THE BARALONG

New Zealand Times, Volume XLI, Issue 9246, 13 January 1916, Page 5

THE BARALONG

GERMAN ALLEGATIONS UNPROVED RED-HANDED MURDERERS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. •iy Tolesrapb—Press Association— CopyTl*l>' "Timee" and Sydney "Bun" Seniota. LONDON, January 11The naval' correspondent of the "Observer" says that the submarine which was sunk by the Baralong was the destroyer of tho Arabic. The hands of the crew were still dripping with the blood of women and children. Germany's allegations bad not been proved, her witnesses were contradictory and unreliable, but the commander of the Baralong obviously couM. not allow tho Germans to reach tne Nicosian, to which they were swimming instead of the Baralong. Ine Germans could iiave taken out the valves and held up their hands and cried "kamwad." Concerning the German commander, most people think that tho destroyer of the Arabic deserved his alleged fate. The statement that he attempted to surrender is contradicted. "We are sorry the British kicked the faces of dead men. t It is palpable that tho- world knows -what to think of those who whine over the necessary shooting of a submarine's crew while they go on perpetrating outrages like the sinking of the Persia."

A ACCOUNT COWARDICE OF SUBMARINE'S ■-"' CREW. lijr TeloerapU— Preo« Asaoolntlon— Copyrlffcl LONDON, January 11. TKe gunner of the Baralong states: "We received a wireless message froin the Nicosian on August 19th, and went, full speed to her assistance. '■ An hour later we sighted the Nicosian. being I shelled by a submarine, -while the crew was getting out the lifeboats. We had plenty of ammunition ready on the poop, and. theN marines took shelter behind the bulwarks. -' "The captain, by excellent seamaKship, brought the vessel to starboard of the Nicosian, so that we were hidden from the submarine's view for a few moments, during which we cleared for action, and trained the guns outboard, and hoisted the white ensign. When we appeared around the Nicosian's bows the submarine fired a shot, aiid the marines replied with a volley which swept the decks of, the submarine and seemed to demoralise the 'crew, which immediately left the guns and rushed the'eonning-tower, several going overboard. We fired the port stern .gun, and hit the submarine beneath the waterline. The second shot, on the conning-tower, sent two men flying high into the air. The submarine gradually sank. Every one of the crew was either drowned or shot, and only a few parts of bodies and a large quantity of oil remained on the; surface. The aciion lasted four and a half minutes. We fired thirty-seven rounds. The submarine was one of Germany's latest and largest types, three hundred feet long, and of about a thousand tons. She had'two guns, fore and aft, slightly larger in calibre than s the Baralong's. We were disgusted at the, cowardice of • the. submarine's crew, for, apart from having heavier guns, she had several torpedo tubes. They were ready enough to kill and maim passengers on defenceless merchant ships, but I had no stomaoh for fighting armed ships, even when the odds were in their favour. We rescued 107 of the crew of the Nicosian.; None were injured or killed. AVe had no casualties." AN ASTOUNDING REQUEST PROTECTION OF AUSTRIAN SUBJECTS. "• Dy Tolegrapu— Press Association—Gopyrlsbl LONDON, January 11. JtCeplying to a Note from Austria, stating that she will hold the British Uovernment responsible for the safety of Austro-Hunganan subjects being repatriated from India, Sir Edward Grey says he is astonished at the request, as the Austrian themselves were one of the authors of the submarine danger. It is the Austro-Germans themselves who carry on this novel and inhuman form of warfare, which disregards all the hitherto accepted principles of international law. By asking for special precautions _to protect her own subjects,'Austria practically declares that the sinking of the Lusitania and Persia was part of a settled and premeditated Britain does not propose to take special prepautipns in the pre-. sent case. THE KING EDWARD VII .y Telojrapb—Press Association—Oopyrlrht LONDON, January Ij. A survivor from the Battleship King Edward VII. states that the dis uter occurred on Thursday at 11 o'cLuk in the morning. The weather was moderate, and the wind high. All tho watertight doors were closed. Tii« shock extinguished all tho lights, and it was soma time before other li&hts were got going. Nevertheless, every boat .was got out within half an Lou r . Meauvvhib a collier came Up Bi.d began to tow the battleship. An hour later four destroyers responded to wireless appeals, and tr«jfr a tow, but heavy seas sprang up, rendering towing difficult ancL dangerous First one hawser and then another parted, until they were all gone. The captain, at 3 o'clock, seeing that there was no hope of saving tho ship, ordered every man to save himself. At the same time he ordered the destroyers to stand alongside. The stokers remained at their posts until the last, keeping the dynamos going. All were off safely by 6 o'clock, and the captain left the bridge at 7.30 p.m. Ten minutes later the battleship disappeared. There was an entire' absence of panic, and the officers set a splondid example.