AN AUXILIARY BARQUE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17110, 11 October 1917, Page 5

AN AUXILIARY BARQUE.

EVENTFUL CRUISE OF VESSEL,

The Seeadler (Sea' Eagle) had a long career on the high seas before her end came. She was first heard of on March 20 last, when the French barque Cambronne reached Rio de Janeiro with news that a new raider waa at work in the South Atlantic, and had already sunk eleven vessels. The Cambronne, one of the Seeadler's victims, brought 277 men ,rom the crews of othor captured vessels, in addition to her. own crew of 22. She had encountered the raider on March 7, at a point twothirds of the way across to the African coast, and had been commanded, after receiving the refugees on board, to proceed to Brazil.

Later information definitely identified the raider ,as the American barque Pass of Balmaha, which was captured by a German submarine in August, 1915, while on a voyage from New York, to Archangel with a cargo of cotton. She was a steel ship, built on the Clyde, of 1571 tons burden, and was owned by the HarrisIrby Cotton Company, Boston, Mass It would be interesting to know why the Germans selected this vessel for conversion into a raider. Doubtless they considered her to be a type well calculated to allay suspicion At- all events they appear to have fitted her with oil engines, capable of driving her at 12 knots. Re-christened Seeadler, she left Germany on December 22, 1916, escorted for the first few days by a submarine. She carried a load of mines, some of which she subsequently laid off the Brazilian coast, and was also armed with two 4.1-mcn quick-firers and many ma-chine-guns. She had three masts equipped with wireless aerials. Members of the crew were very communicative to their prisoners about the methods by which Ihey got through the blockade line in the North Sea; When she lefD Germany they said that tho, guns were hidden in the hold. Two gasoline launches v ere also stowed below, and the wh*eiess gear was ingeniously concealed in the rigging. When the open soa was reached the guns were mouuted on the forecastle, the port* being masked. Ti>e guns could only fire in two directions on account of their position. -

The commands? declared to his prisoners that the Goiman Emperor and the Crown Prince a)one knew of the expedition. On sighting a vessel tho raider would first hoist the Norwegian flag, which would be replaced by tfio German ftag when her prey was within reach of her aims. TJie commander presented to , the captain of each ship he sank an engraved certificate setting forth tho circumstances in which it had been destroyed. The prisoners all said thut they were well treated aboard, and no loss of life had occurred. Five were Americans.

The ships sunk, ais reported by the Amesrican Consul-General at Hio rie Janeiro, were the British steamers Lundy Island, Gladys, Royle, Hornwnrth, and the sailing vessels Pintors, British Yeoman, Terse, Italian vessel