FANNING ISLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 148, 17 November 1914, Page 4

FANNING ISLAND.

HOW THE CABLE WAS CUT>

GERMAN NAVALS SKIN THE ISLAND,

By Telegraph.—Per Press Association. . , Auckland, Last Night. The damage done to cables and equip* ment at the Pacific Cable Board's station 911 Fanning Island on the morning o< Septcmebr 8 has been repaired", and eommunication is now being maintained M usual between Australasia and Canada. Repairs wero completed nearly ft fortnight ago, traffic being resumed as • usual on the morning of November sth but in order to protect the repaid steamer Iris, the secretary of the iPost Office made a request that no announcements should be published until sufficient timo had elapsed to enable the ( movements of the Iris to be kept secrete When the cables wero cut ten weeks ago warning messages that were received by Suva and Bamfield Creek stations explained that interruption was due to a' raid by the German cruiser Nurnberg* No information could then be gained regarding the extent of the damage, aild arrangements were, therefore, made on" the presumption that the whole equipment of the station would have to be replaced. Preparations for restoration': of the cable wero made in Auckland by Mr. John Milward, manager in the Pacific for the Cable Board, and at 71 a.m. on October 7 the Iris left Auckland with all the necessary instruments, and also material for the construction of temporary buildings. In the meantime the staff at Fanning Island had effected temporary repairs to the Suva cable, and on September 23 furnished a reportof the raid, and of the damage that had been done. Communication between Suva and Fanning Island has been maintained since that time, but as the cable to Canada had been cut in deep water,. attempts to restore it had to be abandoned.

Leaving Suva at 5 p.m. on October 19, the Iris arrived at Fanning Island at daybreak on October 20, bat the weather was very rough, and repairs were no# commenced till four days later. Whent the sea moderated the broken ends of the cables' were recovered, and perma-' nent repairs ivere completed. The damaged instruments were then replaced by spare ones taken from Auckland and Suva, and the work was resumed at 7.15 a.m. on Vovember 0 On her return voyarre the Iris reached Suva at 11 a.m. on Saturday, the trigboth ways having been uneventful.

Several accounts of German visits to Fanning Island have been published, and additional particulars bave : been obtained since, the cable -was re-' paired. According to an account givenby the staff, the raid was made by two boats' crews, the men being fully armed,, while machine-guns were mounted in the bows of the boats. Some members of the staff met the boats as they touched the beach, and as the Nurnberg and her companion collier had both flown the French flag, they were greatly surprised when they were covered with revolvers,. and informed they were prisoners of the; Germans. The German officers hurried to ,the office, and ordered the operators to cease sending messages, threatening - to shoot anyone who disobeyed. They then proceeded to destroy the instruments, and seized all code books, private documents, and the papers belonging to the High Commissioner's Office. ' Meantime the men who lmd remained with the boats destroyed the cables with charges of dynamite, while others dynamited the refrigerating and electric lighting plant, and cut down the flagstaff, apparently thinking that they were used' as wireless telegraph apparatus. No restraint was placed on tile staff when it was apparent that no resistance would" be offered, and the Germans even expressed regret that it should have been their duty to disturb the island, and do so much damage. They stated it had been intended to destroy the Cable Co.'s offices, but owing to the proximity of private dwellings, and the certainty of damaging them if explosives wcro used, they decided not to interfere with the building. After shaking hands with members of the staff, the Germans withdrew, but evidently, having learned from the documents that one of the precautions to be taken on the island, should war brealc out, was to bury all spare instruments and other valuables, the party returned, and a demand was made that all buried property should be surrendered, and the staff was compelled to hand over all spare, instruments, 25 rifles. 20,fl0(l rounds of ammunition, £7500 in gold, and £35 worth of stamps. Tlie Germans then made thcir final departure, having given a promis« that they would not return.