FATE OF THE SEYDLITZ.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 15 August 1917, Page 2

FATE OF THE SEYDLITZ.

ESCAPE FROM FALKLANDS SUBSEQUENT INTERNMENT. Among the German steamers that bolted from Sydney on August 3, 1914, was mail steamer Seydlitz, SOOO tons, which went down the harbour at midday with its band playing the German National Anthem. The fate of that vessel was related in Sydney by Captain J C. Eagles, who, as a prisoner on board the Seydlitz, was a witness of the Battle of Falkland Islands, in which Admiral Sturdee destroyed von Spee's squadron. Captain Eagles sailed from Swansea in command of the barque Drummuir on September 19, 1914, and on December 2 fell in with the German cruiser Lcipsic near Cape Horn. "A boat, with about 25 men," he says, "put off to board us, I recognised the officer in command of this boat as one who had been sailing as first of second mate on a German line of steamers running to San Francisco, whither we were bound with a cargo of' Welsh anthracite coal. He claimed the ship as a prize of war, but I said 'No; this ship, although it is flyng the British flag, is an American ship, owned in San Francisco,' But it was of no avail. A navigating officer came aboard and took away all the recent charts, destroying the old ones. The Leipsic started towing us towards the land and four more warships and three other vessels soon hove into sight. The warships were the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Nuremberg, and Dresden; the others were the Seydlitz, Bad- ' en and Santa Isabel. We were towed to Navarin Island, south of Tierra del Fuego, and as soon as we anchored the Santa Isabel came up on one side of us and the Baden on the other, and their men started discharging our coal and dismantling ths ship. I saw Admiral von Spee that morning and protested against the destruction of an American ship, and that in neutral waters. 'British flag, British ship,' he said. 'Everything British must must be destroyed.' No argument was of any use." i Captain Eagles was taken aboard ths Seydlitz, which followed the German squadron to the Falklands, When the British cruisers were sighted "a signal came from Admiral von Spee for the Seydlitz and two colliers to remain 20 miles off, and we all stopped. Ten minuatcs later, however, the Seydlitz continued to go ahead, despite an agitated warning from the commander of the Baden, who was the senior officer. We went on until we were about eight or ten miles astern of the warships." After recalling the result of the engagement Captain Eagles continued: "The Seydlitz and the Dresden were the only ; two to get away. Our last wireless was from the Scharnhorst at five o'clock, stating that she was sinking. That was the end of von Spee." "The Seydlitz cleared for her life, and got away down in the ice, —I guess we were down in 60deg. south. We spent three or four days with the ice all round us, and all the time we were getting all sorts of messages. They told me that there were 20 British ships and four or five Japanese engaged in the fight, and when I said I only saw five they said that was nonsense." Finally, the Seydlitz, after lying for a.time in San Jose Bay, behind the Valdez peninsula, put into San Antonio, at the head of the Gulf of Matthias, and on his arrival at Buenos Aires Captain Eagles was instrumental in having her interned. "She is still there, as far as j I know," he said. This narrative affords an interesting supplement to Admiral Sturdee's despatch. '' A report was received,'' he wrote, "from H.M.S. Bristol that three ships of the enemy, probably transports or colliers, had appeared off Port Pleasant. The Bristol was ordered to take the Macedonia under his order and destroy the transports H.M.S. Macedonia reports that only two ships, steamships Baden and Santa Isabel, were present both ships were sunk after the removal of the crew," Presumably the third ship, reported by the Bristol, was the Seydlitz.