SOUTH SEA VIKINGS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 115, 21 May 1918, Page 3

SOUTH SEA VIKINGS.

CRUISE OF THE WOLF.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WAIRUNA.

The romance of the Wairuna was plavcd through practically in Now Zealand waters, writes the London eoi res podnont of the Otago Daily Times. Almost at the moment when Mr Bell was petitioning Parliament for consideration in respect of his having kept the flag Hying at Sundav Island, the island w;ir being used by the CSermaris as a base to prev on New Zealand commerce, and was the" scene of one tragedy at least of which we. shall probably never hoar tlm full story.

| Most of the following narratni- was given to me by Mr T. E. K. Hees. the second officer, "who has ju.-t returned i > London by way of Norway; by Mr R. Donovan, "the cook (who formerly rone for Sir William .Russell's stable) : and by Mrs Amies Mackenzie (Wellington). the stewardess of the Matunga. The W.'iiruna left Auckland for San Francisco at 11 p.m. on May 31, and shaped the usual course N.VV. across the Pacific. About 3.20 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday. June 2, as she was closing with Sundav Island, the largest and most northerly of the Kermadecs. a steamer was sighted, evidently at anchor, off the northern side of the island, where Mr Bell has his homestead. She was about four miles distant. The Wairuna kept on her course, and about 20 minutes later those on board saw to their astonishment a seaplane rise from the water and soar towards them. The plane had no marks at all, and, flying low over the Wairuna, it dropped a message on her deckwarning the captain that if he tried to use his wireless lie would be bombed. The steamer meanwhile had hoisted the German colours and begun to move, and. the Wairuna-having* been stopped, in obedience to orders, a boarding party came across and took possession. THE GAME WAS UP.

"I knew at once they were Huns when I saw the seaplane.' 'said Mr Rees, whose experience dates back at least as far as the Dardnnelles. Having that inkling of trouble, he set to work to pick up as many as possible of the New Zealand newspapers on board, and to destroy them, so as to prevent the Huns geting more information than could be helped. Unfortunately for. himself, there were still half-a-dozen or so left, and they were greedily seized by the Germans—who had been out of touch with civilisation for half a year, —and digested for the benefit, of the. inteligence branch. The Wairuna was taken in close to the island and ordered to anchor near the raider, which they now knew to be the Wolf, and that night the officers and the wireless operator were taken off. The Huns were delighted to get such a well-found and well-provided ship. Not only was there ample coal ', and provision for the trans-Pacific voy/'age, but the cargo comprised a good I many things they were in need of a iter i their long tramp*, at sea; and they JookI ed with greedy eyes at the 42 live ' sheep in pens on the deck. In their long ! cruise, it seemed, they had been on the ; New Zealand coast "before, and the" | had also been as far south as the Anti- ■ podes. On the following morning (Sunday, Jui:e 3rd) the sea was too rough to do ! much in the way of working cargo, and i both ships moved round to the lee side i of the island. There they were lashed" together, and commenced straightway transferring coal, fresh water, and i stores, and 14 bags of mail? —morn grist ! for the Intelligence Department. On the 4th the captain was taken on board the Wolf, and he and the other officers traufserred most of their luggage to the raider. On the sth and 6th all hands were working day and night, and the ships humped together very violently in the heavy swell, ft was on the latter dav that the sheep were transferred, and eight of them were so b-idlv injured in the operation that they had "to be killed forthwith. On the 7th the sea was so rough that the vessels moved round acain to the other side of the island, and for two days no work could be done. On the 9th they made a complete circuit of the island looking for "calm water, but without success"; and on the 10th again it was too rough to do anything. -'PROPER IRISHMEN." "None of the prisoners." Mr Rees told me "would volunteer to help in transferring cargo, though it was put to them There were two Irishmen m the crew,' and the Germans tried- hard to persuade them, telling them that Germany was the friend of Ireland, and that' the fate of Casement was an example of what the English did to Irishmen. , , ~ ■■ " 'The English didn't do half enough to Casement.' was the reply. 'lf we had had hold of him we would have done much more than England did." "With this satisfaction the Thins left the subject alone." On the Hth it was rough a gam, and on the 12th it was so bad that both vessels had to nut to sea. They came back at 9 p.m. on the 14th, and anchoring very close together, resumed work on the following morning. 'On the 16th all hands were taken off the Wairuna, and she was got ready tor sink ing. SPURLOS VERSENKT. The whole security of the raider being dependent on covering up her traces, great care was taken to prevent the

wreckage floating away. The cabin doors were " carefully nailed up and their hatches battened down, and the tanks and lifeboats destroyed. As, the vessel was .being taken out to sea a little American schooner was sighted, and the work had to be stopped to chase her with the seaplaneShe. was duly captured, and a prize crew put on board, and she remained at sea I'm- the night, On the morning of Sunday, June 17, the Wairuna was liually' taken out to her duom, an event which all the prisoners were allowed on deck to witness. , , \t 830 a.m.. when the Wolf was about 1000 vards oil", one of the bombs <vas seen to' expiode. The only visible | result was that the 'Wairuna sank about I a foot deeper in the water, at winch level she remained for fully an hour. Then at about 400 yards the Wolf commenced bombarding the vessel amidships. The first four shells had very little effect. They struck about the waterline. evidently rust clearing the cii"ine tops. The Germans were poor .'un tiers, 'for some of the shells even at that distance fell short and others went clean over the mark. The Wairuna took a slight list, and (here was a pause in the firing, but her position did not seem to change. Ihe Wolf steamed right round her. but got no satisfaction. She was apparently verv little damaged. More shots were fired at her amidships, and one brought a »-reat masp of flame, shooting up from Hie engineroom, but it died down, and still apparently the Wairuna was sea--orthv." Then bv aiming at the bulkhead "between Nos. 1 and 2 holds the .■miners set the on fire. She Gradually listed over to port, burning heavily,'and cventualy turning over on '•ier -ule, she sank at 2.45 P.m. As she. •.vent down quite a lot of wreckage •voke awav from the hatches, and one f Mie derricks also floated off. . Having spent a good six hours and sixteen heavy shells disposing of the Wairuna. the raider turned her attention to the schooner, which had now re'urned. She was the Wmslow, with a quantity of coal and fire bricks, always a welcome find for baseless outlaws.

A CALL FROM THE WAITOTARA

WhUe working the Winslow's cargo at Sunday Island the Wolf picked rip on June' 18 a wireless call from the , YVaitotara, saying she was on fire., and that all hands' had left the ship, and a later call that a French steamer had picked tip the crew. The. A\mslow s c-.rrgo kept the Wolf occupied until June 22. , . .. .' ~ a '.She was the first wooden -victim the Wolf had caught," said Mr Rees, 'and thev had a great job to sink her. l.hey rou'ld onlv blow her to bits. They put \\.ur big bombs on board and set her on Mie and thev had to tire 39 shells at her ■,-efore thev could polish her off. "Mr Rees tells of what looks like a trat-edv that occurred while the YVolt. was working cargo at the Kermadecs. Two of the"crew of the Turntella a victim of the earlier stages of the Wolf's cruise. were a New Zealandei named. I think, Steers, of 'Port Chalmers, who was second engineers. and the chief officer (Cleland). They had i'etevmined to make an attempt to escape, and Mr Rees and other prisoners agisted them. Steers and Cleland were hnth strong swimmers and felt confident of .'.lining the shore, which was two nii'es otf. Rut as they were kept securely below at night, it was ersential that 'they should get out of the ship in davlight. . , . , , ' Under pretence ot fishing lor sharks a party of prisoners got a strong r.opeline'over the counter, and down tr..<both men made their escape while the -entries were not looking. They had matches securely sealed in bottles, and felt prettv certain they would find all the food thev required on the leumd. But until it'was dark enough to commence swiming they had to remain ahiding under the counter of the ship. Though the Kermadecs are m a warm latitude, it was winter, and a choppy sea was runninu. Moreover, there were ik, lights on the island. Nothing was afterwards seen or heard of the two •ulventurers. Time may show Whether either of them reached the shore or whether their heroic endeavour ended their life.

MINES ROUND NEW" ZEALAND

The day .before the Wairuna was captured a boatful of British prisoners from previous victims got 8001b of tresh fish from a day's fishing with lines. On finishing nn at the Kerrhadecs, and F-.iilm" in her hone of cutting oft the Niagara, the Wolf proceeded to lav fome mines between North Cape and the Three Kinss, and then went right down the coast and sowed more mines in Cook Strait. This activity, which was quite unsuspected until the Vvolt s return home this month, puts a-new lin-ht on the blowing up of the Kembla off Farewell Spit last SeptemS o'n Juno 27 Mr Rees and Mr Donovan? the cook, got their last glimpse ot New Zealand,' for on that day the raider was in sight of Mount 'Cook Or, July 9 another small American schooner, the Beluga, fell a. victim. The captain had on board his wife (a native of Newcastle "New South Wales) and .ihe.iv six-year-old daughter; and it was a pathetic eight to those already close captives to see the little girl, standing on the after-deck waving her handkerchief as the strange steamer approached. As the Beluga was being taken possession of smoke was seen on the honZ on, and the Wolf, not wishing to bo caught red-handed, hurriedly put a prize crew on board and made off. lne strange (steamer had three masts and a red funnel with black top, and it was though she might be the Sugar Conypnay's steamer running between **jl

and Sydney. She passed within two miles of the schooner and signalled her, little knowing that she was in charge of a German prize crew. Two days later, having rejoined company, the schooner was despoiled of what she was worth and sunk with bombs. Another American schooner, the Enchor. was captured at a later date and al=o destroyed.

It wa=> about a month later that the Burns Philp steamer Matunga was captured off Uabaul and carried off to an island near New Guinea. where the cargo was ransacked and the Wolf replenished. "It was terrible to see her being sunk." said Mrs Mackenzie, the stewardess?. "She. was our only home, and I felt like jumping overboard to get to her." TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

'Mrs Mackenzie, who comes from Wellington, protested vigorously to the Herman commander against women being made prisoners—there were now a dozen of them in the "Wolf. But he replied that women were making munitions, and therefore their capture was quite legitimate. It had been thought possible that owing to the American captain having his wife and child on board he might release the schooner Beluga, hut the whole keynote of raiding success is to leave; no traces. Hence nil the ships were destroyed and their crews taken away to Germany. What Mr Rees and his companions can tell, through the. lucky chance of the Tgotz Mendi running into a fog in the throat of the Kattegat, is a serious inconvenience for future German raiders. Mr Rees served in a transport which trok Australian artillery to the landing at Anzae. He was afterwards in the New Zealand meat liner Ashburtuii when she was torpedoed. and by a stroke of misfortune his acount of his experiences on that occasion appeared in the very copies of the New Zealand Herald which were found by the Huns on the Wairuna. It was duly underlined in red and shown to him by the Hun commander, who particularly wished to know what "barbarians" were. The treatment meted out to Mr Rees during nine months' captivity was probably d'ct;itf»d in some measure by annoyance at this narrative. Of the six months ho spent in the Wolf he was most of the time in the hold with 162 other captives. The food was so bad that, he was over and over again sent to hospital, and photographs of some of the prisoners show brawny giants reduced to thin, haggard skeletons. Mr Rees pleaded that if he were kept under such conditions he must inevitably die. and asked that he should be transferred to the Igotz Mendi. The commander knew that he. had been keeping a diary, and replied significantly that he knew too much to be let out of the Wolf. However, he got so bad that he was at at length transferred, with the women ;ind some others, to the Spanish steamer. Here the change of food and the fine, wholesome bread. baked by Donovan, worked a great change, and he gradually recovered strength. THE VOYAGE HOME.

I The ships .kept in company to a eerl tain degree. That is to say. the Igotz Mendi kept her course, and the Wolf i comunicated with her every few days; and so they made their westing to the Cape and their northing through the Atlantic. One day the captives were delighted to see what looked like a, fourfunnelled cruiser only a few miles away develop- into two ships, apparently transports from America, but both sides passed without any sign of recognition or inquiry. Coming to high latitudes, the Igotz Mendi had one boiler out of action—due, it is said, to the patriotic care of the Spanish engineers.—dnd another in a bad way, so that she could make only a couple of knots an hour. Yet she •rounded Iceland by the north—the Wolf going south about—and staggered across the ever-vigilant patrol into the North Sea, and thus w-as in Norwegian waters. It seemed to the prisoners tlaat Germany 'was their only prospect. The Wolf got home to Kiel on Sunday. The Igotz Mendi, whose prize crew had probably been too long away to know of changed lighte, mistook the route of the Skaw for the Spit, and piled her hull comfortably on a friendly neutral shore. I believe the Wolf w»a« one of four vessels that tried to make the open sea in November, 1916. She sailed under Swedish colours, and it is understood «he was held for two days under the giinc of the Avenger off Faroe, where the weather was too dirty to allow of communication. Then she was allowed to proceed. The Avenger was the Aotearoa. a new boat built for the Union :S.'S. Company to run with the Niagara, and she was officered chieflly by New Zealanders. She was snnlc by torpedo last June.

To keep your spirits free from care, A brisk "walk thro' the -winter' air, If vou in comfy clothes are clad, Witl warm your blood and make you glad. But just before you venture ont, If of the weather you've a doubt Mix hot, and drink a nip, he sure, Of warming Woods' 'Greft Peppermint Cure.

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