FIGHTING IN THE WEST.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 1275, 14 March 1918, Page 5

FIGHTING IN THE WEST.

LIVELY BOMBARDMENTS. (A. &. N.Z. & Reutcr) LONDON, March 1X A French communique states:—* Fairly lively bombardments are in progress on the right bank of the Meuse, in the region of Reillon, Anccvviller, and in Lorraine. Another French communique states: —There is an intermittent artillery duel in the Argonne and in the Yosges, but the tiring is violent in Champagne, especially in the region of the heights and in the Woevre. The Americans carried out a successful raid south of Kichcconrt.

Six enemy aeroplanes were brought down and anotner was badly damaged.

THE WAIRUNA.

STORY OF HER CAPTURE* (A. A \.Z.) LONDON, M:irch 11. Mr Thomas Rees (second oflicer) and B. Donovan (who was described in a previous message as a New Zealand jockey), members of the Wairuna's crew, have reached London. They state that the Wairuna was captured off the Kermadecs, where the raider was close inshore refitting. A German band was plaving aboard the Wolf, and one of" the musicians sighted the approaching steamer. A seaplane flew over the Wairuna and dropped a paper ordering the ship to stop. At the same | time the Wolf fired a shot across her < bows. A prize crew went aboard and took possession. The raider worked at the Wairuna ■ for 1C days, and removed 1200 tons I of coal and provisions and 42 sheep. At this time the Wolf was at starvation point in the matter of food and coal. The Germans twitted the Wairuna's crew for not scuttling the vessel when its capture was inevitable. When the dismantling was completed, bombs were placed in the bow of the Wairuna, and she was sunk. The Wolf nearlv wavlaid the Niagara (the Union S.S. Company's Pacific mail steamer) on two occasions, cruisers sending wireless messages which warned her about the Wolf and the imminence of danger. Sir Thomas Mackenzie provide** for Rees's and Donovan's wants. THE MATUNGA. (A. A- N.Z.) LONDON", March 12. Mrs Mackenzie, a stewardess on the Matunga, has supplied a graphic story of her experiences. "The Matunga," she says, "was about 18 hours off Rabaul, on August 6, when the Wolf came in sight. She had picked up the Matunga's wireless messages the previous night announcing our arrival. Evidently the Wolf was informed that we were taking 500 tons of coal, of which she was desperately in need. She waited for us for five days. Immediately the Wolf appeared she sent up a seaplane, which circled over the Matunga to investigate whether we were armed. She then came closer, hoisted the German ensign, and signalled us to stop. The chief oflicer apparently mistook the signal, and went on, whereupon the Wolf fired a shot across our bow at 500 yds range. A prize crew from the Wolf, with a bombing officer, immediately followed. They were all fully armed, and carried a large number of bombs. Boats from the Wolf took off the Matunga's captain and officers, also the military officers and soldiers and three male civilians. "We then sailed to Dutch New Guinea, where we discharged our coal. The Wolf shipped the coal, and all our provisions, and transferred the stewards, sailors, and others, who had been left on the Matunga, aboard the Wolf. We proceeded seaward for 10 miles, on August 27, when the Matunga was sunk by means of time bombs. Every precaution was taken to prevent refloating the wreck, and the steamer disappeared within half an hour. "The subsequent course of the Wolf I can only surmise. I presume that we went across the Indian Ocean. Once we were off Colombo, and later were near Singapore and Borneo.

"The Wolf sowed mines nightly. We heard the rattle of the sounding lines; then the mines were carefully lowered."

Details follow relating to the capture of the Hitachi Maru and the other vessels already mentioned in the cables.

"The Wolf was now making for the Trinidad Islands," Mrs Mackenzie continued, "but she picked up a wireless message stating that a Chilian warship had arrived there, and she thereupon altered her course to the opposite direction. After shipping coal from the Igotz Mendi, she headed for Germany. "In the mid-Atlantic two armed ships, apparently American transports, suddenly hove out of the mist, and passed close to the Wolf and the Igotz Mendi, causing great consternation aboard, but they proceeded without signalling." Stormy weather prevailed during the latter part of the voyage, and Mrs Mackenzie was ill for three weeks, and docs not know what happened till the Ifjotz Mendi stranded, but she understood that they slipped down the Norwegian coast without meeting any British warships. TORPEDO-PROOF VESSELS. (Ilcutcr) PARIS, March 12. The Government has placed a contract for the construction of a large number of vessels which experiments have shown can be torpedoed three times without sinking.