ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1916, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

THE MOEWE. "A PRETTY LITTLE FIGHT." ENB 9F the clan mactavish. A GRAPHIC STORY. deceived March 5, 5.5 p.m. London, March 4. Melntyre, of the Clan MacTavish, is l canny mariner from the Hebrides. He was second in command, and gives & thrilling narrative of the fight. He says: "We were a hundred miles south of Madeira on January 18 when we sighted what appeared to be two ordinary merchantmen, apparently steering a course parallel to the Clan MacTavish, but they gradually converged on the vessel after we were discovered. "The Moewe signalled, 'What ship are you V We were" suspicious and did not reply. When the Moewe was abaft our beam she' signalled, 'Stop at once. I am a German cruiser.' BLUFFING THE ENEMY. ''Captain Oliver instantly ordered the engineers to go full speed ahead, while 1 bluffed and signalled to the Germans, 'We are stopping.' Moewe signalled, 'I a m sending a boat," and she stopped her own engines, with the result that she was left astern. On discovering the deception she fired ac.oss our bows, and then the fun began. Gunners Reece and Angus got our sispounder busy and we fired back. A LIVELY DUEL. "Their next shell struck the forecastle, smashing the windlass and killing a Lascar. Weece and Angus fired as hard , ft * possible, and we could see they were hitting the Germans. The Moewe was only two hundred yards away, but nearly all her shots missed, until. the fifth struck the engine-room. "Captain Oliver ordered 'Cease fire,' and stopped the ship. The thing was over in fifteen minutes, but it was a pretty little fight, "NOT FOR ORNAMENT." "When we got aboard the Moewe we found our six-pounder had done a deal of damage, and killed four men and wounded two. Captain von Donah asked Captain Oliver why ke had fired, and Oliver replied, 'My Government put the gun aboard; it was not meant for ornament.' " A HUGE FLOATING BOMB. WILL NOT BE CAPTURED. Received March 5, 5,5 p.m. London, March 4. The Daily Chronicle says that eighteen of the crew of the Clan MacTavish have arrived at Tilbury. They state that Count von Donah is commanding the Moewe. The vessel is a huge floating bomb, with vast stores of torpedoes and shells, while mines and bombs are lashed on every deck and in all the rooms. The Germans state that they are determined not to be captured, and that the Moewe can be blown up at a moment's notice. The crew are a fine set of men, but were paralytic drunk when they crossed the line, except the sentries. GUNS CLEVERLY CONCEALED. Received Marcli 5, 5.5 p.m. London, March 4. Melntyre, second in command of the Clan MacTavish, states that the Moewe had six 7in. guns ingeniously concealed and two torpedo tubes. She also had one 4.7 gun. A FALSE REPORT. New York, March 3. The reported capture of the Moewe is not confirmed. The rumor appears to depend only on the statement of an American 'captain who arrived at Buenos Ayres. . PORTUGUESE SEIZE GERMAN SHIPS AND INTERN THE CREWS i Received March. 5, 5.5 p.m. London, March 4. The machinery of nineteen German ships was found to be damaged. The, sailors state that Berlin ordered the damage, So as to delay the Partuguese utilising them. Bombay, March 4. i The Portuguese have seized all Gorman steamers at Mormugao (the port of Gao, in Portuguese India), including the' Brisbane, Kommodore, Lichtenfcls, Marienfels, and Numantia, and .have interned the crews.

THE APPAM DECLARED A GERMAN PRIZE. Received March 5, 5.5 p.m. - Washington. March 4. The Government lias decided that the Appam belongs to Germany, under the Prussian treaty. It is considered desirable that the rase should be submitted to the courts to decide finally if the treaty is applicable. GERMAN SEAPLANE WRECKED. j CBSERVER DROWNED. ! Londoi, March 9. Official.—A German seaplane returning from England fell into the North Sea. The observer was drowned, but the pilot wan picked up and made prisoner. NAVAL PRIZE FUNS. London, March 8. The naval prize fund now stands at six millions arid is to be distributed after the war ameo£ ajj j»vjl >

A SWEDISH RUMOR.

GERMAN NAVY COMING OUT TO FIGHT. Received March 4, 5.5 p.*/ ■ Times and Sydney Sun Services, • London, March 3. In Swedish shipping circles it is persistently rumered that the German navy is coming out U fight before March 22. A naval expert, with an intimate knowledge of the German shipyards, in the Naval Military 'Recud' Journal points out the possibility of the Geman navy being much strengthened, as they are able to construct twenty-five dreadnoughts at the same time, MINE-SWEEPER SUNK. I' T<l - IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. Wellington, March 4. The High Commissioner reports under date London, March 3 (3.30 p.m.):— The Admiralty mme-avreeper Primula was torpedoed and sunk ox Wednesday in the Eastern Mediterranean. Three lives were lost. ITALIAN STEAMER SUNK. Received March 5, 11 p.m. Athens, March 5. An Austrian submarine torpedoed the Italian steamer Java. The crew landed at Piraeus. SINKING OF SWEDISH STEAMER. Received March 5, 6.5 p.m. Rome, March 4: The Austrian submarine which sank the Swedish steamer Torborg towed the crew in boats to tl>e Spanish coast, where a steamer picked them uft - ' v FRENCH STEAMER SUNa!. ; Paris, March 3, The steamer Lakos has been mined and sunk at sea. Six were killed. THE NEW CAMPAIGN. IxmdoE, March 3. Baron Sohwurzenstein, a high efficial in the Foreign Office, inter* viewed by the Scandinavian press, states that the whole German people are determined to carry out the new submarine campaign from Wednesday, because the enemy has armed merchant eliipa, contravening international law. J Pirates on the high sea belong to the past, therefore it is unnecessary t» arm merchantmen. Berlin has issued photographs of alleged British secret order 9 directing, merchantmen to attack submarines.^