The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-12-30
ATTACK ON PENANG
EHDEN PASSED TORPEDO BOAT
and FORT into HARDER

FACED 8 HOSTILE Ships
German Raider Sank Russian Cruiser
and Circled Harbor While Three
French Boats Did Nothing to Stop
Her-Captain Stopped His Vessel
to Rescue Wounded.
A letter has just arrived in New
York from Penang, Straits Settle
ments, dated October 29. 1t follows:
The German cruiser Emden called
here yesterday and departed, leaving
death and destruction behind her.
You will doubtless have learned long
before this story of her visit, carried
by the slow mails of the Far East, is
read in the United States, some ac-
count of the Emden's raid, but the
cable can hardly carry detailed pic
ture Of the destruction wrought in
brief hour or so yesterday IN this busy
harbor, and it seems worth while to
describe for you how his sudden
vision of war burst OF .oenang.
For those who do L it know, the
city Of Penan lies on the western
coast Of the Malay Peninsular, just
below the Siamese border. It is the
shipping point of the Federate Malay
States, where IS per cent. Of the
worlds tin is produced, as well as a
great amount of rubber and copra.
With a population Of 246,000, it is
growing by leaps and bounds and
gives every indication of soon be-
coming one of the largest ports in the
Far East.
The thing that makes this city a
point Of importance in the present
war is the fact that it is the last port
of call for ships going from China
and Japan to Colombo and Europe.
AS result, it has been made more
or less Of a naval base by the Eng
lish government. Large stores of
admiralty coal have been collected
and all vessels have been commanded
to stop here for orders before cross
ing the Bay Of Bengal.
Might Have Been Worse.
It was probably with the idea of
crippling this base from which her
pursuers were radiating that the En-
den made her raid Had she found
it temporarily undefended she could,
at one blow, seriously have embar-
rassed the English cruisers patrolling
these waters and at the same time
caused a terrific loss to English COM
merce by sinking the many merchant
ment at anchor in the harbor.
It was On Wednesday morning that
! the Emden, with a dummy fourth
funnel and flying the British ensign.
in some inexplicab!e fashion sneakeo
passed the French torpedo boat Mos
quet, which was on patrol duty out
side, and entered the outer harbor
Of Penang. Across the channel lead
| ing to the inner harbor lay the Rus
sian cruiser, Jlemtchug. Inside were
the French torpedo boats Fronde and
Pistolet and the torpedo boat destroy
er D'Iberville. The torpedo boats lay
beside the long government wharf
while the D'Iberville rode at anchor
between two tramp steamers.
At full speed the Emden steamed
straight for the Jemtchug and the
inner harbor. In the semi-darkness
Of the early morning the Russian
took her for the British cruiser Var.
mouth, which had been in and out
two or three times during the pre-.
Vious week and did not even query
her. Suddenly, when less than 40C
yards away, the Emden emitted hel
bow guns into the Jemtchug and
came on at terrific pace, with al
the guns she could bring to bear in
;action. Then she had come within
1850 yards she changed her course
! slightly, and as she passed the Jemt.
chug, poured two broadsides into her
as well as a torpedo, which entered
the engine room but did compare.
lively little damage.
Took Everybody by Surprise.
The Russian cruiser was taken
completely by surprise and was bad
ly crippled before she realized what
was happening. The fact that hel
captain was spending the night
ashore, and that there were no one
on board who seemed capable of act,
ing energetically, completed the de-
liberalization. She was defeated be-
fore the battle began. However, he1
men finally manned the light guns
and brought them into action.
| In the meantime the Emden was
we'll i,,side the inner harbor and
among the shipping. She saw the
French torpedo boats there, and ap-
| parently realized at once that unless
| she could get out before they join.
| ed in the action her fate was sealed
At such close quarters (the range
was never more than $50 yards) their
| torpedoes would have proved deadly.
Accordingly, she turned sharply and
made for the Jemtchug once more.
All the time she had been in the
harbor the Russian had been bonn
harding her with shrapnel, but owing
to the notoriously bad marksman-
ship prevalent in the Cars navy had
succeeded for the most part only in
pepperirg every merchant ship with
in range. AS the Emden neared the
Jemtchug again both ships were &C
tually splitting fire. The range was
practically point-blank. Less than
$50 yards away the Emden passed the
Russian, and as she did so torpedoed
her amidships, striking the maya
zine. There was tremendous de-
tonation, paling into insignifcance
by it's volume all the previous din; a
heavy black column OF smoke arose
and the Jemtchug sank in less than
ten seconds, while the Emden steam
ed behind the point to safety.
No sooner had she done so, how
ever. than she sighted the torpedo
boat Mosquet, which had heard the
firing and was coming in at top
speed. The Emden Immediately
opened up on her thereby causing
her to turn around in an endeavor to