LEAVING HELLES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLI, Issue 9257, 26 January 1916, Page 5

LEAVING HELLES

ANOTHER ACCOUNT AN EYE-WITNESS’S VIVID STORY. By Talcffrapb—Pres* Association —CopjrleHl LONDON, January 24. Reuter’s correspondent with the Mediterranean forces writes: An eye-witness of the evacuation' of Holies gives a vivid description of the last hours. The Turks, after their experience of Anzac, knew that our trenches were mined, the roads blocked with barbed wire, and the open ground sown with trip-mines. There was not a kick left in the Turkish infantry. Their first line army bad melted away, a mixed assortment of half-trained men remained, who were kept in their places largely by the promise that the British would soon be departing. After the evacuation of Anzac, _the Turkish artillery doubled the weight of its fire at Holies, but as there were no obvious signs of our departure, the fire slackened, the Turks evidently fearing to deplete their stocks of ammunition too much. The heavy guns on the Asiatic shore were now concealed in tunnels, from which they were run out to be fired. It was almost impossible for our ships to get a shot at them. Practically all the animals wer«| taken off, and those unfit for further service were shot. This was a hard recompense for faithful service, and was perhaps the saddest incident of the evacuation. Wagons were broken' up or thrown over the cliffs, and the abandoned stores were soaked in petrol to make valedictory bonfires. Meanwhile the troops wore being/ continually passed off to the lighters and trawlers without delay. The “last ditchers,” in the firing trenches, kept up the normal Sniping, and even had a few machine-guns in case of need, ■ Their turn came, • arid only a destruction party remained bn the beach for d final blaze. As the last trawlei drew off, flames appeared as' the stores and explosives caught fire, and a.mighty conflagration lit up the cliffs. There was even a larger glow on W Beach, which, apeared a sea of fire; and then a huge explosion rent the air. Fiaonfas towered sky high. While one wondered at the .beauty and terror of the spectacle, another explosion three times as powerful tore up . the bench, and a shower of wreckage fell into the sea, the burning fragments covering an area hundreds of yards in extent. A vast pillar of smoko Eung above, taking all sorts of sinister shapes! That infernal burst marked the death throes .of the expedition. Meanwhile the Turks, realised what was happening; a row of red lights sprang up along their trenches; their guns poured shells into our trenches, and the burning beaches, and kept on firing until daybreak. There was ah impressive moment when our warships blew to pieces the glorious battered old hulk of th© River Clyde, a relic of the heroic landing. But the saddest though of all was that we were leaving twenty thousand graves in the keeping of the Turks. SINKING OF_THE ORTERIG ACCOUNT BY SURVIVING OFFICERS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright SYDNEY, January 25. Two officers, survivors of the Orterio (0535 tons, Bank Line), which was torpedoed off Alexandria on December 10th, have arrived here. They relate that the Orteric carried 10,000 tons of nitrate of soda, the ship and cargo being valued at £500,000. A submarine was sighted in the afternoon. The captain attempted to outmanoeuvre the submarine, which commenced to fire immediately, and the wireless gear was sh.it away. The captain decided to surrender, and a white flag was hoisted, but was ignored by the submarine, which continued to fire all the more vigorously. Four boats' were launched, and a shell destroyed one, killing add wounding several Chinese. Th® other three escaped. The submarine then approached and fired a torpedo, and the Orteric sank in five minutes, after a terrific explosion. The survivors were picked up by a hospital ship, which later picked up the crew of the Busiris (2705 tons, Moss S.S. Cb.), which had been torpedoed previously. BREAD RIOTSJN BERLIN WOMEN KILLED IN CLASHES WITH POLICE.^ By Talc«raph—Press Association—Copyright 1 LONDON, January 24. A French wireless message reports riots in Berlin on January 12th. Crowds of women and children' protested against the reduction of the bread rations. The police killed and injured and arrested numbers of them. IRON HEEUN SERBIA GENTLE GERMAN METHODS. 3/ Toleeraph—Press Association—Copyright LONDON, January 24. The Germans hav© .prohibited night traffic in Serbian towns, under the penalty of death. They are flicting public corporal chastisement, without regard to ago or sex, for the slightest infringement of the regulation. MUNITIONS FACTORY BLOWN UP MANY CASUALTIES AT BUFFALO WORKS. 3/ Taleffraph— Press Association—Copyright BUFFALO, January 24. Fifteen peopl© were killed , and twenty injured in an explosion which wrecked the plant of the Kelker Blower Company, engaged on war munitions. A panic was caused in the neighbouring schools.