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Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 February 1916, Page 4

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Washington, Feb. xfiie Neutrality ituaru leains tmil Liie German. Lmoassy admits that tne Appani is a war prizo and not a Uer- ! man auxiliary cruiser. 'JLlie 'question now to be settled is as to whether the l'ru.>so-Aiiicrican treaty oi laili (whereby Germany and America agreed to admit each other's prizes 10 their ports over-ride.-j Articles 21 and 23 oi the Hague Convention. 'iue Butish iiinbassy submits that the Appani is a British snip which put in to an American port, living the Uerman flag, iu te the German navy. The identity charge ol a man who says he belongs of the Moewe still is undisclosed. A member of the Appa m s crew states that lie read the name i'onga on the armed disguised merchantman which attacked the British ships. Mew lork, Feb. •->. Cheers greeted the British officials' launch approaching the Appani to inform the captives ihat permission to land nad been granted. The German guard vainly tried to quell the outburst of joy. The captives eagerly demanded tobacco and war news. Nine ol Liiem boarded the launch, including the Merew ethers and six skippers oi sunken vessels. Sir J. Merewether said the raider was of about 4000 tonnage. The. skippers declare that she «us formerly called the Jt'onga. They saw this name on the plate, also on papers in the captain's cabin. They observed that the hold was fitted out ior iruit carrying arid had a crow oi several hundred. Her decks were si lengthened for a heavy battery ij. four guns forward and two aft. Sir J Merewetiier relates that the raider approached the Appani and when within 2Uu yards the lorwaid and aft ratlings djs.ippca ied magically in sections that wcie composed oi acvordeon-iike strips oi sieei which dropped into slois upon the pressure ol a button oil the ')ii >ge. 1-iie sipiai'o structures, mistaken ior deck houses, collapsed and exposed lour or six inch guns with the crews at their stations. it was use-

' l««s to resist especially when the tier.>ian piisoners were released and armed to guard us. There ware iortythrec armed Germans aboard the Appani. 'liie fight with tile Clan Mc--I'ax ish, though oue-sideu, lasted lully hail ail hour, and her tiny six-po under continued to bark loiig alter the German shells had set the vessel .oil lire in half a dozen places. Finally the Germans discharged two torpedoes, ■both of which struck and the Clan \Lelavtsli heeled over and in a short trme disappeared Washington, Feb. o. Umnours are' current here that the Gci man war cruiser Koou is roving tile Atlantic. Wellington, This Day. The Postmaster-General has had official notice from the New Zealand Base Army Post Office Lnat oil tile 12th November last 18.'i bags of New Zealand mail and containing 78 registers I parcels, were lost at sea. The panels hoTild be among those despatched from New Zealand ou 2,3 rd September best : and also rcadaressed parcels oi earlier despatches. Chrisu-liurch, This Day. An explosion ot kerosene lost night was followed by a lire that seriously damaged the pumping station. Winter, the assistant engineer, afire from head to foot, plunged into the river and escaped, but was seriously injured and taken to the hospital. A big store of kerosene was desT.roved.