AT SEA IN WAR TIME

Grey River Argus, 7 October 1914, Page 8

AT SEA IN WAR TIME

EXPERIENCES ON AN ARGENTINE STEAMER. ' The f ollowingf is a copy of a letter from an English engineer describing the run from South America to London in the -'British ' and Argentine Steam Navigation Go's La Blanca. Under date of London. August i7< he writes: "We were off Rio de Janiero when 'Marconi' came round and told us war was declared — naturally we did not believe it. and laughed at him but when we found out that it was true we besieged/his cabin night and morning for news. I used to shout to him when I turned out at 2 a.m. to< go on watch so he could taf) what news there was to be had. Then, we had orders form the Admiralty to put out all lights .amd not to call into a port for coal unless we wer absolutey forced to. As luck would have it, the mate had made a mistake in Liverpool on the voyage out as to the quantity of coal, to take aboard and took 200 tons too much, so we were easily able to get home with. that. Then we got word that two Germans were cruisingoff Las Palmas and the skipper was excited. We covered all our ports up with sheets of tin, and put .all navigation lights out except the ford masthead—^and there we sat, chief engineer, chief steward, 'Marconi,' and myself, playmgr bridge and laughing at the 'old man.' I expect we should " have laughed if we had stopped a shell. "We got on all right without seeing the Germans. On arriving Fimsterre (the entrance to the Bay of Biscay) we were hauled to by a saucy, grimlooking cruiser; after giving particulars he let us go. We were not moles ted again until 4 a.m. on Sunday mornitag — we were then in the English 1 Channel. I was ford taking- tempera tures when I heard such a bang. I dodged behind a ventilator to let the shot pass (it 'turned out to be a blank) j It was only a signal to . stop from a scout, one of the Union Castle boats rigged up and armed to the teeth with twelve quick-firers and a French cruiser in attendance. "We were not held up any more, and finally arrived at Gravesend at v a.m. It was a fine sight in the Channel last night with the searchlights playing on the waters, from the naval bases — who said Britain was not mistress of the seas ? Why, all around were nothing else but men-o'-war. 1 "It seems more than likely that we shall go up the North Sea under seal ed order and distribute our cargo of frozen meat among the fleet, as we are alongside and the crew has not been discharged yet. Except for a. few troops on the dock heads, everything seems the same as though nothing was happening."