THE TUNNELLING ENGINEERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 85, 8 April 1916, Page 7

THE TUNNELLING ENGINEERS.

EN ROUTE FOR ENGLAND. INCIDENTS OF THE PASSAGE. NARROW ESCAPE FROM HOSTILE SUBMARINES. The first news of tke New Zealand Tunnelling Company of Engineers received in Auckland since its departure on active service a few days before Christmas is contained in letters which came to hand last week. The Tunnelling Company received its preliminary training at Avondale Camp, and is under the command of Major J. E. Duigan, formerly general staff officer at the Auckland Defence Office.

An interesting letter descriptive of the voyage Home has been received from Sapper J. E. Cullen, a wellknown Aucklander. Writing on board the s.s. Ruapehu, from the Bay of Biscay, under date; of February 2, Sapper Cullen says: "I am writing this in the submarine area, and so far we have got through without being 'branded,' and all are hoping that we may get into port safely. When I last wrote we were at Dakar, a fortified port en the west coast of Africa, where we coaled and watered and took on a nine-inch gun and naval crew for protection against submarines. We also went for a route march there, as Senegambia is a French eoleny, and enjoyed it' thoroughly, it being the first time we had a hop ashore since leaving. The place has a nice harbour, with a fine breakwater, and is a very busy port. The town itself is laid out splendidly, and presents a very picturesque appearance from seawards. The French officials' residences and offices are built in palatial style of stone and brick, wlithi iredjtiled jyodfß and no chimneys. The shops ■ and tradespeople's quarters are also built uniformly of the same material, whilst the roads are really good. The negroes do all the heavy work, and get paid at the rate of 2s per day. They are a fine ebony-skinned race. The Erennch authorities recruit all the young men in Senegambia, drill them, and draft them to the front at the rate of a thousand per month. We saw them at physical drill, and a very presentable lot of soldiers in the making they appeared. "After spending the day there we proceeded on cur journey, ad nothing eventful has happened since, excepting the fact that one of the ElderDepste'r liners which left Dakar has not since been heard of. She left only two days before us, and it is thought that she was sent to her doom by two enemy submarines now known to have been waiting round the Canary Islands and Teneriffe. It is surmised they were waiting round for us, and that they thought that unfortunate vessel was the Ruapehu. Our vessel did not call at Teneriffe, as it had done on previous occasions, so we were lucky in fooling them through going a long way out of our course. On the night of January 31 something came over the wireless, and Captain Clifford immediately chopped round and went over a hundred miles out of his course. Since we entered the Bay of Biscay we have passed carcases of horses, and packing-cases and barrels, evidently some of the cargo off some vessel which they have 'tin-canned' near England. We have only to-night and tomorrow night to get over, but we have to flit through a bad part before we can call ourselves free from danger. But the trip has been so grand, and our luck has been so good that we are trusting with. God's good guidance to pull through with a- bit to spare. The guard has been trebled sin- ! ce entering the danger zone, and sapnesr can be seen everywhere and at all hours straining their eyes and strtching the necks doing their best tc discover any stray torpedoes wandering our way. Fifty of cur best marksmen are on hand with loaded rifles to knock any visible periscope kite high should they venture to put their peep-hole above high-water mark.