The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-11

The stage for the last act in the
career of the rowing cruiser Linden was
appropriately set in the palm girt coral
islands known as the Cocos or Keeling
group There the adventurer ALExAN-
DIR HARE landed with his slaves early
in the last century to be monarch OF all
he surveyed; and there later the Scotch
man Ross of Java fame anchored his
brig and took his family and belongings
ashore 10 live in feudal state-SYDNEY
Ross. a descendant still rules, acknowl-
edging fealty 10 the Governor of the
Straits Settlements. The atmosphere
of the Cocos Islands, with their fringes
of bending cocoa palms, white sanded
ever blue lagoons, myrads of crying
sea fowl. and trade winds almost cea Sc
lessly blowing, is congenial to those
who lead the adventurous life, and such
preeminently was the life of the cap
tain of the Linden and his crew, raid
ing the cargo carriers Of the Indian
Ocean and Guiding pursuit 10y the ma
vies of England, Japan, France and
Russia.
The British Admiralty on October 23
announced that upward Of seventy war
ships not including auxiliary cruisers,
were searching the seas in concert to
clear them of German commerce de
stroyers. The destruction of the En-
den was particularly desired. In the
Indian Ocean she had captured and
sunk twenty-one British steamers, val
ued with their cargoes at $4,000 900.
and had saucily thrown shells into
Madras at night, drawing the fire OF
the forts and escaping with her lights
! covered. To merchantmen the Emdeu
was literally the terror of the seas.
With her wireless she read the ship
ping news of that part of the world,
but she never talked herself-hcr ac-
tons always spoke for her. About a
week after the reassuring report Of the
Admiralty the Emden, with a fourth
dummy funnel and flying the japanese
flag, glided into Penang and torpedOed
the Russian cruiser Zhemtchug and
French destroyer. The captain of the
Linden was perhaps tired of waylaylnS
unarmed steamships and craved little
excitement. But the warshps in the
Straits Settlements harbor could provide
none. Nevertheless, ii was a daring
performance.
The Penang raid gave the pursuers
a clew. Wide as the Indian Ocean Is,
there were not many ports and stations
for the Emden 10 surprise, and some
where she must get her fuel. She
could not dock TO cleanse her hull The
Australian cruiser Sydney, which had
almost 1000 tons more displacement,
eight q inch guns to the Emden's ten
Al inch guns, and speed of twenty
five knots TO her twenty -four and a
half caught her at the Cocos Islands,
where she was destroying the wireless
system. Details OF the encounter are
meagre There could he only one re-
suit If the Sydney's men knew how to
handle her q inch guns of superior
range. The gallant little Emden, show
ing fight TO the last, we may be sure,
was set on fire and driven ashore. 1t
was the end that brave men serving
their country could have wished for.
We hope that many OF the Emden's
officers and seamen were saved They
deserve peaceful days and quiet nights
for space on the shoye whore the
ridd1ed hull Of the cruiser lies. Few
tropic Islands are as restorative as the
Cocos, according to meteorological
1t will not do to compare the ex-
ploits of the Emden with those Of the
Confederate ships Alabama, Florida
and Shenandoah. There is no true
parallel. The Confederates usually
had the seas 10 themselves. and the
risks they ran We're negligible. 1t has
been said Of the Alabama that she
never entered port where flew the
flag she bore" Until she accepted the
challenge OF the Kearsarge and steamed
out of Cherbourg to fight, the Alabama
had never been in action except with
the little Government steamer Hatteras
and then in the disguise Of a British
man.ofwar. The Florida played havoc