FLIGHT FROM PIRATE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

FLIGHT FROM PIRATE.

RACE PROVES VAhS. STEAMER CAI'TAiX DESCRIBES STIRIU.SU ADVENTURE. New York, Sept. l!t. In a letter jiint received by Captain Thomas Eleming Day, of this city, from Captain Horace Barclay, of the"steamship New York City, which was sunk while on a voyage from Bristol, England, to this city, some new lights are allonled on the methods of German submarines, as well as news of what later befell the submarine. Captain Barclay is a direct descendant of the celebrated Quaker Barclay, of Ury, referred to in Whittler's poems, who Was one of Gustavus Adolphus's generals in the Thirty Years War Captain Barclay is a man of ability and courage, and always is coolness itself in an emergency. He has been commodore of the Bristol City line for more than ten years In his letter to Captain Day he says: "I expect you have seen that the New York City was sunk by a German submarine on the 19th. W'p left Swansea the previous night, and sighted the submarine at 3 p.m. on the I9th. We were then about sixty miles south of Kinsale, the weather being very fine and clear. The submarine was about eight miles south of us. 1 immediately turned north, doubling th? firemen to get all possible speed, hoping to be able to gain the coast or fall in with armed assistance before we were sunk." "naif an hour after the submarine opened fire on us from a forward gun, but the shots -fell a long way astern. The submarine gained on us fast, and one and a half hours after she was first seen was about a mile and a half astern of us. She had fired about forty shells at us, apparently aiming at the' bridge About fifteen had gone close past or just overhead; only one had struck the ship, bursting in the after hold. We were then about forty-five miles from the coast.

"It was very clear, but nothing was in sight. I expected that the submarine would be alongside in half an hour, before which, most likely, the boats would be smashed. I considered that it was imposible to save the ship, so determined to try to save the crew while the boats were yet intact. I therefore stopped the ship and ordered everyone into the lifeboats, an order which was obeyed with alacrity, as you might imagine. Just as I was getting into the second boat the submarine ranged up on the other side and commenced to pump shells into the poor old ship along the water line. She did not want to go, and they had to fire into her, at close range, about thirty shells before she sank at half-past 5 p.m. "The Germans did not molest us after we had left. Perhaps they had been surfeited with slaughter, as no doubt they had sunk the Arabic in the morning. Three and a half hours after we had left the ship we were picked up by a large mine-sweeper, which landed us next morning at Queenstown. Xo one of the crew was lost or hurt. We were lucky in that the boats were not hurt before I stopped, and that the weather was Very fine, and that we were soon picked up." "The submarine was a fine thing of her kind. She was about two hundred and twenty feet long, and as handy as a fish. She had a speed of about fifteen knots. I was surprised at the size of her guns. The forward one was about a twelve-pound 4.7 one, about thirteen feet long. The after one (with which she sank the ship), was shorter, but I think of larger bore. The range of the forward gun appeared to be about five miles. I have very good reason to hope that the submarine was herself sunk the next day. 1 believe she held up a mule transport bound f or Avonmouth, and, not wanting to waste ammunition, went on board to sink her with bombs and by breaking the sea connection.

"While so engaged a fast patrol ship appeared on the scene and sank the submarine before her crew could get .back to her. Those of her crew not drowned or killed were landed at Avonmouth the next day. It is said, with how much truth I don't know that some of the submarine's crew ,vere killed on board the mule transport by her crew when help arrived. Nothing lias come out officially, as the Government strictly suppresses all news of the destruction of the enemv's submarines."