TAUBE AND MERCHANTMEN

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 19 May 1915, Page 5

TAUBE AND MERCHANTMEN

The Teal, a small screw steamer, owned by the General Steam Navigation Company, was the victim of a determined bomb attack by an enemy airman in the North Sea" recently. The attack was carried out at about seven o'clock in the morning by ' a Taube, when the Teal was some thirty miles off the Dutch coast. There wer'e

two men in the aeroplane, which «vr.s flying at a height of. about 200 feet. The attack extended over about threequarters of an hour, during which time four bcmbs were dropped. The vessel was subjected to a severe fire, apparently from a machine gun-, and a number of steel darts, similar to those used in Flanders, were dropped from the Taube. None of the projectiles took effect, though members of the crew state that the vessel was struck by several bullets. The only visible evidence of the attack which remains is a hole in the aft deck, caused by the penetration of a dart, which is now in the keeping of the skipper as a memento of the experience.

It is asserted by members of the crew that a vessel, ostensibly a trawler, manned by an exceptionally large crew, was the base from which tKe Taube operated, and .that signalling took place between the vessel and the airmen..

The incident occurred during the watch of the chief mate, who .was on the bridge at the time. He said : — "The Taube made three distinct attacks. In its first it dropped two bombs. One missed us very narrowly, falling about fifteen feet away on otir starboard side. It raised * a great column of water, and was felt all over

the vessel. The second bomb fell into t the sea a little farther off. Both were perilously close. "The Taube then swept round, and returned to the attack, dropping two more bombs. We were unable to do anything but dodge. I manoeuvred the vessel as best I could, and both bombs fell into the sea. The crew behaved admirably, and beyond talking excitedly at first about stopping, did everything possible to keep the vessel clear. "No bombs were dropped at the third attack," the chief mate £~ntinued, "but from a short range the airmen fired at us, apparently From a machine gun. But they were poor shots, and. I do not believe that a single bullet struck the ship. Bwfc ss the Taube passed over us a shower cf steel darts descended, one of which. lodged in the deck. They were deadly sorts of things, about eight inches ions and sharply pointed. After their third attempt they flew away."

Dr L. Saiasin has succeeded, according to Lea Mature, in making artificial silk from the "slime" of the seaweek, which is thrown iip in immense masses or. il»o coasts of Normandy, Norway, Scotland, and Canada An English comply' is said to be exploiting the process, for which a great future is predicted.