THE WALKURE CAPTURE

NZ Truth, Issue 483, 19 September 1914, Page 2

THE WALKURE CAPTURE

How a German Ship was Taken. British Firemen Object to Salvjfrmy , Home. ■ ' * ■■ " - ■ • ■ ■ • :l "Truth" had a visit, this week, from three firemen^out of ten, who had been serving aboard the German ship, Walkure, captured at a South Sea island, by a French cruiser, shortly after the outbreak of war; They y are Englishmen" who .had; joined the ship m Wellington, at a remuneration of £10 per month, to proceed to the island m question, and there to. take m a cargo of phosphate rock -for? Denmark. They., reached their destination m safety, a nd commenced'loading the ship, . ■ IN UTTER IGNORANCE OF THE ... W A R ' until 32 days ago, about 5.30 o'clock one evening, the French cruiser, Zecle, fired two shots over the bow. The"parlez-voos" went straight aboard, hauled down the German flag, and put up the French. tri- color. All the crew of the captured ship' were mustred on the bridge and made. to answer their names as they appeard on ' "the . articles." After that the French.. lieutenant' said, "I'll take, charge of the ship." 'At twelve o'clock - orders ■ were; given to . get up steam and start out for Tahiti. Assoon' as-the Germans realised that they. were, in/the hands of .their hereditary enemies,' they "turned, round and whispered among themselves. It ap r , peared#.that there were two or. three cases of ale aboard, belonging to the captain, and ' a - little plot was formed whereby, the. amber fluid could be se-. cored and served out m the night. One of 'the boys, however, knew enough German to "catch on," with the result that the lazarette was ransacked arid ' .'■ ..^\ : . , ' ;, ; ' ' . . ' ■ , • THE B"EER COMMANDEERED, much to the chagrin of Kaiser Bill's pups, who -crept ' out somewhere near the "watching hour," with a thirst on them worthTa thousand, and found that they had been 'forestalled. Gott would not even conserve "; the beer for his fcwrorites." ' V- 1 . •*•"•- ; i .'. . ■ -■' ■ • Arrived -*'at Tahiti, things were a bit mixed; The Britishers knew neither French; nor German. As 'the Germans understood. French;' however, and could make themselves intelligible m English, theyonanaged to struggle through. The, Germans wereisiiffering from.a bad attack of Anglophobia, and salutes such; as "beach-combers? and "bum" were painful and free. On going - , ashore the wliol©- crew were gaoled. At--6 o'clock oh the morning following they were let out and told that if they were not m by six .: o'clock m the evening they would be locked out. As the New, Zealand boys were not hankering rafter gaol, they took- the hint and slept that night m the grounds surrounding the Goyemqr^' house. The following inorhing- two British residents '. picked them : iup and conveyed them m a motor- ca,r ;tq a restaurant, where they/fully satisfied the wants of the inner man. Their hosts also arranged for them to sleep m a schoolroom, where, . ■ 'WITHOUT BLANKETS ORiBEDDING • they remained -for twenty- twp "days.Finally,- the- Moana steamed^ into, port and' brought them, back to New Zealand. .' - ' : They arrhred in-Wellington penniless' and kttless. Immediate application was made to Mayor Luke. He, however, was suffering froHi-an attack of influenza and could- jiof grant, a personal 10161^16^^ ;J3ut, , hft; made. jtern,porary arrangements for their accommodation at the Peoples' Palace, Cuba-street, where they stayed from Saturday last until Tuesday, of this .week. Then this accommodation was found to be either too luxurious for c6mmon firemen or too expensive for His Worship's pocket, pr whatever pocket was ' supplying the wherewithal, so all: were removed to the Workmen's ; Home (?) also run by the Salvarmy. , ■ \ Here, things were found to be too disgusting for clean sailormen, accustomed though they were to rough it •As one of , ."Truth's" visitQrs said, "Roughness of accommodation does not ( mean dirt. The first night I . FOUND MYSELF LQUSY. . Booner, than go there again I would waljc the, streets. Another of the visitors said that he had been m the JHome, stranded,, before he joined tho "^Walkure. , The place* was not fit for a dog. .; After', settling ;■ himself ' .down aboard ship, he had to dump all his kit •overboard. With a mournful look on his face he said, "I possess one shirt and that is on my back." "Truth" advised them -to see Mayor Luke again, as it was convinced that there must be some fund, amid all the patriotic and relief funds now being established, from which the immediate 'iMie'da.'-of'ton' stranded sailors, left high and dry, ' through. j the exigencies of