THE PACIFIC RAIDERS.

Evening Star, Issue 16550, 9 October 1917, Page 6

THE PACIFIC RAIDERS.

FATE OF THE WAIRUNA. SUNK BY THE SEE ADLER. CREW SENT TO CHILE. CAPTURE OF ARMED MOTOR LAUNCH. GERMANS BADLY SOLD. The following message has been delayed by the censorship, but has now been finally passed for publication:— Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. SYDNEY, October 9. (Received October 9, at 10.55 a.m.) News has reached Sydney that tho steamer Amara, with a body of Fijian constabulary aboard, captured in the Fijian group an armed motor boat containing six Germans, who acknowledged themselves to be part of the crew of the raider See Adler. The Germans, when discovered, were lying with the motor boat in one. of the outlying islands of the group. When ordered to surrender they gave in willingly, thinking that the Amara was heavily armed. They were disgusted when they found tho reverse to be the case, particularly as their own launch was fitted with a small gun and some machine guns. The prisoners boast that they were aboard tho See Adler when she sank the Wairuna, whose crew they sent to Chile.

WAIRUNA DESCRIBED. LIST OF OFFICERS AND CREW. In local shipping circles very little hope has been entertained for several months past that the Wairuna was still afloat. The vessel, which had a mixed general cargo shipped at Sydney, Wellington, and Auckland, cleared the hitter port for San Francisco on May 50. In view of the fact that she had been fitted with a wireless plant (having a radius of 500 miles), and that had anything of a usual character checked her progress (such as a broken shaft or other mishap to her machinery) something was almost bound to have been heard of the steamer, it was generally surmised that she v had probably been sunk by an internal explosion, deliberately arranged or otherwise. Ordinarily the Wairuna would make the passage from Auckland to San Francisco in about 28 days. Tho Wairuna was in charge of Captain H. C. Saunders, who is well known in Wellington and on the coast, having been in the service of the company for some years. Captain Saunders has been married for less than a year. Captain Saunders had with him trie following officers: —First, R, M'Kenzie; second, T. E. R-ees ; third. P. S. Isbister ; chief engineer, A. S. Currie; second, R. M'Cauchev; third, J. E. Bish; fourth, W. J. Campbell ; chief steward, J. E. Coleman; purser, J. D. Saunders; wireless operator, R. Alexander.

The following is a list of the remainder of the vessel's crew:—Boatswain, A. M'Leod; A.B.s—T. W. Muir. J. B. Evans, L. P. Jones. P. Kennv, L. Llovd. A. Quin, H. M'Donald, J. Donnelly, R. Ball, T. Murphy, F. 0. Ross; greasers—J. Franklin, A. Daniels, R. W. Holden; firemen—S. Littlemore, W. Lennan, P. 01sen, E. Johansen, W. Murray, G. Bair, G. Curtis, A. Patterson, R. C. Matthews; trimmers—S. Gillard, J. Tornburv, W. Doherty; assistant siewards—J. W. Carroll, C. Hickling, A. Thomson; chief cook, B. Donovan; assistant cook, E. J. Claridge. The following joined the vessel at Auckland:—Messrs M'Canchey, Campbell, Donovan, Rees, Ball, Murpbv, Ross, Holden, Thompson, Murray, Curtis,. Patterson, and Matthews. Tho Wairuna (formerly known as the Matoppa) was a steel screw steamer of 3,947 tons gross, and rating 100 Al at Lloyd's. She was built in 1904 by Armstrong, Whitworth, and Co., of Newcastle-on-Tyne. She was a good carrier of her class, and did good service for the Union Company in the coal and general cargo trade between Australia and New Zealand, and latterly between the Dominion and America.