THE LIE DIRECT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16476, 21 October 1927, Page 7

THE LIE DIRECT

TO BOMBASTIC GERMAN WOLF STORY DENOUNCED AN UNEXPECTED WITNESS (Eleo. Tel. Copyright— United Press Assn.) (Received Oct. 21, 11 a.m..) SYDNEY. Oct. 21. In reference to Captain Stein's statement of his war-time activities, Mr. Roy Alexander, who was a pri-

soner aboard the German raider, Wolf, his ship having been captured oil' tin' Kefmadec Islands in May, 11U7, writes to the press challenging Captain Stein to prose that he ever Hew anywhere near Sydney, or that the Wolf ever steamed along the New South Wales coast.

He says: "After sinking the steamers Wairuna and Winslovv at the Kerniadecs the Wolf made a quick dash to the North. Cape, New Zealand, where she laid about 25 mines. Then she steamed for the western entrance to the Cook Straits, where she laid a similar Held. From there she steamed direct to Gabo, and steamed inshore to lay mines on steamer tracks oil* tin; coast.

"That night oil" Gabo was the only occasion on which the Wolf sighted the New South Wales coastline. In the midst of the mine laying she suddenly sighted an approaching steamer, anil the commander immediately put out to sea. like a frightened rat, steaming well out into tin; open ocean, and certainly not pausing for Captain Stein's so-called naval investigations."

Mr. Alexander adds: "J. can also definitely state that Captain Stein's aeroplane was dismantled and stowed away during the entire period the Wolf was in the Tasman Sea. The captain never used the plane when in crowded waters as the sight of it, on deck would negative the disguise of the Wolf as a harmless merchant vessel."

He characterises Captain Stoin's story about sparing Sydney as"fairly bristling with typical bombastic inaccuracies."

Addressing the German Club in Sydney on Tuesday, Captain Alexander Stein,' chief officer of the German Lloyd steamer Main, formerly dyingmaster of the aeroplane carried in the German raider Wolf, told the story of how Sydney escaped bombardment early in .1917. Stein said he took off from the Wolf, which was then off' Gabo Island, and flew over Sydney at a height of 2000 to 3000 ft. The flight, he said, was mainly for the object of investigating tho strength of the tleet in Sydney harbor, though the airman was provided with bombs to be used at his discretion. Pleasant recollections of Stein's previous visits to Sydney', however, kept him from using them. He added that while flying above the city he could not help thinking of the friends below, and he was glad at the time that it was not necessary for him to release his bombs. After renewing his pre-war acquaintances, he was doubly pleased that he had no); acted over hastily, he concluded.