SINKING OF H.M.S. NIGER.

SUB-LIEUTENAXT HATCHWELL'S DESCRIPTITOT.

(Special to Herald.)

CHRISTCHURCH^this day

In a letter to his father 4 Captain R. Hatchwell, of Lyttelton, Sub-Lieutenant H. G. Hatchweil, R.N.R., late fourth officer of the Shaw, Saviill and Albion liner Tainui, who has been engaged for some time in the patrol service in the Downs off the Kentish coast, describes the sinking of H.M.S. Nig#i* by a German submarine.

Writing on November 12th, Sub-Lieut. Hatchwell says :— "We are', still on the same old job, and have been having quite an exciting Urn© lately. Yesterday morning while we were on watch in our patrol tu^, the Ceylon, a Norwegian sailing ship, ran into a steamier and ripped her forecastle (the steamer's) all to pieces. Luckily no one was hurt. Then at noon, when we were within about 50 yards off our patrol gunboat, the Niger, and making a signal to her by semaphore, lo and behold, all of a sudden there was a bang, and we could not see the old Niger for black smoke. *{$ho had been torpedoed by a German submarine. Of course, we at once went 'full ahead,' and raced up alongside her to pick up as many of her crew as possible. We succeeded in getting 26 altogether in our tug. So far as is known at present, all the crew were i saved, but two were severely injured ' and two slightly by the explosion, it ! was (juite exciting while it lasted, as we diid not. know how many more bally torpedoes would be coming our way. However, I expect the submarine did a scoot as soon as she found she had suc- | ceeded in. getting the Niger. There were i about eighteen destroyers; and other vessels patrolling the Downs looking n>r her within an hour of the occurrence, but I am afraid they were unsuccessful. Of course, as soon as the Niger was poked the other gunboat, Harrier, hove up and kept on the move.' ? tThe Niger was an old tbrpedoer gunboat'of 810 tons, built in 1882. All her officers and 77 of her creV" were saved.