Maritime Activities

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 153, 4 December 1914, Page 5

Maritime Activities

THE BULWARK EXPLOSION. MORE ABOUT THE EMDEN. London, December 2. Stoker Duffy, who is in the hospital at Gillingham, states that he was breakfasting when the explosion took place on the Bulwark. He had no time to wonder what had happened. The vessel trembled, and he found himself going down. He held his breath when below and found he was free of the vessel. His chest felt fit to burst, and when he came to the surface he took several deep breaths before he was again sucked down, but came up again. When the smoke disappeared he found the great ship had gone. This gave him a terrible feeling. However, he got hold of a hammock, and held on until a boat picked him up.

Melbourne, December 3. The Defence Department supplies further details of the Sydney-Emden encounter. It appears that the Emden was taken completely by surprise by the presence of the cruiser at Cocoa Island. The Emden had arranged to meet a collier there the day the fight occurred. When the Sydney appeared she was apparently taken for the cruiser Newcastle or Yarmouth, vessels of similar size. The Germans did not know she was the Sdyney until they revisited the Emden after the fight. The Sydney was hit fourteen or fifteen times out of 1500 shells fired. These were curiously assorted, owing to the fact that the Emden used up every projectile she possessed. She had torpedoes, which, however, were put out of action early, as she was unable to use the submerged tubes. The .Sydney fired one torpedo at long range, but missed. The Sydney's damage was very slight. The Emden suffered considerably from gun-fire. Nothing remained of her stem except a few tangled ribs. Every gunlayer except one was killed, and scarcely any deck-hands remained. Fire drove remnants of the crew into the forecastle. The Sydney found them dazed by their awful experiences. An extraordinary incident was that one of the Sydney's broadsiders blew seven men into the sea, but they were picked !:•> alive. After chasirg the coi lk-r the Svf'ney returned, towing some of the colliers boats. These were cut adrift ami jicked up the Germans. GERMAN WARSHIPS ESCAPE FROM I KIEL. London, December 2. The Daily Mail's Copenhagen correspondent says that most of the German warships which have hitherto been at Kiel have been transferred to the North Sea. Great activity continues at Kiel. Several thousand mechanics are employed on the submarines, waterplanes, and floating batteries. There is less activity on the five Dreadnoughts which are building. Petrograd advices opine that 150 guns recently despatched to Dantzig must have been for the German warships that are being constructed there. It is not expected that these vessels will be ready until' next year, but it is believed the [ work has been considerably expedited.