GERMAN SEA RAIDER.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19057, 20 July 1927, Page 4

GERMAN SEA RAIDER.

ECHO OF VON LUCKNER.

AUCKLAND ESCAPE RECOUNTED

irsou oxnt owk cossjsbtoiidkst.) SAN FRANCISCO, June 18. Coincident with the visit of Count Felix von Luckner, daring German sea raider during the World War, to the United States there was recounted a series of incidents in -which Count Luckner figured prominently in the South Seas. His arrival in San Francisco, California, was marked by a queer reunion when John Elder, steward on a hastily outfitted gunboat thai put to sea from Auckland, New Zealand,, one dark day in December, 1917, renewed acquaintanceship with the German sea raider on Calirornian aoil.

It was from this gunboat that the final capture of the Count was made. Count von Luckner arrived in San Fraucisco after a trip over the American continent from New York and Elder reached the Golden Gate on the Oceanic Steamship Company's liner Sonoma, on which he is steward, and signed off at San Francisco for a rest and vacation.

The story of vou Luckner's escape from a prison in New Zealand, his recapture by the gunboat, and the Christmas dinner the steward denied himself that his prisoner of war might, eat, was recounted by Elder in San Francisco.

Von Luckner, after playing havoc with British and American shipping in the South Seas while in command of the German raider, Sea Eagle, was captured on the high seas, said Elder, and taken to Auckland. Ho not only broke prison himself, but managed to free all his crew as well. They fled in a small launch, capturing a lumbering old scow at sea raided a British emergency supply depot on a lonely island, and headed for Germany.

Meanwhile, said Elder, there was commotion in Auckland. There no British war vessels at hand, the Grand Fleet being stationed in the North Sea and most of the auxiliary vessels doing convoy and patrol duty on the Atlantic. Prize money was offered to private ships to capture von Luckner, The little cable-laying vessel, the Iris, was speedily armed, and a crew assembled as quickly as possible. Elder signed on as a steward. After cruising about for a week or more, the Iris sighted Count von Luckner aboard the captured scow, Moa, off Curtiss Island. Von Luckner attempted a dash for freedom. Shots across the bow of the Moa halted his flight, however, the scow hove to, and von Luckner and his men were retaken. The German crew was put below in irons, the scow being taken in tow, and the long journey back to port was begun. Count von Luckner and Lieutenant Kircheiss were put in a cabin. On Christmas Day two vindictive members of the Iris's crew decided the enemy Captain and his Lieutenant were not feeding and dumped food overboard rather than give them Christmas dinner. The captain of the Iris enquired why the prisoners had not been fed, and the crew members lied. "There is no food." Elder said, "Yes, there is," and opened the pantry, disclosing two dinners. These were sent to the prisoners. Von Luckner never knew they were the dinners intended for Elder himself and the cook's helper. Von Luckner laughed good-natured-ly in San Francisco when the ineident was recounted to him. Sunk Mayor Rolph's Ships. Of the several vessels captured and sank by von Luckner in the South Seas two of them were owned by James Rolph, of San Francisco,' and when the German Count reached San Francisco on a "friendship tour," he received just another bit of proof that the war is over. Von Luckner's ship, the Vaterland, arrived in the bay of San Francisco carrying an exhibit of German products, to back up von Luckner's "peace and friendship" propaganda which he delivered at a lecture at the Auditorium in the Western Metropolis a few hours after. During the afternoon Count von Luckner gave an impromptu "strongman act" in the City Hall, where he called to pay his official respects to the Mayor and city officials. "Ja," he said, picking up one of the bulky San Francisco telephone directories, and tore it in half. "Try that," he told Mayor Rolph. After witnessing the strength demonstration, the city officials nursed sore hands after shaking hands with the visitor. "That man does not know the war is over," said one of the civic officials.

Von Luckner said- he regretted having to sink two of the ships owned by Mayor Rolph during wartime, but he declared that although he accounted for twenty ships, sinking them all, not one life, was lost by the other side on the ships. Speaking of his life, von Luckner, who holds the rank of "KorzettenCapitan" in the German navy, said he ran away from his home in Bavaria when 13 years old. He didn't want to serve in the German army, and he said he had read too much about "Buffalo Bill." "Buffalo Bill was my childhood hero," he said. "I was determined to follow in his footsteps. I was sidetracked, however, but on this trip across America I did stop at his grave and pay my homage to the man who even to-day remains one of my heroes." At any rate, after running away he took to the sea. and arrived in Australia. There he disproved the idea that Germans don't make good pugilists by winning the light-heavyweight championship of Queensland—until another fellow knocked him out. Then he took to the sea again. In San Francisco in 1900, as "Phylax Luedecke," he polished brass at the old Plaza Hotel until he had enough money to hop to New York. He joined the Salvation Army for a while. Finally he went back to Germany, richer by one thousand dollars savings. With that he bought private training that led him at last to a lieutenancy and later captaincy in the German navy. His exploits in the South Seas are well known in New Zealand and Australia. "I fought to save lives. I sank enemy ships to save the lives of my countrymen. But I never took a life in sinking them," he explained. Since the war he has devoted himself to the cause of helping Germany back to a new place among the world's nations. "There is nothing but friendliness toward America in the hearts of my people. You have captured Germany's heart; I am trying to captare your heart for Germany," he said. "Uncle Sam is our uncle, too—bighearted, benevolent, rich uncle, who has done more to help us since the war than the world realises. Germany appreciates it deeply." I