ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1917, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

BASELESS GERMAN ACCUB/& TIONS* EXTRAVAGANT FABBICAT|OSSi A. and N.Z, Cable Assoc. and Retit&j I Received June 17, 5.5 p.m. , London, June I<J, ' ■.. The Admiralty emphatically donioi tfc® ucrnmn wireless accusations of inhuwanity against the British destroyers which engaged German torpedoers on ■June 5, sinking S2O and seriously damaging three others. The Gefmans deola#e that the English left from 20 to 25 Germans in the water, although the tte was smooth and further rescues would not have entailed danger. The facts are that a portion of the crew of S2O, who remained on deejc, trained a torpedo-tubo on the reselling torpedoor after a boat was lowered arid actually picking up survivors. The commander of the torpedoer continued hi* efforts, but tho Germans had evidently: ' been ordered to avoid capture, and *wam away, and the commander recalled tfca boat on three enemy seaplane* appearing overhead. The shore batteries, mean- * ■while, repeatedly hit the torpedoes' ■ upper works, and nothing more could | possibly be done, and they had already ; incurred grave risks. Reference in the denial was alio taUtjM , to the statement of Chief , i Schmidt, who was the last man to tare • the S'2o. He declares that swimmers at- • tempted to cling to an EnglUh tdr- ; pedoer s cutter, which had concluded its work of salvation after picking qp sewn, and had apparently been ordered to faite back only seven for the purpose of «- amining them. The boat's officer ordered ' two non-commissioned officers (who worn ■ clinging to "lot go,", and put a pistol V to thO chest of one of them, who rJmifri ' that a shell splinter had mandedMi 1 legs, while a sailor struck the other's fingers with a sword, both being drowned. Schmidt swears that tho cutter, had sufficient, room for twenty more, if* that'there was nothing to prevent tt* ' rcscuo.- Later, two destroyers' MMned ' within three hundred metres of til* drifting' m»n without heeding them. chief engineer declares that the nwfah jeered in response to his call*. SEW ZEALAND SHARES INI ERIZH. MONEY. Received June 17, 5.S p.m. ' 1 ' London, Jons 16, The Gazette announces that the SfoW Zealand shares in the prize-money with ' forty-six other war vessels in conneotion '. with the destruction of the Bluiher, The maximum bounty for senior offlwi gs £79, and the minimum Is 2d.