HOVE TO BY A CRUISER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 116, 9 October 1914, Page 6

HOVE TO BY A CRUISER.

WHAT A RACING WARSHIP LOOKS LIKE, Am exciting and inspiring wight was witnessed by the passengers on the steamer Matoram, which arrived in Sydney last week, when die was off the northern coast of ftumani. She was hove-to by a cruiser, Ibut was afterwards allowed to continue her voyage. 'it was an impressive sight," a passenger declared. "Thei first thing we roticed was a dark spot on the horizon Then, in an almost incredibly short liinie, it was resolved into the full outlino of a cruiser travelling at high spoed. Slio was fi/ying no ensign, and several 'nervous women passengers required reassuring She looked magiuuetnt. Her bows threw up white casCiwlos of foam as she raced along at what must have been nearly 28 Iknots an hour, and as she drew close her stripped deck fi revealed her like a baltlemented fort of steel. As she, manoeuvred, her guns wio'e kept trained on the (Aliataram. The cruiser careered right round us as we lay hove-to, ajid tihen brought up so close yoai could have thrown a stone on her decks. She gave the Jtataraan certain instructions, and then rat'ed away again. 'Jtut as 'hj lefli her gun* were steadily turned sternwards." Jt was learnul afterwards by Hie passengers that th c Mine cruiser a fe v days iater met a German merchantman; possibly the converted cruiser Princess -Alice, in tho Straits of Sumatra, and i-wiik her. Oil the outward voyage from (Australia the IVktanun, which was at Cairns when news of the out break of the war was received, intercepted a number of wireless messages 'between German warships, but they were in code. She was delayed two at Cairns, a.n-1 eigut diiys at) Thumday Tshiint, iind then ran direct to Singapore. Acting uiulcir Admira! ii.". ii; structions, her return voyago was also by a different route from usual.