ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 February 1917, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

COLD-BLOODED BRUTALITY. OF SUBMARINE MURDER. London, February 1. _ The Admiralty reports that tlie British steamship Artist, when forty-eight miles Irom land, and during the prevalence of a heavy westerly gale, v.'as submarined on January 27. In response to her 8.0.5. call, stating that s-he was sinking quickly, the auxiliary patrol craft searched but fouml no trace of the vessel or of .survivors. The steamship Luchana on Tuesday picked up a boat containing sixteen survivors out of HI. Seven had died of wounds and exposure. Out of the sixteen, five were severely frostbitten. The crew was compelled to abandon the ship and take to open boats during a mid-winter gale, utterly without means of reaching land aiul without succor. Those perishing during the three days of bitter exposure were murdered. It would be sheer hypocrisy to pretend that uuvthing was done to ensure the safety of the passengers and crews. This has been broken before by (Germany, but never under circumstances of more cold-bloodejl brutality, THE RAIDER'S METHODS. CRUEI-TY TO PRISONERS. Copenhagen, Feb. 1. Neutrals on board the Yarrowdalo elate that when approaching Iceland 50.) prisoners were placed in the coal rooms of which the shutters were closed. They remained there for three days at Christmas time, and were released half dead wher. they reached Trondhjem. NORTH SEA MINEFIELD. WELCOMED" BY DUTCH. London. .Tan. 31. Details of the new Britisji minefield were first published in New \ T ork. Practically the entire mouth of the Heligoland Bight is covered and the German fleet bottled up. The enolo;U:l area far exceeds anything hitherto attempted. The minefield extend? some distance northwards from the northe'nmi st poini of German territorial waters, thence westward for forty miles from Hull !>ml eastward to the moutl. of the Ems. [From Hamburg to Hull is 38(1 miles, so the minefield must extend more than 300 miles.] The Dutch press welcomes the new mine fields in the North Sea.

ABUSE OF HOSPITAL SHIPS. REPRISALS THREATENED. London, January 31. The Foreign Oflice states that the German Government claims to have conclusive proof' that enemy hospital ships have been misused for the transport of munitions and troops. The German Government also claims to have submitted proofs to the French and British Governments, at the. same time declaring that traliie and hospitals ships within the line Flainborough Head-Terehelling-Ushant-Dannescnil could not longer lie tolerated The Foreign Office statog that his Majesty's Government has not received any communication, and denies the allegation, adding that Germany has the right to search hospital ships, which had never been used as stated. It was evident that it was Germany's intention to add other unspeakable crimes to the long list disgracipg her record. His Majesty's Government has decided that if ttie threat is carried out, reprisals will immediately be taken. GERMAN FALSEHOODS EXPOSED. Received Feb. 2, 10.20 p.m. London, Feb. 2. The Admiralty reports that a German wireless message alleges that the Britannic carried 2500 British soldiers who were not invalids. The allegation is said to bo based on the sworn testimony of Albert Messany, the Austrian singer, who was interned at Malta on the outbreak of war, and returned to England in November aboard the Britannic. The only true statement in Messany's story is the fact that he returned by tho Britannic, because he was an invalid, wherefore lie was repatriated. German Press messages are filled with similar falsehoods, with a view to manufacturing pretexts for the latest methods of warfare;announced. It cannot be too emphatically reiterated that, never since the beginning of the war have any but invalids or members of the hospital staff embarked on any British hospital ships. ON SEAS 123450