YOUNG OFFICER'S DEATH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15686, 13 August 1914, Page 9

YOUNG OFFICER'S DEATH.

AN AMBASSADOR'S SON. HAD SERVED HIS COUNTRY. BATTLEFIELD INCIDENT. (Received August 13, 1.10 a.m.) Paris, August 12. A French detachment met the Germans, with artillery, near NancyThe Germans retired, leaving a young officer wounded. He proved to be a son of Marschall Voubrc Berstein, late German Ambassador in London. The French picked up. the young officer, who died in a few minutes. His last words were: " Thank you, gentlemen. I have done % my duty, and have served my country as you are serving yours." BULGARIA'S 'MOBILISATION. CREDIT OF £2,000,000 SOUGHT. (Received August 13, 1.10 a.m.) Sofia, August 12. The Bulgarian Government has asked for a credit of £2,000,000 for mobilisation expenses. THE KIEL CANAL. The Kiel Canal, Germany's great naval waterway between the North Sea and tho Baltic, was recently reconstructed at a cost of £11,000,000, and was formally opened by tho Kaiser. The canal has been so enlarged as to admit of tho largest Dreadnoughts of the German fleet passing through it. The total length of the canal is about 61 miles, a few miles longer than the Panama Canal. The sluices near Hoitenau, which aro some 1072 ft long and 146 ft wide, are the largest in the world. It was at the Holtenau locks, tho gateway of Kiel Harbour, that the Kaiser took up his position while tho Imperial yacht! broke through a ribbon stretched across the locks. At a dinner in'the evening ho said that Germany must be in a position to carry out ono of the best sayings of the Iron Chancellor: "We Germans fear God and otherwise absolutely nothing, and no one in this world." 40,000 men. SUBMARINE AND SEAPLANE. Among the details of "further new construction" in the Navy Estimates for 1914-15 were two novelties. For the first time there appeared after the usual list of ships of the new programme the entry "aircraft," which meant both airships and seaplanes. The second and even morn interesting novelty was a " ship for carrying seaplanes," s.nd for this vessel's construction the first instalment of cost was £80,972, or more than the aggregate sum wanted for beginning the three light armoured cruisers which were to be built by contract. Manifestly this is a vessel the completion of which it was desired to accelerate. The function of this vessel is to increaso the range of action of the seaplane, She will probably also a-X as a mother .'•hip to submarines, for successful submarine warfare involves the mastery of tho air. The submarine has no eyes, and thus finds it difficult to locate its prey. A wider rango of vision is what the seaplano can give it, but for this purpose the aircraft must accompany v no submarines to sea. Hence the planecarrier from which the airman will rise, and by " wireless" to the mother ship will direct the submarine to its quarry. During the manoeuvres of last year an attempt was made to utilise for this purpose an old cruiser; something was learnt but the trial was not entirely satisfactory. In tho submarine, piloted by the seaplane, lies tho unknown factor in naval warfare.