard was impossible. There is a direct telephone wire to Waiheke, and one to Auckland. Attempts were made to telephone to the military authorities at Auckland, but communication could not be established owing to the breaking of the circuit. The fault was repaired and just about millnight Maior Price, A.A.G., was communicated with, and ho took immediate steps to organise a search party. At 1.30 n.m. four boats were dispatched to search for the escapees. A thorough search was made in the vicinity of Motuihi Island, and all passing vessels wore intercepted, hut no trace of tho escapees could be found. It is believed that the Pearl had sufficient petrol to run for several hours, hut there was not. ii great deal of food- on fconrd. Throughout the whole of to-day a large fleet of boats has been engaged in tho search. i
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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 70, 15 December 1917, Page 10
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458PRISONERS OF WAR ESCAPE Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 70, 15 December 1917, Page 10
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