THE EMDEN'S RAID.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 136, 2 November 1914, Page 3

THE EMDEN'S RAID.

j FULL DETAILS. HOW THE STEAMERS WERE SUMK. EXPERIENCES OF MEN ON BOAKU. Calcutta papers just to hand giy-* some interesting details of the raid in 'he Indian Ocean by the German cruiser Emden. When the British steamer Diplomat ni captured the weather was dear. At first the Emden was taken for a British cruiser. The Emden steamed slowly towards the Diplomat, and simultaneously hoisted her ensign and fired a shot to stop the British Teasel. It was then realised tihat she was a German oruiser and that there was no alternative, but for the Diplomat to comply. A boat manned by armed seamen in command of a boarding officer who had been in the Hainburg-Amcrika Line eame alongside. The officer examined the ship's papers and promptly decided that she was to be sunk. Tihe captain of the Diplomat was ordered to lower her boats and take off the crew and a passenger with personal effects to the Kubinga, which had already been captured '.if the Emdea.

THE EMDEN'S CONVOYS. In obedience to this order the ship's irfc-mplemeut was transferred to the ves.vy named, which, with the Markomannia. a German collier running some ten knot.. and the Pontoporus, a Greek collier, were in the vicinity of the German cruiser. The Emden had no hoisted. She was in a very dirty condition, ami witih some cause, as she was stated to have been several weeks at sea without .touching port. The Mwkomannia is being kept in attendance on the Emden It is gathered (reporls the Calcutta •Statesman) Ciat the Emden ha* been out on duty as a commerce desitroyer. The fact that the Markomnnnia is a - ways wih the' Emden and that the Em den is dependent on her for her coal halves the pace at< which the German cruiser can travel while she is with her. There is, however, no reason to suppose that the Emden would not promptly abandon the Markomannia were she to supposed herself in danger. The Ponteporus, though a neutral vessel, has been detained by the Emden with the idea of making her serve the same r purpose as the Markomannia although thus far the Emden has not made use of her coal. The vessels in question when sighted lathe Diplomat, lay about at odd angles with the Emden and heigntened tiv cuiious impression caiused 'by the whole affair.

Although one ship's boat was nearly iwamped, i.he tranfer to the Kabin;/.-. was fccconvplished without. loasuaTliics. As has been stated, the passenger am! the crew were allowed to take with them al! !;heir personal baggage, lei; the solitary passenger lost all his hcav ■ baggage, which was in the bold. The ■Germans, to tell the truth, «lnnved ever ■ reasonable consideration and court under the circumstances.

SINKING THE OTHER STEAMERS. The worst experience was to come. The crew was oWged to watch from th■: deck of the Kabinga the destruction of their own vessel, in which they had fully expected to reach their British port. Two hours after the transfer the gunners of the Emden commenced to,do' iwer again what they had already accomplished in the case of the Indus, Lovat. and Killin. Their marksmanship appeared to be indifferent. In the case of the Killin nine rounds were spent in sinking her. The Diplomat demanded fire. The first was fired end on and struck her forward close to the waterline. The other four were fired broadside on. (She struggled gamely, settling down bow foremost till she was almost in a vertical position. There was no ■'explosion"—merely some escape of steam. The sight of this line and' comparatively new cargo steamer with *ll the valuable contents of her hold going to the bottom created a feeling of indignation at the wanton wastefulness of the whole proceeding. That is the worst grudge felt against the officers of the Emden, who after all were only carrying out orders. The sinking of '.he five vessels has been a sordid business throughout, utterly without effect oil the issue of the war. More than «Ua». it has been trie act of a naval power unable for waut of port* to capture and intern vessels according to ths customs lof civilised uavai warfare. Calcutta must feel it, and feel it severely, but all the while remembering that, seen iu it* true perspective, the affair is but nn incident regarded from the point of view of tile whole war. The inevitable day of reckoning must come, and the Diplomat, tin Killin. the Indus, Hi.Lovat ami the Trabbocth. will ail be put in the bill. Before the Enuden's guns sunk tb.o Diplomat thy German flag was remavod. As i,he sinking vessel disappeared, the Italian vessel Lorcnndo, which, was standing by after undergoing .search by the Emden, dipped her Hag as a last token of respect. MAKING FOTi 111-jk PREY.

After the Diplomat bud gone dow» lsr crew settled down as bust they couli in the Kahmga. During that night ttu Emden and lici' convoys had their lights out. It Wilis shortly after dark on Aloi. day evening that Uiey wnu up -.villi the Trabbach. The vision of the Kinder as she sighted her was another of the unforgettable things. At the time the Emden wan collecting her convoys together for the transfer of the crews of llie other sunken vessels froimi the Karlicmannia to the Kabingu, suddenly lighting the Trabboch, she veered round liipidly and made for hev prey in a man-i-.er suggestive of a huge reptile. It was then dark, and, all the proceedings in legard to the Tra-bboe'n have not been noted in detail. It sufilices tJhat she shared the Diplomat's fate, and when her crow had been taken into the Jvauinga she too was sent to the bottom. It was at S p.m. on t'liab day (Monday) that, the Emden told the KaMnga. now crowded by about four hundred men of crews of the live sunken vessels —her proper complement was seveiuyifre hands—that sho might make the Iloogly Estuary. The Kabinga was informed by the Emden that tlie lightships were not showing their lights, and that the Pilot Lady Eraser luid gone to Saug'or. The Emden seemed well posted in the movements of shipping and shipping arrangements in these waters. She professed to have derived the information from wireless messages tapped by bt operator. The Kaibanga took the pilot on board on Tuesday evening after ibe Lady Eraser' had convinced herself that she was a British vessel. The Diplomat was captured on the 13th. Tlis Elmden people left the Diplon.tit with a mine in her and blew vj;> the forward part. It took quit* a number of shots to sink" her, and she went down low first .Ten shots were tired- at the Indus, which took half an hour to sink. ' '.iEMARKABLE STOEIES BY WIRELESS OPERATORS. Several stories were told to a Statesman representative by the wireless operators of the five (ships aunk by the

Gcrnuina. The smashing of the wirelim of the Kabinga. wag in the ci.se of the. other vessels, ,tih.e first action of ite Germans. It was very thoroughly done, although file destroyers laughed over their task, and any idea of receiving news, except what the Emden her»e!f caught and chose to give way, was at once given up. Wirelefes operators, even at ft distance, however, sre wilk fellows and from all the Statesman representative lould find out fronii the operators who were among those saved from the dooui- < d ships the Germans are just about as clever in the ufeo of "wireless" as anyone could very well be. The Emden all through her daring exploit and tlie adventures which marked 't, made no use of her "wireless" for transmission purposes, but was busy iill the whila receiving and intercepting 'messages. According to two wirekss operators interviewed by the Statesman, last night messages were steadily intercepted, both from the Chinese cotst stations and from Fort William. It may, indeed, be taken ais certain that "wireless" played a considerable part i« ensuring tho success of the Emden operations. Among messages intercepted were Several giving the clearances of vessels from the docks, and' the office™ of the Emd?n, according to all one could learn, knew not onty the name but the exact position of each ship she sack some time before she rounded them up, i

__ G>ie wireless operator informed the Statesman representative indeed, fhac the names and positions of three other 'ships which left the port of Calcutta while the Emden w-as busy were mads known to the German ship by wireless, but they were allowed to pass within sight as a piece of "bluff." These three ships the interviewer was led to understand were a passenger ship from Rangoon to Madras, the Nauaric, a boat belonging to Messrs. Andrew Weir aad Co., and a Clan line boat. Another wireless story, and probably the most Tomarkable of all, was that of the attempts of the Kabinga to secure a pilot for the river. The Kabinga's op-' paratus was smashed to atom* before she was allowed to return to Calcutta with the rescued crews of the other 'ships, but the moment, the Emdcu steam, ed away out of sight to the south "wireless" men on board got busy with the reconstruction of the plant. The j first news of the sinking of the .five ships was conveyed to the pilot ibrig by the City of Kangoon, after she was turned back by the Italian ship, and by tintime the Kabinga wirelessed for a'pilot. the authorities all up and down the river, were in an uncertain positios. At all event* the Statesman representative was informed last night on excellent authority that when the Kabinga wirelessed for -a pilot she wan piK through an interrogation which made it clear that she was suspected of being the German cruiser Emden: herself. Communication was cut off; after a long series of iiuestions and answers, for several hours, and it was only after giving every d'tnil of her outward patsage and the name of the ipilot who took her down river that the Kabinga wa* promised a pilot and arrangements were wade for her conduct up the llooglv.