ON THE SEAS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15489, 17 January 1916, Page 7

ON THE SEAS.

IN THE ADRIATIC. AUSTRIAN CRUISER SUNK. _ FRENCH SUBMARINE SUCCESS. TORPEDOED NEAR CATTARO. (By Cable.—Frees Association.- I —Copyright.) (Received January 16th, 5.5 p.m.) ROME, January 15. The French submarine Foucault torpedoed and sank an Austrian "scout" of the Novara. typo near Cattaro. The High Commissioner reports: — LONDON, January 15 (5.5 p.m.). The French submarino Foucault sank an Austrian cruiser close to Cattaro. The Novara is a Jight cruiser or ■'scout" of 3500 tons displacement,

416 ft 9in in length, and 42ft beam. She belongs to a clans of four ships, tho others being Admiral tjpaun (1009-10), Saida (1912-14). and' Helgoland (1912- , 14). Ihe. Novara was launched on ' February loth. 1913. and completed early last year. These vessels somewhat resemble the British scouts oi the Fearless class, but are somewhat faster. They arc driven by turbine engine's of 27,000 horse-power, giving them a speed of_ 27 knots. They are armed with nine 4-inch guns, two machine-guns, and two deck torpedo-tubes. Their complement is 320 officers upd men. These ships have been very active in tho Adriatic sinco last May. One of them, probably the ship which has been sunk, was the "leader" of the Austrian destroyer flotilla which made two sorties from Catt-aro in November and shelled Durazzo and San Giovanni di Medua. On a third occasion, last month, the flotilla was engaged by an Allied squadron. and two destroyers were sunk. The Foueault is a "submersible" of the Laithenf type, and is one of sixteen boats built at Cherbourg, Rochefort, and Toulon in 1909-1912. She is a small boat of 390 tons displacement. 180 feet in length, and 16.4 feet beam, with a- speed of 12j knots (surface) and 7$ knots (submerged). She carries seven torpedoes, which are discharged, not from tubes, but from external drop-col-lars. THE CLAN MACFARLANE. TORPEDOED "WITHOUT WARNING. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS OF THE CRETT. FIFTY MEN DEAD AND MISSING. (Received January 16th, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, January 10. The Clan Macfarlane was torpedoed without warning. A heavy sea was running, and the attacking submarine was not seen until tho crew of tho steamer, realising that their ship was doomed, took to the boats. The submarine then appeared on tho surface and asked Captain Swanston tho name and nationality of his ship and other ■ details'about tho vessel. The submarine commander was a "bundle of nerves." Ho showed great restlessness and uneasiness while tho submarine was shelling tho Clan Macfarlano to hasten her sinking. When this was accomplished, tho submarine disappeared, leaving 74 men to face death. Europeans and lascars were tightly packed side by side in the boats, which, tied together, battled against mountainous seas for three days. Rations were reduced to half a biscuit and half a dipper of water twice daily. Two boats broke away on January 2nd and ( wero not seen again. Som 6 of the lascars and tho weaker men were now dying from exposure. Captain Swanston's boat broke loose on January 4th and drifted away, sharing the fat G of tho earlier boats. The three remaining boats were waterlogged and tho occupants were nearly dead from exposure and starvation. They drifted' helplessly three days and nights, tossed hither and thither by the raging seas. 1 Eleven more lascars died, and the survivors, in a state of utter collapse, gave up all hope, hut on January 7th, after eight days of agony, they attracted tho "attention of a British ship, which brought them to Malta. The 24 survivors are now in the Seamen's Rest at Malta, little the worse for their experiences. The Clan Macfarlane was a steamer of .4823 tons gross register, built in 1898, and owned by Messrs Oayzer, Irvine and Co., Ltd., of Glasgow. Sir Charles Cayzer, senior partner of the, firm, is father-in-law of Sir John Jellicoe. Captain J. W. Swanston visited New Zealand a few years ago in command of one of the Clan Line steamers. THE MINE PERIL. SPANISH STEAMER SUNK. TWENTY-FIVE MEN LOST. . (Received January 16th, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, January 15. The Spanish steamer Bayo struck a mine and bank off Chussirou (P). Twenty-five of the crew were drowned. Tho Bayo, formerly the British steamer Whitehall, was a vessel of 2776 tons gross register, built in 1892, and owned by Alcsrs Bayo, Lezama, and Company, of Bilbao. £ BRITISH BLOCKADE. EXPORT OF COCOA. LONDON. January 14. An. incident in the House of Lords is regarded as forecasting a stronger attitudo respecting the British blockade. Replying to Lord Sydenham's allegations that Germany was securing much cocoa from Britain, Lord Lansdowne explained that cocoa. was 6ent to Holland for £he purposes of manufacture. and that (10 per cent, of it was returned to Britain. Nevertheless, _ considerable quantities were reaching Holland from overseas. The Government was gradually tightening up tho precautions to prevent tho enemy from securing coooa through neutrals. DEMAND FOR RIGOROUS MEASURES. WARNINGS TO PRESIDENT WILSON. (Received January 16th, 11 p.m.) LONDON, January 15. The blockade question continues to • hold the field of interest. Tho demand of the newspapers for increasingly rigorous measures is daily growing stronger. An article in tho "Westminster Gazette" has attracted much attention. It reminds neutrals that they arc not losing by the war, and says they must remember that we are being driven to act by our enemy's actions. We ar& in the middle of a struggle for existence. All the newspapers allude to the threatened complications with America. Many express the fear that President ] Wilson will acccpt Germany's bargain ]

and insist upon the relaxation of our blockade if submarine* piracy is discontinued. The "Westminster Gazette" reminds America that wo are able to defend ourselves. The "Pall Mall Gazcto"' says: —"Wo trust that President Wilson realises where Jiis bargain is going to lead him. Tho British Empire is shedding blood, nob ink, and will not allow technicalities to liamper the legitimate use of all its weapons." COMPROMISING DOCUMENTS. CAPTAIN VON PATEN'S PAPERS SEIZED. (Received January 16th, 11 p.m.) LONDON, January 15. Greatly to Captain von Pa pen's disgust. tho authorities at Falmouth seized ' his papers.Mvhich were not protected bj' his safe conduct. An Associated Press message from New York states that they include many compromising documents. His chequebook shows payments to tho dynamiter Horn and tho spy Ivnepfehle, and remittances to Seattle a- fortnight before the explosion of May 30th. Amongst tho papers is a letter from Mcysentsurg, German Consul at Now Orleans, saying:—"May a day of reckoning conio here, and our Government find again that iron determination by which alone one can make an impression upon this country." A letter from General Bernhardi complained that tho British newspapers'had insulted him, and expressed tho hope that British interference with American trade would have its effect upon America, Captain von Papon was military attache to the German Embassy at Washington. Owing to the activities of von Papen and Captain Boy-ed, German Naval Attache at Washington, their recall was demanded by the American Government, at whose roquest Britain granted thoin safe conduct to Germany. SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING. FRENCH GOVERNMENT'S SCHEME. PARIS, January 14. In order to meet the transportation crisis, the Government is introducing a Bill authorising the advance of £4,000,000 to shipowners to enable them to increase their fleets by purchasing Allied or neutral vessels.