THE SEVERED CABLE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 243, 17 November 1914, Page 11

THE SEVERED CABLE.

GERMAN DAMAGE REPAIRED. FANNING ISLAND RESTORED. Press Association. AUCKLAND, November 10. The damage done to the cables and equipment at the Pacific Cable Board's station on Fanning Island on the morning of September 7, has been repaired, and communication is now being maintained as usual between Australasia and Canada. ' Repairs were completed nearly a fortnight ago, traffic being resumed as usual oh the morning of November 6, but in order to protect the company's repair steamer Iris, the secretary of the post office made a request that no announcement should be published until sufficient time had elapsed to enable the movements of the Iris to be kept secret.

When the cables were cut ten weeks ago,' the warning messages that .were received by . .the Suva and Bamfield Creek (Vancouver.)' stations, explained that the interruption was "due to a raid by the German cruiser Nurnberg. No information could then be gained regarding the extent of. the damage, and arrangements' were therefore made on the presumption that • the whole equipment of the station would have to be replaced. Preparations for restoration of the cables 'were made in Auckland by Mr John Milward, manager in the Pacific for the Gable Board, and at 7 a.m. on October 7, the Iris left Auckland with all the necessary instruments and also material for the construction of temporary buildings.

In , the meantime .the . staff, at* Fanning Island had effected temporary, re-, pairs to the Suva cable, and.on SepteniI ber 23 they were able to furnish a re- | port jo£ the.raid and of the damage that had, been. done.... Communication.; be: -twepn Suva and Fanning , Island ftas been maintained since that ]jut. as the cable to Canada had been c,ut J ]n deep water, attempts, to restore it had to be abandoned. *''',"."

lieaving Suva at. .5., p.m. on October 18, th : e v Iris an'ived at Fanning Island at daybreak bri October 26, but the weather was very rough, and repairs were "not commenced till four days later, when the .sea had moderated;

The broken ends of the cables were recovered and permanent repairs-were completed. The damaged instruments were then replaced by the spare ones. taken from- Auckland and Suva, and work' was resumed at 7.15 a.m. on No.-; veinber. 6. - N y On the return voyage the Iris reached, Suva at 11 aan. on Saturday, the trip both ways having been uneventful. Several, accounts of'..the German cruiser's visit to Fanning Island have been published, and additional particulars have been obtained since the cable was repaired. .• : ..',. : THE KAID.,, '.-" , .;," .." According to the" account given by the staff, the raid was made by two boat crews, the men being fully armed, while machine- guns-iwere hiounted in the bows of the boats. Some members" of the cable staff met the boats as they touched the beach, and as the Nurnberg and her companion., collier, had .both flown they were greatly surprised when;tliey were 'cbvered with revolvers and informed that they were prisoners of the Germans. The German officers hurried to the office and ordered the operators to cease sending threatening to shoot ainyofae who disobeyed.' '■'■> They then" proceeded to destroy the instruments and seized all the code books, private docu-« ments, and the papers belonging to the High. Commissioner's office. Meantime the men who had remained with the boats destroyed the cables with charges of dynamite, while others dynamited the refrigerating and electric lighting plant and" cut down the flagstaffs, apparently thinking that they were used as wireless telegraph apparatus. " .'

No restraint was placed on the staff when it was apparent that no resistance would be offered, and the Germans even expressed regret that it should have been their duty to disturb the island and do so much damage.

They stated it had been intended to destroy the cable offices, but owing to the proximity of private dwellings and the certainty of damaging them if explosives were used they decided not to interfere with the buildings. After shaking hands with the members of the staff, the Germans withdrew, but evidently having learned from the documents that one of the precautions to be taken on the island should war break out was to bury all spare instru-. ments and other valuables, the party returned. A demand was made that all buried property should be surrendered, and the staff was compelled to hand over all the spare instruments, 25 rifles, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, £750 in gold, and £35 worth of- stamps. The Germans then made their final departure, having given a promise that they would not return.