ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1916, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

A NAVAL ENGAGEMENT. A BRUSH IN THE ADRIATIC! ENEMY DRIVEN OFF. Received Feb. 9, 9.30 p.m. London. Feb. 9. There has been a brisk naval engagement in the Adriatic. French and British warships forced four destroyers to flee towards Cattaro. Paris, Feb. 9. The Admiralty describes the naval action in the Adriatic on the. litli. A British cruiser and a French torpedo boat were covering the retreat of the Serbian anny when they were fired on by four enemy destroyers, which fled. Next day the Allied vessels were attacked by submarines off Durazzo, and n torpedo missed the cruiser. The submarines were driven off. ■ ■' ' '■• .THE BARALONG. FURTHER DETAILS. A THRILLING TRAGEDY. London, February 8. The Daily Telegraph gives the full story of the Baralong. The Nicosian carried a cargo of mules and had a crow consisting of the captain, mate and half a. dozen men, apart from ten or twelve Americans of the cattlemen type described in Kipling's "Mulholland's Contract." They were certainly not the breed lightly to take a cold-blooded attempt at murder sitting down. When the Nicosian's watch reported the German submarine she was practically alongside. A torpedo was immediately fired, and struck the Nicosian, but the bulkheads held out, and she only sank about a fopt, with a heavy list to port. The engines were stopped and two boats were lowered, but the cattlemen refused to follow the captain and crew into the boats.

At this moment the Baralong appeared and the Nicosian's crew rowed towards her. The submarine's commander, finding the Nicosian winged, determined to keep her last torpedo for the clumsylooking newcomer, and sent a bombing party to finish off the Nicosian. The crew had no sooner clambered up the Nicosian than a couple of shells ended the submarine. The commander then determined to board the Nicosian and surrender, but a thrilling tragedy ensued.

The cattlemen, realising the purpose of the bombing party, awaited the boat's approach armed with furnace bars three feet long anil as thick as a man's wrist. When the Germans climbed the deck the cattlemen made a rush, and the submarine men used their firearms for a minute, but the affray soon ended. Caught in the act of laying bombs in an inhabited ship, the Germans found no mercy from the infuriated Americans. One or two of the submarine men were killed immediately, and a grim chase followed which puzzled the Baralong and the German commander, who was now almost alongside. The trapped Germans sought safety in cabins and lavatories, but the doors were smashed in. Two took refuge in the tunnel of the propeller shaft. In the midst of the struggle the German officer and a second boat's crew came on board, and the same fate was dealt out to them. The submarine commander rushed to the bridge, hoping the Baralong would see him and save him, but the entire British Navy would have failed against the rage of the cattlemen, who tied two firebars to his feet and threw him overboard. Then the avengers stayed their hands and received the business-like visit of the Baralong's officer, who learned the facts for the first time

THE MOEWE'S IDENTITY. t 'ANOTHER THEORY. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, February 8. i Discussing the identity of the Appam'.s captor, experts dismiss the sub-marine-cruiser theory, pointing out that the Appam's sailors would have noticed the marks inseparable, from submersibles. A well-informed writer states positively that the raider escaped from a South American port, where German money and influence are strong. The most acceptable theory is that the raider was one of the Koninpsberg's supply ships, which was hidden in the river while the cruiser was' destroyed. This fits in with Captain Berg's statement that he had been live months at sea. Many of the raider's men had the name Moewe on their cap ribbons, indicating that the crew of the survey ship which was sunk at Dnr-es-Salaam early in the war managed to join the raider. THE CLAN MACTAVISH. Received Feb. !), 8.15 p.m. New York, Feb. 8. Lieut. Berg states that, with the exception of fifteen Lascars killed and four wounded, all the passengers and crew of the Clan MncTavish were made prisoners on board the Moewe. NAVAL POWER COMPARED. THE SUPERIORITY OF BRITAIN. Received Feb. 8, 8.30 p.m. London, Feb. 8. An illuminating article in the Daily Chronicle on the Allies' sen. power says that Captain Perseus, in the Berliner Tageblatt, reviews the naval maritime gains during the war and shows the losses to the British merchant ma'-'ine owing to the German naval campaign to be less than 5% per cent, of the tonnage. He admits British sen power is stronger than at the beginning of the war. Dealing with submarines the critic says that Germany had thirty submarines at the beginning of the war, and has probably about the same now. The Allies' submarines have greatly increased. Of twelve hundred German merchantmen two hundred were cap/tared at the ■outeet of tho war and six ■hundred took refuge in neutral- ports. Most of the remainder are in the docks <£J3B2B&iUMUd Bremen, /""'

At tlie beginning of 1910 Britain three times as strong ai lier enemies. Tlie position was as follows: — < Central I ' Allies. Powers. Pfe-dreadnouglits .... 8!) 33 Dreadnoughts ami eu-per-dreadnouglits ~ (12 : 21 Battle cruise V s.. 71 (i"> Lesser vessels 133 35 Destroyers 542 ISO Totals ......... SOT 234 The writer goes on to say that it is more difficult, to compare tlie submarine power, but it is believed tlie proportion is tlie same as in the larger units.