THE SEA GIVES UP ITS DEAD

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 8 June 1917, Page 3

THE SEA GIVES UP ITS DEAD

ADRIATIC DISCLOSURE. ANOTHER STORY OF GERMAN TREACHERY. "Many, I dare say, reading- almost daily of Genman perfidies, pillagings, and atrocities, must sometimes think of the Duke of Alva and his Spanish soldiers in the Netherlands in the sixteenth century," writes the Rev. Alexander Robertson, of Venice, in the Scots man. ,; "They, too, were what Mr. Morse, in his book, 'An Englishman in the Russian Ranks,' calls the Germans—'an organised band of criminals, a trained body of thieves and murderers.' The Germans to-day are oven running much of the same country as they did, and, like them, they are deporting and massacring unarmed men, insulting and abusing women, mutilating children, destroying historic buildings, and looting and burning everywhere with savage

cruelty. KAISER AS SPY AT VENICE. "And the Kaiser and his war Lords ■ like the Duke of Alva and his generals, I have shown themselves adepts in deception and lying. Only, lam afraid, Alva and his generals must yield the palm to the Emperor and his War Lords, for whilst the former deceived a few critics, the latter have deceived and be? frayed every nation on the face of the | earth with whom they had dealings, and did so whilst professing towards them the sincerest friendship and goodwill. "Italy is conspicuously amongst these deceived and betrayed nations. For years before the wan the Kaiser came regularly each spring to Venice with a large suite, when he met, at the homes of his lady friends, Italian riaval and military authorities. Ostensibly his visits were the outcome of admiration and love for Italy, but in reality, like those to England, were made for spying purposes. And all this when Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance! A TALE FEOM THE ADRIATIC. "And now the blue Adriatic reveals another instance of Gei-mun treachery. It could not rest till its waters had Cast up this German 'mire and dirt.' "At midnight on- May 23rd, .1915, Italy declared war on Austria. On June 27th a submarine, measuring 1120 feet long and some 14 feet wide, with a displacement of 300 tons, was lauched at Pola, going at once to Brioni, a mountainous island off the Italian coast, famous as having supplied the Venetians with most of the stones of which their city is built. She flew the Austrian flag, and was numbered U 824. She had a crew of fourteen men. She was built not to sink ships by torpedoing them, but to do so by placing mines in their routes. Early in July she began her work. Across the mouth of the Taranto Bay she laid a line of mines, hoping to blow up the Italian war vessels frequenting that port. But the mine-sweepers detected tliem in time, and cleared them away. "In August she returned to Taranto, and again set her traps, and once more they were detected in time and swept up. Then she changed her mission, and, leaving for a time minelaying, carried arms and ammunition from Cattaro to Bardia, in Cyrenaiea, to foment and feed the rebellion of the Arabs against Italy. Then, early in 1916, it became known that the Serbian army and ref\igees having endured terrible hardships and sufferings in their journey

across the mountains of Albania were reaching in safety the Adriatic coast at DurazzO', and that Italian ships were ing sent to take them on hoard at that port. Imediatcly U 824 ceased her Cyxenaica mission, and was busily engaged sowing the waters of the Adriatic all about Durazzo with mines. "But once again the vigilance, daring and endurance of the Italian minesweepers was crowned with success, and not a transport was sunk. During the months of February and March, 191 G, U 824 seems to have had a sort of roving commission to go here, there, and everywhere about the Adriatic coast, and sow mines broadcast at every Italian port, in the hopes that some one would take effect. And at last one of them did. As she was completing hoi nefarious work outside a much-frc* quented harbour, she herself struck one of her own mines. An explosion followed, the vessel was seen to break and bend at tho centre, and quickly she dis appeared from view.

THE SEA GIVES UP A U-BOAT "And now, after nearly a year, the sea lias given up U 824, and the dead that were in it, and at the same time, disclosed a tale of German treachery. Italy and Germany were not at war during the operations of this boat, nor for some si* months later. She met, her j end hi the last days ot March, 1916; Italy did not declare war on Germany till August 27th of that year.; yet this boat was not Austrian at all. It was German. Its true designation was not U 824, but LUCII2. Its officers and crew were all German. Its log states that it was built -at Bremen in 1915, j n the shipyard of one called Woser. Its first operations were, against England in the North Sea. Then a few weeks

after Italy declared war on Austria she put into Kiel. She was there taken to pieces, her various sections put into waggons, which, on June 21st, arrived at Pola. There the vessel was reconstructed, and on the 27th, as I have said, crossed over to the island of Brio, in to enter upon her piratical career, disguised as an Austrian, submarine. She was evidently prepared to put on other disguises, for she carried an English, a French and a Greek flag on board. "Death found officers and crew all at their posts, and had overtaken them suddenly, for they bone no traces of suffering. The captain was in the conning tower. He had evidently perceived the danger, and had given the order 'Back, full speed!' an his lieutenant had turned the indicator to those words. But it was too late, and in a moment they met their tragic end.