ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1915, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

BRITISH AUXILIARY CRUISER SUNK. AX ACTIVE ENEMY SUBMARINE. Received Nov. 21, ".50 p.m. Berlin, Nov. !ii. Official: A German submarine, on the fifth of November, off the North African coast, torpedoed and sank the British auxiliary cruiser Para (U'.'l22 tons), and on .November 0, in Solum harbor, shelled and destroyed two Anglo-Egyptian gunboats. the Prince Abbas and Abdul Menem, each armed with two guns. The same submarine also silenced an armed British merchant steamer's fire, capturing her gun. LOSS OF THE ANGLIA. CAPTAIN'S EVIDENCE. BRIDGE BLOWN UP. Received Nov. 21, 4.-1:5 p.m. London, \ T ov. 2A.

The captain of the Anglia, at the inquest on the victims, 4ated that the explosion took place when the vessel was three miles off shore. It blew the bridge to smithereens, and he was blown to the lower deck. He ran to the wireless room and met the operator emerging, with blood on his face, and he stated that his instrument had burst in pieces. Only the boats on the port side were available. He went to stop the engines racing, but found the gear destroyed. Many cot cases (men minus arms, legs, and feet), were unable to help themselves. !,r

THE ANCONA, WAS SUNK BY AUSTRIAN*?. Received Nov. 20, 3.5 p.m. Washington, Nov. 10. Italy lias notified the United States that she does not doubt that the submarine which sank the Ancona was of Austrian nationality. TWO MORE STEAMERS GONE. Received Nov. 21, 11 p.m. Paris, Nov. 21. The crews of the torpedoed steamers Californian and Sir Richard Awdryhave landed at Marseilles. TORPEDOED. LOSS OF TT-TE SOUTHLAND A SUBALTERN'S STORY. Received Nov. 21, 4 p.m. Sydney, Nov. 21. The censor lias released the following Ptory of a subaltern who was aboard the Southland. It is dated London, Nov. 13:

"Suddenly, at 10 o'clock in the morning, a sentry shouted, 'My God. a torpedo!' We watched the line of death getting nearer, until the crash came and the aid ship reeled. Then the order was heard, 'The ship is sinking: abandon the ship.' Without a cry or sign of fear, or more burn- than a brisk march and the singing of 'Australia will be there,' the orders were carried out, MAGNIFICENT BEHAVIOUR. "1 cannot say how magnificent they weri'. They went to their stations, lowered the boats in an orderly ami careful manner, and took their specified places, the injured men going first, I and another subaltern went round the ship collecting the injured, opening the bars and smashing all spirits, in case of a panic. After a thorough search we returned and helped to lpwer the boats, and left with the last boat, along witli the General and his staff. AUSTRALIA WILL BE THERE.' ''Of 1 GOO soldiers aboard we lost only one officer and 30 men, whereof 12 were killed by the explosion. We lost Briga-dier-Colonel Linton, who was a fine man. "I should like to write in every paper to say that never have men who have faced death showed greater courage, more nobility, and a braver front than the Australians and New Zealanders aboard the Southland." lie likens them to the marines aboard the Birkenhead, and adds: "Thev sang 'Australia will be there,' and, by God, they were. We knew them to lie brave in a charge: ive now know they are heroes. They will long live in honor and glory, the men of the 21st and "3rd Australian Infantry."

SMOKED AND .TOICED Received Nov. 21, 4.20 p.m. London, Nov. 20. An Australian soldier, describing the loss of the Southland, says that, there were two thousand men aboard. The vessel was torpedoed just before the morning inspection. The. men wore already on the parade ducks and fell in. The. company that was nearest the boats got away quickly and quietly, the other companies waiting 1 quietly, four deep, VOLCNTEER STOKER*. There Mas no noise whatever. Rome men began to take off their boots and coats, while others smoked and joked. Vt hen the last boat sot away, tlfe captain thought he could beach the shin, and called lor volunteer stokers. Ten soldiers, including a lieutenant, returned, stripped, except lor breeches and boots, and went below. They had to raise steam from 801b to 2001b.

N'EVV ZTCALANDEIi'S experiences. Some interesting details in reference to the torpedoing of a transport—probably tlie Southland—are contained in a letter written by Gunner D. McLean to hia aunt, Mrs. Neil McLean, Levy Street, Wellington. The communication is dated "Anzac, 22/0/15." "We left camp at Cairo after being there for a month,'' he says, ''and we were about five days out. when the torpedo caught us. I was lying down in my bunk when I felt the bed give a terrible shake. Next I heard and saw the explosion. It caught Us right under our sleeping quarters, and blew the second row of Hunks from mine into matchwood. The explosion occurred right under the hatchways, blowing the four decks of hatches right into the air. I was very near suffocated with the fumes. I had a stiff climb up a wet and oily chain before I reached the deck, but once iu the lresh

nil - ] it'll ail light. 1 had a narrow escape from down below. Two of our boys wore caught in the explosion, anil very near blown to pieces, "Eventually T made my way along deck to Hie New Zealand lifeboat, to liiid that it was just being lowered. 1 hopped in, and all at once I felt the boa! go from under me, and .1 shot down, down; thinking' all the time that 1 would never come to the top again. The crew lmd let one end of the bout go with a run, and there it was hanging vertically iu the air. When 1 reached the furface 1 was minus my lifebelt. I had received a smack on my elbow, and thiwas beginning to get sore and still'. Thanks to being a lair swimmer, it did not take me long to get to the boats, although I had all my boots and clothing on. When in the boat I. got bold oi an oar and started pulling to keep myself warm, anil it was then J felt comparatively safe, although there were twenty too many in the boat. We were rowing about five and a half hours before we were picked rip by a French torpedo boat. On board they treated us lovei.v, giving boxes of cigarettes out and making us hot coffee. That night we were taken into a harbor and put on 'board a large liner. Three days later, after we had been equipped, we proceeded to this place. "I was not sorry to get ashore lure, although the bullets were landing around us. 1 still had a feeling of torpedoed It was a sad day the day alter wo were torpedoed, when we found out how many were missing, and who they were. We 'had all been a jolly party. We wi\'e all in the Headquarters Staff, and were the only New Zealanders aboard. It was hard luck our boat being torpedoed for we lost nearly everything we had, and what we did get back was spoilt by water and ashes. I lost a bagful of delicacies, which I was taking to Gallipoli."