UNDER SEALED ORDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 210, 12 February 1915, Page 6

UNDER SEALED ORDERS.

now o human mkrchaxtmkn asSISTE!) GERMAN CIU'ISERS. sixkkt uKxnKzvons ix the OCKAX'S VA.ST.VKSS. (By Norman Draper in Collier's). (Since this article was written, the I German Pacific squadron was dcstrovi d oIT the Falkland by a British squadron under Admiral Stiirilcr*. Tt is ncfillivs to p,f-nt that tSsi-t dcfr.it discount 1 * many of tie- confident specub'.tioT'.s made iu the following article).

On Anw-i. 5. 1 !)!•}. til" British crnis-T Drake, stpt.ivir upm explicit inr.'ruetions from (lie Ad'ii'i'althauled up fro-n tlie floor of the Allaatic Ocean, to Ilie east pf (!:e Azores. two submarine cables. Tliey were .«(—ered with an axe. and tie' ends were ai'"wed to (1 r:>p hack into the sen. The cables were owned and operated liy tlie German ("'able Ocnin.niv They connected Germany with Xori.li and South America. The idea in cutting tlicni was to forestall any attemp! that mi;rht he made by commanders of German war vessels i ; , foreign waters to communicate with Berlin, and prevent tlio Naval P.pnr'p'.ent here from som!- ■ ing then ili!(i his'.raetiens. I Scattered '. ■ r tV- wren "eas ev in I ports of IV: osrth at ii-. v •.?. r.> eV.er. <"■'> V.': I. '.v.i, ctrj i'XO c:.: 1, was huadi'e.ls /:..,d .■ aadO miles frsnn # rot tar sh;p of Cie German Navy. Tlie IJrrfWi ea'cula! ed that ii v.t-uM b- a simple matter to meet, an.' r.r.ni'ii!f>t:* «m» aflrr the other < : f the er.e:av s ships aficr (liey hud su-ceed : ■ railing I!:.'::: -.ff fro-a Ber'in. '

UXlii'lt !\t:ii.KD ORH'F.r.S. <" r:::8ir. h'wevir, had anticipate.: h::vii!>r its ships abroad i-claied ::ic.' than five rears before the present v.'."" began, and the most roniarkaliie se!, o r naval ph:::s ,>-.<<• formulated w.-::t in' effect the in-tant war cloitds I'.e.l'an ; hover over the Oerman horizon. Tictor 1 !'•> any further w !h this r.arrativi. and in view (i f (he frets that I ai about to dinc'osf, it should lie emphatically understood that f have nn sympathies cither with one side or the 'other. This article is based u:ion fact, not !r----fion, and I shall set dewn (he facts ai the-.- exist.

•Iu i before the v.t , began there was not a. port .if any consequence on (he face of the earth wherein there was not a l!,; ' r( ' llll »t vessel wM, the red, white aK ° f flying at

\V!mn it was apparent that there was a chance that Germany might, go to war, approximately a "Boon: of "these Gorman-owned vessels quickly secure) clearance papers for German ports am! hurriedly steamed out to sea! Tliev took no passengers, and on"v members of the crew who were ablebodied German citizens were kept aboard. For all th c Governments oi the world and the maritime men knew the ships steamed directly for the ports tlioy had cleared for. It. was presumed that they had hurried their departure to save themselves from be'ng interned m neutral ports, or from being captured if they were in ports belonging to the nations allied against the FathorlaiH Then war was declared, the cables were cut, and the eiihle companies ami news associations immediately ceased to get reports of foreign shipping. No one knew whether this ship or that onhad arrived safely at its destination. There v was no means 0 f knowing. At tile same time, practicallv every German warship in foreign waters steamed out to sea. Some of them, had of course, communicated with Berlin before thc cables were cut, but the majority of them had no opportunity to seek for or receive instructions. . Each_ ship's commander had in his possession, however, a sealed pack.ve When he received it. he was told that the package was not to opened under any circumstances unless Germany went to war. So, as each of Germany's ship steamed for the open sea, the commander opened his sealed package. In it lie found, among other things, a map of the world. 1

WHO'S WHERE AXD 'WHY. On this map, at what represented remote and untravelled parts of the oceans, lie found little, black dots. At other parts of the chart he found tinv crosses narked with red ink. a' key that accompanied tlie map informed ftiin that the Mack dots represented spots where coal, provisions and men to complete the complement of his command might lie found. One of the red crosses marked the spot in the ocean he must hurry to with all possible speed. Others marked crosscS where warships were to mobilise' or where lie was to "o i? lie could not reach the first cross. Furthermore, h# was instructed to keep, out of s.ght of land and away from the steamship routes, and not 'upon anv condition to give the position of his shin should it become necessary to usq the wireless.

A GRAVE IK THE BLUE. Mow, consider the German merchantmen who sped away at the first intimation of a possible war. Out of sight of land they scattered, each in a diiferent direction. The commander of each German vessel, a member of the German naval reserve, also had in his possession a map of tlie world, which had been furnished him by the Government. Oil it be found no crosses in red ink, and but one black dot on the areas of green representing the sea. That spot' was his objective. And lie crowded on all steam to get there. Once bis obxerva. tions showed that he was direct!v at tlie point represented upon his chart, lie ordered (he engines t.. be stopped, (| v fires banked, if it could be done witft safety, and a sea anchor cast out. if the d.-ptb of the water was too great to permit the lowering of a kedge. Then he settled himself down to await development >.

_ Generally, developments earn,. <|iii<-k!v 111 (lie *hape of a long, grev warship, the Prussian naval flag whipping from the mast at its stern, and a "forced ill?tight spurting a column of smoke from its funnels.

If the warship needed a small rpiantilv oi coal, it secured it from the anchored iiierehantnian and went on its way. If is needed a large quantify of coal 01 provisions and men to living the crew un to the war basis, tlie coal and provisions and men, ami anything else of value, were transferred from the merchantman to the war vessel. Then the steamer was sent to the bottom of tile sea bv the warship's guns, or a eJinrcN of explosive placed where it would tear a hole in her hull below the.water line.

captains rornAfiEors. Till! plan lias boon v.-.-U carried out. H luis ffiahlnl the (!<>nn:ui sliijt-; lo siil tin- seas and prey on .shippin;/ of the allied nations oil a scale never even believed possible. ](. has reduced to n minimum tlic danger of capture or of meeting with an ovenvlielmin" force of the enemy. While the British ships have been making their uav in and out ot the harbours all over the world, anil having their whereabouts reported, the Germans have been slinkinjj far out to sea. awaiting a chance to strike at a merchant ship, as the Herman naval officers call the vessels that anchored 011 the war maps black dots, and replenish their supply of conl, or provisions. I

The plan also called for the ultimate mobilise' ou of these shins. Every move they have made since the beginning of the war was mapped out at least three years ago. The majority of moves were determined even before I hat. On all the Krvser's ships in foreign waters, (he Xnrnberg has had the moat remarkable career since this war begin. Her log would furnish a lesson for many n naval otlicer who considers hhnseii' a m,'ister in the art of strategy

TIIE GUILE OP THE GERMAN. On August S the. Xnrnberg was somewhere in the viciiiiLv of the island of Yap, which, until it was captured by tlie •lapanese. was Germany's wireless base in the Pacific. From that day until September 7 not a single ship other than those flying the German (lug spokv to her. On September 7, some Englishmen saw the cruiser but they didn't get a chance to let tliu world know about it. although they were the official and operators of the English-owned cable connecting Vancouver. British Columbia, Australia. They were on Fanning Island, which 13 located almost exactly iu the centre of tliii Pacific Ocean. On the date referred to the Englishmen on the island saw a warship Hying the French flag, accompanied by a .collier approaching the shore. The Englishmen were quiet overjoyed at the prospect of entertaining the men of France and some of tlieia sft c'jfc in launch to welcome tl'c visitors. About that tm;o two cutters full oi sailors put oil' from the warship an! headed inshore. A.; the ra'lors wer.' jumping from the cutters Into the waistdi c;> water 0(1 the brceh, the tri color wn; .suddenly hauled down fvom tlie mart. and the naval dug i;f

eagle and all, run up in its place. A i tlie same time a piece of canvas that ha! been hanging over the ship's stern v.\n r.Vsed to the deck, and the name Xir.-a-bcrg in gold letter two feet lrgh, 1 v;vd . "lit,"

THE XCUXBERG TTTiXS .WOTHK:. TRICK. Tito prims of tlm cruiwr worn traiiw r,n the island and covered the operations of the landing nartv. which promtlv seized the cable headquarters. The operators and officers. anion;; (hem sonio of the men who had gone out. in the launch, hilt who liad ri turned hastily upon seeing the Genium flng, were lined -tip an:? placed under guard. The shore ends of (lie cable was l""ated ar.d destroyed w'th dynamite. Tlien the sailors smashed the nnlile instruments with sledcre '"immrrs and Mew up the engine-room, the dynamo room anil the boiler "room. Papers transferred from the office to the ward-room of the revealed thai spnre instruments, arms and niiiitiiiP'ti'in were hidden in various parts of the island. These hiding plates were located and their contents destroyed. That accomplished, the \ T urnln-r™ and coH'er we'ghed anchor'-- :"v] steamed away.

T'nti! November I. tho world lieanl nothing of the Kuvnlier«. On the night of October 14, however, persons on the i>!and of St. Felix, nhout 300 miles olf the const of Chile, saw a great (lash in the sky. The explosion that caused it was so far awav that it was heard only as a rumble. Two days later, however, there were washed up on the beach of the island shattered fragments of vliat had once been woodwork on a collier. Soft coal dust was found crammed ir the cracks of every two pieces of wood that were joined together. On November 1, the Numbers, with the 'Setmrnliorst. Gneiseriau, Bremen and Leipzig took part in an engagement, with tho British fleet under Admiral Orftdnck off Valparaiso, Chile. The British cruisers Good Hope and ' Monmouth were sunk in that battle. The Admiralty, five days after the battle, announced that .Sir Christopher had gone down with the crew of t)()0 men and officers on his ship. Approximately a thousand or more men were lost in the engagement. And after it was over, the Germans ships steamed into Valparaiso and coaled. This was the first time since the war had started that these vessels had sought a port to take in fuel. Several days later, the Leipzig accompanied the Dresden, which had made lier way round Capo Horn from the Atlantic; into Valparaiso. There the Dresden Coaled. The other German warships disappeared after tlie.y left Valparaiso. Where they went is not known as this is written. It JS a safe assumption, however, that the Kaiser's naval strategists, sitting in Berlin three years ago, determined all that.

WHAT EVERY GERMAN' CAPTAIN KXOW3. The British fleet steamed into ambush off the eoast of Chile—this is admitted. even by the Admiralty. There iH reason to believe that the' Germans knew, for two weeks prior to the bat- ! tie. tlw> exact location of the British J ships. On the war maps of tlie seven seas given to the commanders of German ships there was a little red cross somewhere between the const of 8011 th America and Easter Island. The exact location of the spot I do not know. But i the German ships that engaged the Brit- | ish off Valparaiso gathered there on Oct--1 obcr 15. They came from all parts of the Pacific.

The German cruisers that have operated in the Atlantic have been handicapped to a certain extent because only three of their base ships succeeded in reaching spots where they could be of any service. Of these one was the l\ron Prinz Wilhelm. which sneaked out of X< w York at the very beginning of the war, loaded to her utmost capacity with coal. The Kronprinz was caught once coaling the Karlsruhe. Soon after that an English cruiser intercepted wireless r.'ossages passing between the Dresden and the Kronprinz tWilhehn.

What It,-is become of the Krouprinz Willielm since thou Y She lias not been captured. She lias Tint put into any port. Tier coal lias been taken bv warships, and it lias been physically impossible for lur to lvach any port, in derma in'. vim: of two tilings has happened to this —she lias either been sent to some remote spot in the Oarribeiin Sea or been sunk by a-flerinan war vessel to prevent her from being captured. The last conclusion is more probable. One tiling is certain, the Kronprinz Willielm is of no more use to tin; Gorman Government.

| RAIDS AXD ROMANCE. ' The Karlsruhe and tln> Dresden, oporating in the Atlantic, have been fortunate in their campaign against British shipping. All told, they have sunk twelve British ships. But before the <!erman Runs opened fire on the captives, the coal aboard them was transferred, if needed, to the hunkers of tile cruisers. Only once in three months has either one of them put into port. In their activity, the two flerinan *liips have burned probably more than twelve times the (piantity' of coal tlio-y can carry.

The cruiser Kindeii, which was termed by tin- hnglish, who always appreciate daring and valor, ''The Terror of the Kast,'" was limited by every English, French and Japanese ship in' the territory in which she operated until the spcedv Australian cruiser ,Svduev, on November !>, drove her ashore on the Keeling Islands, iu the Indian Ocean, I

and destroyed her Nolle of them, with the exception of those who met destruction at her hands, those she showed her heels to, and the Sydney even saw her smoke. She coaled in 110 port during all her operations, and yet her wake wiia written in many waters. The Emden's raids were periodical. She struck and made her escape a donen times. Before she went she, sank :'.i ships flying flags of the allied nations. She, stopped at no dare-devil exploit. She even disguised herself to carry out her mission of destruction.

HOW TIIE EMDEN COALED. On September 22, "The Terror 01" the East" steamed into the harbor of Madras flying a French flag. When she was within range, the flag fluttered down. The. German.ensign was run up instead, and slip let go with her batteries at the shore. Some of the shells tore through the great oil tanks and set them afire. The Eniden's next raid, which was probably the most spectacular of her career, was nia<lc at Penang. There she. steamed boldly into the harbor under the disguise of a Japanese flag, and a dummy funnel. She quickly shelled French and Russian torpedo boats, and then hurried out to sea again. The torpedo-boat* went down.

The Emden was enabled to carry out her work by three base ships. One was stationed somewhere near the centre of the Indian Ocean. There is reason to believe that the other two were originally station', d away dpwn 011 the globe, near the northern limit of the flow of ic.e from the Antarctic. There is probably 110 more remote spot on the face of the globe. In times of peace a ship is practically an uiikiiow n quantity in th.it pari of the Pacific Ocean. The Emden, like the Karlsruhe ami the Dresden, has, of course, taken some coal and provisions from the merehaaf ships she lias captured. After the Sydney met ajid destroyed her, the British Admiralty announced that some weeks prior to that time, (he Emden had been surprised by warships wdiile taking coal from two merchantmen. The Emdee.'s 'iiperior speed saved her '-from capture r.r (ic.stru:ti?n.

The Emder. was so well supplied ai other times that she did not bother to remove coal or provisions from some of the ships she capture 1. On one occasion the crew of a British vessel that had been serving as a transport was giv?n fifteen minutes to get off. At (he end of that time the Emden's guns opened fire 011 the ship and quickly sent her U the bottom.

Of course, it is a physical impossibility for the German ship, to continue .to supply themselves indefinitely from their base ships. And the ammunition the Germans are known to have for veavs had stored up on various uninhabited, out-of-the-way islands in (ho srJvon seas cannot last for ever. But until their supplies are exhausted or they are surprised at their work by an overwhelming force of the enemies' ships, the Kaiser's sea raiders will continue effectively to prev upon the commerce of the nations allied against the Fatherland. Tf the Germans should be successful in capturing one of the enemies' coaling stations (and thev have made several attempts in this direction) the war vessels may bring in the base ships that have not been destroyed, have their supplies replenished and then take them o'i' and hide them again. Tf all the ba-e ships have been exhausted and sent to the bottom of the sea before then, the German war vessels will simply cease te operate. Without coal they would be -17 no more value to Germany than, so many canal boats. THE TERRORS OF THE SEA. It may be that the Japanese and English war vessels, released from duty before Tsiiipr-tnu when the German fortresses there fell, will meet with the inferior force of German commerce destroyers and put an end to their operations. The ships that were before Tsingtau were despatched across the Pacific as soon as they conM be spared with instructions to hunt down and destroy the German ships. But until that fleet or some other succeeds in its mission or until the Germans' supplies gives out, they undoubtedly will continue to deserve the, name officers of the neutral navies have given them—"Tho Terrors of the Sea."