FRENCH SHIPPING STATISTICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17033, 18 June 1917, Page 5

FRENCH SHIPPING STATISTICS

SMALL PROPORTION OF LOSSES. PARIS, June 15. For the week ended June 10 the arrivals were 1034 and the departures 1015. Four steamers above 1600 tons and one under and three fishing boats were sunk. Six steamers were unsuccessfully attacked. SUBMARINES DISGUISED. IN THE NORTH SEA. COPENHAGEN, June 15. A steamer reports observing a largo number of German submarines disguised as fishing boats guarding the danger zone in the North Sea. LOSS OF THE BREMEN. BELATED ADMISSION. THE HAGUE, June 15. .The Neueste Nachrichten (Berlin) says that the Kiel authorities at last admit that the commercial submarine Bremen is lost. The. paper points out that a large parcel of American securities was aboard, and the owners are now demanding duplicates. GERMAN CHARGES DENIED. ALLEGATIONS OF BRUTALITY. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON, June 15. (Received June 17, at 5.5 p.m.) The Admiralty emphatically denies the German wireless accusations of inhumanity against the British destroyers which engaged the German torpedoers on June 5, sinking S2O and seriously damaging three others. The Germans declare that the English left from' 20 to 25 Germans in the water, although the sea was smooth, and that further rescues would not have entailed danger. The facts are that portion of the crew of S2O remained on deck and trained a torpedo tube on the rescuing torpedo-boat after a boat had been lowered. and was actually picking up the survivors. The commander of the torpedo-boat continued his efforts, but the urermans, who were evidently ordered to avoid capture, swam away, and the commander recalled the boat,, three enemy seaplanes appearing overhead. The shore batteries meanwhile repeatedly hit the torpedo-boat's upper works. Nothing more could possibly have been done. The men had already incurred grave risks.

The Admiralty refers to a statement by Chief Gunner .Schmidt, who was the last num to leave S2O, and who declares that swimmers attempted to cling to the English torpedo-boat's cutter, which, had concluded its work of salvation after picking up seven men. Apparently tlie crew had been, ordered to bring back only seven men for the purpose of examining them. The boat s officer ordered two non-commis-sioned officers to let go, and put a pistol to the chest of one who pleaded that a shell splinter had mangled his leg, while a sailor struck the other on the fingers with his sword. Both were drowned. Schmidt swears that the cutter had sufficient room for 20 more, nothing preventing their rescue. Later two destroyers passed within 200 metres of the drifting men, but did not heed them. The chief engineer declares that the English jeered in response to his calls. JAPANESE ENGAGE ENEMY. RESULT UNKNOWN. - . LONDON, June 17. (Received June 17, at 11.5 p.m.) The Japanese naval attache communicates the information that one of the Japanese destroyer flotillas on June 11 engaged some enemy submarines in the Mediterranean. The result is unknown. The Sakaki was damaged by an enemy torpedo, but was towed m safety to port. Fifty-five men were lost. The British Admiralty states that the Sakaki gallantlv aided in the rescues from the torpedoed Trajisylvania, winning everybody's admiration.