The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1914-10-21
TOXIC ANNOUNCES THAT THE
ISLANDS WERE TAKEN FOR
MILITARY PURPOSES.
SOLD TO GERMANY IN 1893
Japan Says Move Was Necessary TO
Tereminate the Activities of Ger
man Cruisers InfIicting Serious
Damage on British Commerce.

Toxic, Oct. 20.-The navy depart.
ment has announced the occupation
for military purposes of strategically
important islands in the Marianne
Tor Ladrone), Marshall, East Caro-
line and West Caroline archipelagoes.
Previous announcement has been
made of the occupation by the apa-
nese of the islands in the Marshall
and Caroline groups. The occupation
of an island in the Mariannee or La
drone group has not heretofore been
reported. The Marianne islands lie
directly east of IHIzon about 1,7O0
miles from Manila They include
Guam. acquired by the United States
in 1898, where small military force
is maintained There Is sable sta
tion on the line between Manila.
Hoaolulu and San Francisco on the
island.
The Marianne group Is about 500
miles south of the BONN islands,
which belong to Japan. The total area
lof the Mariannes is about 42O square
miles.
With the exception of Guam, all
the Islands In this group were sold
by Spain to Germany in 1899, and
form part of a government district of
German New Guinea
1t was announced from Toxic ON
Oct. that the Japanese squadron
delegated to destroy the German fleet
III the South seas had landed sailors
on Jaluit island, the seat OF govern
ment in the Marshall archipelago
which was annexed by Germany in
1886.
The Marshalls are in the south Pa
chic about midway between the Phil.
ippines and Hawaii. Jaluit island is
3S miles long and 90 miles wide, It
has been the headquarters OF big
German company, which traded with
the Marshalls and adjacent groups of
islands.
According to a German news agen-
cy dispatches received In Pekin Oct.
| Z, Japanese forces had occupied the
island of Yap, the most important is
land In the Caroline group, one Of the
Philippines in the Pacific ocean. 1t
was declared later In Toxic that this
report was without confirmation. Yap
Is due east of the island of Mindanao
in the Philippines and distant about
] 900 miles. 1t is about 750 miles
southwest of Guam
A dispatch from Washington, Oct.
Z, quoted the Japanese embassy as
saying that the seizure of the Island
Of Yap was only one development in
the general plan agreed upon by the
British and Japan to seize all OF the
Gefhan naval stations in the Pacific
Nis was regarded as necessary it
was explained to terminate the activ-
ltiesl of the German cruisers which
haVd inflicted serious damage upon
British commerce.
Yap is of great military Importance
because it is relay station of the
German cable lines in the Far East,
one line running north to Shanghai
and the other southeast to Borneo and
Java. A few months ago a powerful
German wireless station was opened
on the island.
Jaiuit, in the Marshall group, was
occupied Oct IA, by division of the
Japanese fleet. aluit, 1t is understood,
was the base Of the enemys mari
time operations in the Marianne, Mar
shall and Eastern and Western Caro-
line archipelagoes. The Japanese
FOUND two German vessels there. One
sent herself to the bottom aAd the
othet was captured with her crew.
No, damage was suffered by jap
anese fleet.
The German ships at Jaluit were
survey ships.