SEA SAVAGERY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 4

SEA SAVAGERY.

,—* . PLIGHT OF U-BOAT VIGTiMS, j A WIUET.'ESS .DRAMA. I Few of us at homo realise tlio inton- j sity of this ocean drama in whirl) our j mercantile seamen, night and day. are risking their lives to keep our sea roads : open/writes Mr Alfred Noyes. A tow lines of cold print can toll us very I littlo by way of epitaph; and their hairbreadth escapes, are, in iho nature, of things, hordiy noted at all. Only by exploring incidental matters that are not included in the published reports, does on.t> begin to realise, that them are ?oa romances in the world around us surpassing anything that Hnkluyt or Richard Kdeii ever knew. The tab- of the unarmed Angjo-Caiiiornian, lor instance, was illuminated for mo by the. exploration of a. Tcrunl of her v. irole-.s messages. These, in themselves tell a tale which, in the days before the war, we should, have dismissed as beyond the wildest dreams of melodrama. The Anglo-t aliiorniun was homeward hound front Montreal to Avonmouth. with a cargo of U*2~ horses. She was chased and shelled by a submarine. She pent out wireless calls, find was answered by a. man-of-war beyond Hie horizon. The firing prow <=o hot that, when the fmbmarine .signalled "Abandon ship." the, captain decided to obey. He stop, pod the engines and two boats wem lowered. One was fired on, and both capsized. A wireless message wn? then received, tolling the captain to hold on as Jong as possible, and lie decided to go on again. lie had some difficulty m persuading tlm firemen to go down below; hut' he was probably helped by tiro way in which the submarine had treated' I heir "place* of .safety." As soon as fho ship went mi the submarine opened fire on the bridge and boats. The captain and eight hands were killed; seven hands were. bndlv wounded, and twenty horses were killed. 1 shall not attempt to paint that vuoture - -the. smoke, the confusion, the change, of command, the concussions, the ncg-h----iim-s of the horse,, the pounding of the engines. 'But. with all that as a background, and the single statement Gutib" wireless operator was in an exposed position fast abaft the bridge, and remained at his Pest throughout, let the reader sttulv for himmU the ama/.mg melodrama 'of this wiroles conversation between the Anglo-( ahtorman and iho invisible man-of-war rushing tip hevonrt the sky-line. " K. 0.5." "SO'; PO.R. chaserl .«'ihimwW's.O.H. Position: Lsuiludo s<> b..kl so, E.; lonigluda ho and e o \V.; at»cru\c s> a "J f, °-" , ■ i • I, .- „„■! "Co ahead. Uo is bean !ru a *"'•.»- it 1.-; O.K. lo work for sv iVw wicu'o". -New <our*r> to south." •'Arn vou th» Cryptic' He is T(uua:y «s." Pl«~r ?■■ aim no. iuhl Itrr.p ma interned.' „ ~ "That is v, ' e ftro bein - nrea on." , „ .. . .. " Whew U fnbnißTii'.B ,v a^frn. "Endeavour U< carry out instructions. Important." . -, T "Can't, Ho i* now en lop _of us *u--l I can hem- his shots hittiutr '.is. "On year viort?'' , , " Submarine on top of in and hittm- lis. Captain say* steering to and po. H no alters course will endanger e.big." t • Did you got message, 'ironi t.'ryptii-■• This was a'n invisible destroyer speaking from a new point of the compass, forty miles away. j Ih-ui'i, know who he m. iwdinvc h n SphinA. , "No. Cryptic soia eoinct-hms about prenchirg you." " I can't hear him." ~ „ - Steer us much cast as posaiolo. This was Cryptic resuming her longdistance instructions and cross-exami-nation with the calm of a, doctor addressing a nervous parent, 1' wo steer past w shuU havr* HUtmnnno i nlifann. 'We civn't do u." Plosiso fpvo Cryptic your apeed. ! ' T'-vplt-a Knots." , ; -inn W n vour smoke. Hold on, r unriei ! T «>d and blue bands with yoii-w Mor. V,o ! nrp) imdun<r vour smoke." I " According to your position I am nine jmi Ids eft" you." , ~ | "Wo n.ro tho Anplotahl.x-ninn. ! "Um'o you many passengers'.''" 1 " No. iiut wo are 150 men on ftovru. i Crew." ... ■ -Pleaao fire rocket to je.nfy portion, j "WW is position of submnrino?" i ' Hi 'Kit astern, firing ot wiivl<-«i.'' I "Lf-t rnc have lour poßitien fr.'qiH-ntly. ; ' y;rnr our rofket». Hubnuirnn. sif.;- | nttis ' Abandon vessel as f-wii Ji3 pogsioie.' ! "As a. laa' rcHourc* 4 , can you rum'.' She i v.dll then in. Can von «.■*> Miy smoke N.E. of you?" ! " No. No. Sho is too r'oso. vl o are etonI ped una hlowiii*; oil'."

It. was at this point that, tho captain apparently wavered between abandoning his ship and going on. Tho reader wiU note the subtle distinctions in tho following dialogue, the Anglo-Cahfor-nian, as an unarmed ship, being clnetly anxious to escape, while the man-of-war is anxious also to bag the submarine, if possible. The. sea was still naked of help, though beyond the lioriTm\ tho great .ships were foaming up at, full speed. It was tlio encouragement of the wireless rather than a faint wisp of smoko on the skyline that persuaded the captain to continue the struggle"Can von see dietinotiy?" called tho Cr.vpti,- "Am iO'K>ut SAV. irom you. Ilold on, " Yes. Yes. He is rumiinir away.' "In what dm-<".ion?" "HURRY, HCRBY. HURRY!" ' Ho is on tho part yido; we :tro between you and hiui. Hurry, !uirry. ;j hmry, hj« 11 getting abeam to torpedo us." " 1 sun commit." " We are keying him astern now. '" O.K. Endeavour to keep Injj attention. You will be. quite aixUi whoa——" "Your tig-uuls aro weak/' "How nro yuu steering?" " ] can't find out how we nrra steering. It il! Zig-Zflg." , ■ rrvl. ' Toll captain to steer straight. (Irie surmg 'course* was v,ioi!;:, a* Hi a Mibittn.nn.^'.va.a aeteni.) "How many rnabts havo you. ■■For Ood'» sako, "hurry up. iik* blazon." , e How many masts "■ Can't read you. Cor.cjpsion.^' "How nuuiy masts havo, year?" •■ Two—two--0110 iunne!. ' fere, you on our port beam." ■'O.K. Keep quiet, ns though, we ms only coming to your und rothi'Jtc '•Keeping' rum astern. Hurry m,. "Wo are firing-. Cun you inform rcMi!t?_' " Can bear you. Several Leinp wounncu. Shrapnel, I believe." '• K.ei»p nw-n bolovr, or those on deck .:e fftoo down." " All taking shelter in. front ol bndfrehotises. Ho is firing shell." "■ Hkvo vmi two or tour masts in all ? "Two resists and ona funnel." ■•\Vhut speed?" "Twelve, twelve, and sutmar.no ke-apin? pw.e. Ho is Htill very close, within 200 yards. Captain wards to know if you will fire to scare him." ■' .Firing to scare hirn. Pleauo head towards me." ' W<> can't. You are astern, and no ir Rnboiarinc-. Hei'.d tor n» ia round ivbout fouth. It aubmarine is only 200 vudU astern put ropoa nstorn and tow in ordor to foul his propellers. Can yon sen my Htnoko?" And again another ship anxiously repeats tho question: ' Cryptic. viuitß to know if you can see his em oke ?'' Yos, yes. A lonjj way otl. Can your arnoko aatorii.'" • What hoaring? \Yhat Las happened to yon?" ■'They can't toll wha'j hcarnig. Now sink-

ing-" , Jn „ " Atp you torpedoed? Not "yet, but n.hots in plenty hitting:. Broken glass around me." _ " Stick it, old man." "Yes, you bet. Say, the place stinks of gunpowder. Am lying on tho floor." better, old man, Keep' your pecker up, old man." "Sure thiiiK- la there anything eUe coming to us, please V "Yes, .'f am Cryptic. Coming full speed, 83 knots.'' " I havo had to leave 'phones. Yea, 1 gay I smell gunpowder hero strong, mid am lying on the floor. My gear beginning to fly around with concussion. Smoko W.IS.W. of rne; thoro is a, man of fight on our starboard sido, and the Bubmarino is on the port side. Submarine has dived. Submarine has dived." " Rcpbrt her trail at intervals." ' I hope- sho stops down there. It ia getting hot here." "Wc are corning. We are coming. Have you launched all boats ?" " YO9. Two snips coming, one* abeam a,nd ono on port quarter. Uoji't worry. He has