ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1916, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

BRITISH NAVAL SUCCESS, _. -ADMITTED TiY GlSrfilMs. Lo I'lori, March' 20. The Hamburger Nae'irichten, forecasts early British naval activity, including an incursion by submarine!) into tlißaltic, and franhly admits that Britain has cut off Germany from the sea since the beginning of the war with the small'>t conceivable expenditure oii ships and without risk of the imo.i'rnienfc of her own strategical naval freedom. HOLLAND AWAKES. Amsterdam, March 20. The Government has aen.t a very sharp note to Germany concerAing the Tubantia. BLOCKADE RUNNER SEIZED. ' Copenhagen, March 20. A British submarine .captured the Norwegian steamer Kozinge bound to Lubeck, a German port on the Baltic. A prize crew is taking her to Leith. GERMAN STOWAWAY CAUGHT. Copenhagen, March 20. An American steamer which has arrived with passengers relates that a German engineer named Roewer escaped from internment at Kiao Chan and reached New York. His wife hid him in a large trunk, and he was not detected until'the naval examination at Kirkwall, He was interned. ON AN ENEMY SUBMARINE. CAPTAIN WILSON'S ADVENTURES. London, February 4. Captain Stanley Wilson, M.P., sends to his sister, Miss Muriel Wilson, an account of his capture by an Austrian submarine in the Mediterranean. Contrary to previous accounts, Captain Wilson declares that he ''made the despatches' secure," and it involved the Christmas presents of the Athens Ministry staff going into the sea. "The submarine came alongside," he writes, ''a fine boat, flying the Austrian colors. The captain, with the list of passengers, was ordered on board. My heart was sinking lower and lower. In a few minutes the submarine ordered 'Colonel Napier. Captain Wilson and Dr. I'imlay' to come on board. There was, of course, no hope for lis, but.Dr. Fimlay was ordered to return as Red Cross. They allowed us to go back and got our luggage, though in the excitement of the moment I forgot some things 1 should have liked. When we got back to the .submarine we were taken down to the cabin, where we were very well treated. We spent two days and nights on tiie submarine, aijd had an exciting time. The officers gave up to us two berths, and we shared their food. They all spoke a certain amount of English." After this there was a most exciting fight with a patrol boat. Colonel Napier and Captain Wilson had the unpleasant duty of sitting in the cabin, hearing the guns, and not knowing what might happen. The gallant captain introduces a touch of humor when he remarks that "under the circumstances it was rather difficult to hope for the success of the Allies' boat." Life on board) the submarine was most interesting. Captain Wilson says: "The first night we spent some Hours under water, and the nc::t night we were down far some twelve hours. In the afternoon of the first day we were (old by the officers that they had sighted a cruiser. We submerged, but through the periscope the officers told us they saw it torpedoed by another submarine. This was on December S. Next day we were near our destination, and at eight o'clock we were allowed on deck. We found we were escorted by three destroyers. They were just in front of us, and we were close into the land when suddenly, amidst a scene of wild excitement, the periscope of a submarine was seen and u torpedo going straight at the destroyers. It just missed them, and within a second they were all firing as hard as they could, but the submarine submerged quickly. We were landed and interrogated, and then placed foi two days in a fortress. 1 could not help admiring the way our captain managed his submarine in the face of grave danger. He was a man of very strong character, ready to fight anything that came in his way. And I am afraid he has done much damage to our shipping. The officers were all very nice to us, and endeavored to make us as comfortablo as possible, but nothing rould make up for the loss of our libertv."'

Finally, the English officers were landed and lodged in an Austrian fortress. Continuing, he writes: "On December 8 We loft the fortress in the early morning and went by train, passing through Serajevo and Budapest, arriving at Vienna after travelling threa nights and three days. Our journey was not very uncomfortable. We were accompanied by one of the officers of the submarine which caught us; also we had the honor of two gendarmes to look after us and see that we did not escape. We expected to go straight on from here with our officer, but were told at the station that we were to be parted, and that we were to stay in Vienna for a day or two. We dined with him at the ntation, and wished him good-bye, thanking him sincerely for all his kindness. Alas, we were then to find ourselves not so comfortable, as we were now residing in the ordinary prison, in a room that has been allotted to officer prisoners of war. It may interest you to hear that the same submarine that captured u s sank our Colenso (one of the Wilson liners). As T told the captain, it was adding insult to injury.".