ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1916, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

BRUSH WITH DESTROYERS,

GERMAN VESSELS HIT. Wellington, March 22. The High Commissioner reports from London, under date March 21. 1.0(1 p.m.: The Admiralty announces that yesterday morning lour British destroyers sighted three Herman destroyers oil* the Belgian coast. Tin; latter turned and ran for Zoebruggo, chased by our destroyers. Shots were exchanged during a short miming light and two of the enemy's boats were observed to be hit. Our casualties were four men wounded. THE ENEMY VERSION. Amsterdam, March 21. A Gorman communique states that three torpedo-boats bad a successful engagement with five British destroyers on the Flemish coast. The enemy was hit several times, broke oil' light, and retired at full speed. We suffered trifling damages. BOUND FOR THE BALTIC. i'.TMTISH SUBMARINES. Copenhagen, March 21. The arrival of British submarines in the southern Cattcgat has caused • a fiensation in Sweden. One oil' Anhalt to-day examined a Swedish steamer's papers. Large llotillas of German torpedo boats traversed the Sound north■wards to-day.' ' THE TUBANTIA. BOLIVIAN MINISTER ON BOARD. Times a.iu Sydney Sun Services. London, March 21. The Bolivian Minister at Berlin, Dr. Vega, was returning home by the Tubantia. He was saved, with his wife and three daughters, but they lost, uninsured property worth £12,000.

THE NEW POLICY. TRYING TO BLOCKADE EXGLAXD. Received March 23, 12.45 a.m. Amsterdam. March 22. H is reported that Herr Ballin has iuI formed the directors of the HollnndA.mcrika line that Germany's policy iJo prevent all traffic between the United Kingdom and European countries, whether the latter arc neutral or not. DIVE FOR SEA CABLE. PLUCKY SEARCH FOR WIRE CUT BY GERMANS. When in September, 101-1, the German cruiser Numbers;, Hying the French flag deceived tile cable ollicials and was able to land a party on Fanning Island, in the Pacific, the cables from Bamlield and Suva were cut 1100 yards from the shore and dragged out of position, The following account of the incident and the'' remarkable recovery of the cable was nuhlislied recently in the Treasury doeu-

The German party arrested the Board's superintendent, surrounded tlie station, and, having made prisoners of- the stuff, attacked the instruments with axes. The station cash, amounting to £O9O, \va« taken, together with stamps and cash to the value of £7l. The Germans wrecked the engine-house, engines, refrigerator, and electric light plant with dynamite. After, the Germans left, tlie stall', in spite of the absence of suitable appliances for "handling and repairing cables and of the improvised character of the apparatus available, established temporary communication with Suva in fifteen days. In effecting the repair one of the operators, Mr. Hugh Greig, without the least previous experience in handling or repairing cables, adapted an ordinary pickaxe to the purposes of a grapnel, and succeeded by this means in partially raising the heavy shore end where it was cut. He also dived, and, working under the sea, secured the end by ropes, thus enabling it to lie raised above the sea level. According to the Pacific Cable Board's .manager in the Pacific, Mr. Greig "lifted the sea and shore ends of the heaviest type of cable, and managed by improvising rafts made with planks and ordinary barrels to buoy them and make a connection between the end with ordinary covered wire. There was no possibility of bringing the ends of the cable together, as they had been towed widely apart by the German vessels, and no spare cable wa3 available for filling the gap."