ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1916, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

THE APPAM, CLAIMED A FAIR WAR PRIZE; Washington, Feb. 2. Lieutenant Berg has asked the United States to consider the Appam as a failwar prize. A elose guard is maintained, and it is impossible to obtain the real facts as to the capture. The British Consul at New York now announces that no submarine accompanied the Appam. The whereabouts of the Moewe are not discoverable. It is believed that half a million sterling of South African bullion is on board. Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, British Ambassador, has formally demanded the return of the Appam to her British owner, under Article 21 of the Hague Convention, It is probable the ease will be referred to the United States Supreme Court. It is understood that the Moewe escaped through the Kiel Canal in order to raid British shipping. PASSENGERS LANDED. J Received Feb. 4, 1.5 a.m. London, Feb. 3. The Appam'* passengers have been landed. ANOTHER EMDEN.

FATE OF THE CLAN MACTAVISH. i THE MYSTiJIY OF THE APPAM. HOW SHE WAS CAPTURED. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.m. New York, Pub. 2. Information from Norfolk (Virginia) states that Captain Harrison, of the Appam, asserts that it was not the Moewe that put the prize crew aboard, but another German craft whose name the crew refused to disclose. The German crow rigged explosives aboard the Appam in such a fashion that could destroy the entire ship at a moment's notice The United States Neutrality Board held that the Appam would be a prize, but they announced later that they would reconsider their decision. Received Feb, 3, 9.30 p.m. London, Feb. 2. As the mystery of the Appam is slowly dissipating, the grim humor of the incident is dawning upon Britain, and solid satisfaction is felt at the, safety of the passengers and crew, for whom some relatives had already gone into mourning. It is announced that the Appam had £40,000 of bullion aboard. ' The mystery of the Mocwe*s origin is as deep as that surrounding her present whereabouts. The story that the Moewe came from the Kiel Canal, flying a neutral flag, is probably German bluff, as is the statement that she was carrying a battery of huge guns, including a 10-inch. The Moewe is apparently of Bremen, of 1251 tons register, and of which Lieutenant Berg was commander before the war.

The secretary of the Elder-Dempster Co. states that there was a rumor a fortnight ago that a German ship which had been interned at the Canary Islands had escaped. Other mercantile marine companies scorn tk« suggestion that the Moewe left Germany and escaped the vigilance of the British navy, and consider it is much more likely that the Germans armed the ship at some ohscure American port. New York reports that Lieutenant Berg told Mr. Hamilton, the collector of customs at Norfolk, that the Moewe sank the Farringford, with 5000 tons of copper, on January 10, and also captured and put a prize crew aboard the Corbridge, which was carrying 6000 tons of coal, whereof fiOO were transferred to the Moewe to fill her bunkers. The Moewe then encountered the Dromonby, with iSOOO tons of coal. The ship did not offer resistance, and was sunk, along with another vessel carrying 5000 tons of wheat and a trader with 6000 tons of sugar. The Moewe also sank, on January 15, the Ariadne, with 5000 tons of wheat.

Berg continued: "The Moewe approached the Appain on January 16, 60 miles north of Madeira, flying the British flag. We exchanged salutes, and when near enough to cross the Appam's bows we hoisted the German flag." The Moewe engaged the Clan MacTavish and sank her after an exciting fight. The Appam, which was miles away, returned to the scene and rescued four of the Clan MacTavish's complement; who were struggling in the water.

Berg then ordered the head of the Appam Americawards, and used an unfrequented route. He flew the British flag till the three mile limit was readied. Berg states that as a mercantile captain he had visited Norfolk several times, and also as a subordinate officer of the Moewe.

ANOTHER VERSION. | APPAM MAKES NO RESISTANCE. CAPTAIN'S REMARKABLE STOR'V. Received Feb. 3, 10.50 p.m. New York, Feb. 3. A German raider named the Moewe captured the Appam on January 15, and placed a crew of twenty-two aboard the vesse] under the command of Lieut. Berg. After the Appam's capture the Moewe sank the Clan MacTavish, which gave battle. A portion of the Clan's meat was appropriated and placed on the Appam. Lieutenant Berg states that he sank six other vessels (the Ariadne, a trader, the Dromonby, Corbridge, Farringford, and Arthur) and transferred their crews to the Appam. When the Moewe came up, the Appam fired a single shot across her bows. The Appam, which offered no resistance, was taken due west across the Atlantic. On approaching the fortress at Monroe, the. Appam, in reply to a wireless inquiry, stated that she was the German cruiser Buffalo and carried a single Sin. gun, but whether this- was aboard originally or was mounted by the Germans is unknown. The Embassy authorities do not know Lieutenant Berg, but suppose lie belongs to the auxiliary service. It it stated

here that the -Moewe was a survey ship from Kiel, and that she cruised in the North Sea under the Swedish flag, flew the British flag in the Atlantic, and hoisted the German when approaching- the Appam and dropped her dummy sides, displaying her armament. The Appam arrived flying the German flag, and having twelve of the crew from the submarine aboard.

After the Appam was captured she was armed, .and then captured two British vessels en route to America, which disposed of the expected submarine men who were aboard.

The Appam will'elect to he interned, instead of risking capture on her return Voyage. If the authorities decide that the Appam is a merchant ship she will be returned to the British at the end of the war, but if slip is considered to be an auxiliary cruiser, she will, at the end af the war. be returned to Germany. Lieutenant Berg states that tlie Chin MacTavish put up a gallant fight, resulting in fifteen being killed. The Appam's captain ■ (Harrison) relates a story resembling fiction. He says his vessel was travelling at fair speed on a bright day when he sighted what seemed to be an ordinary tramp. She closed in, hut he did not 'fear any danger.

'•'Suddenly the tramp fired across our bows. I hove-to, and the tramp's forecastle head MI away, revealing a battery of huge guns, We surrendered, and the prize crew boarded, under cover of the raider's guns, and disarmed my crew, locked them in the cabins and liberated twenty German prisoners, who assisted the prize crew. Many of the prisoners from vessels previously sunk were transferred to the Appani. A German was stationed at the wireless apparatus, and he received messages, but was ordered not to send any lest lie reveal the whereabouts of the Appam. The passengers and crew were exercised a few at a time. I have no complaint to make as to treatment."

CAPTURED BY A SUBMARINE. PROM A GREEK STEAMER. ENGLISH OFFICER'S STORY. Received Feb. 3, a.n p.m, London, Fob. 2. Captain Stanley Wilson, in a letter to his sister, says: "When the submarine appeared, my first duty was to save the despatches. I did this, but am afraid it involved the loss of a Christmas present from the Athens Minister. Colonel Napier and I were well treated by the submarine officers, who gave us two berths, and we shared their food. We soon had a fight with a patrol boat. I heard guns, but did not know what was happening. We were submerged for twelve hours. On the second night and on the next morning we were allowed ori deck. We saw and escorted three destroyers, tout suddenly tliere was great excitement when an Allied submarine discharged a torpedo and just missed a destroyer. In a moment the destroyers were firing fast, but the submarine was submerged. I could not help admiring the way the captain of our; submarine managed his boat. He was evidently a man of strong character, ready to fight anything. Wo landed and spent two days in a fortress, and on December S were trained through Sarajevo and Budapest, and reached Vienna. We are now in an ordinary prison, and are not even allowed newspapers." (An Athens telegram of December 8 said: Officers on a German submarine near Messina boarded a Greek steamer and arrested Colonel Napier, the military attache at Sofia, and Captain Wilson, a member of the House of Commons, who were conveying letters from the Eastern Mediterranean to London. Captain Wilson had been carrying despatches for months. It was ascertained that the papers taken from him were unimportant. The submarine's second torpedo narrowly missed the Spetzia, which stopped. * Then the submarine ordered the Spetzia to lower boats, and officers came on board and searched, despite the captain's protest that the action was a breach of international rights. During the search several mail bags were thrown overboard, which the officers promptly fished out. Coptain Wilson and Colonel Napier were tak«n on board the submarine. A British Red Cross officer was permitted to continue the voyage. The steamer was bound from Jiraeus to Messina.)

A VALUABLE CARGO. GONE TO THE BOTTOM. Received Feb. 4, 1.5 a.m. Sydney, Feb. 3. Besides, her New 7"aland" cargo the Clan MeTavkh took large consignments of general cargo from various Australian ports, including 8120 bales of wool. The ship was valued at £140,000 and her cargo at £350,000. CONTRABAND. ONE OF MANY CASE*. Received Feb. 3, 5.5 p.in ' . . Stockholm, Feb. 2. German warships, in April, captured a Swedish steamer bound for England. The police have now discovered that Ohlsson, a. Swedish merchant, was acting in concert with Meyer, a German buyer, anil had arranged for the caplure of the goods. Ohlsson and Meyer arc being prosecuted on the charge' of illegally exporting prohibited goods. DUTCH LINER MINED. London, Feb. 1. The Dutcn liner Princess Jtilianna struck a miiip in the North Sea and was beached at Felixstowe. The passengers and crew were saved. GERMAN SUBMARINES AT GREEK BASES. The Daily 'Mail's Athens correspondent reports nearly forty instances of enemy submarines having operated in Greek bays and islands. Three were seen at Zante and Corfu receiving petrol from » vessel,