Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-11-19
EMDEN'S CABRERA
PICTURESQUE ONE
Game Little German Cruiser
Fought Until the Last.
HER BRAVERY UNEQUALEO.
Before Being Beached and Burned by
Australian Cruiser Sydney the EN-
den Sank or Captured Twenty five
Other Vessels-Once Passed Dis
guised Under British Cannon.


Other Vessels-Once Passed Dis
guised Under British Cannon.
London.-The career of the German
cruiser Emden, recently beached and
burned on the coast of one of the
group of Cocos islands, off the coast
of India, forms one of the most pic
turesque chapters that have been writ
ten in the history of the present war so
far
The little German boat, with her
speed of 24.5 knots an hour her chief
asset, lodged in and out among Brit
ish, French. Russian and Japanese yes
sells for nearly four months without
being damaged. During this time she
captured or destroyed no less than
tWenty-four merchantmen or warShips
of her enemies These vessels were
valued at over S4O0OO0O
1t fell to the lot of an Australian
cruiser to destroy the game little Ger
man terror. The Emden was sighted
by II. NJ. A s. sydney which was
equipped with sin inch guns 4 run
ming fight followed, and the sydney
being the faster soon gained the ad-
vantage and the Emden was beached.
For sheer audacity and accomplish
ment it has few Notwithstanding
none since the Alabama. the famous
old Confederate WarShip. was roaming
the Atlantic
Since early i'll August the Emden
has been ut work Most of the time
she was preying on British shipping
in the Indian ocean, hut late in OctO-
Der she suddenly appeared ut Penang,
on Malacca strait. It was here that
the Emden performed her most daring
feat. A fourth Sm0kcstack was rugged
on her deck and Japanese flag run
up Thus disguised, she steamed bold
ly into the harbor passing unchaleng-
ed under the British guns of the fort.
and fired torpcdocS which sank the
Russian cruiser ,Jemtchug and French
destroyer Then she took to her heels
and escaped unScathed through the
strait.
1t has been more or less of n mystery
to naval men how the Emden has been
able to keep ut sea month after month
without running short of coal and sup
plies 1t is assumed, however, that she
has obtained sufficient food and fuel
from captured ships to meet her needs
In at least one instance this is known
to have been done. The captain of the
British steamship EXf0f'd. captured by
the Emden in the Indian ocean, re
ported to his owners that the com
mauder of the Emdcn said that before
he sank the EXford he intended to
take on board his cruiser the 1000
tons of steam coal with which the EX-
ford was laden.
The first report of the activity of the
Emden was ON Aug. 6. when she was
said to have been sunk in action with
the Russian cruiser ASkold off Weihai
wei This was contradicted n few days
later. when word was received that
the Emden had sunk the steamship
City of Winchester on Aug. and.
steaming into the bay of Bengal five
days later, had sent two more British
vessels to the bottom. Within three
days she had sunk four vessels there
The was accompanied by the Ham
burg American steamship Markoman-
mia as Il collier The Markomanna was
sunk on Oct rs off Sumatra by a Brit
iSh cruiser.
Leaving the bay of Bengal, the En-
den sank three British steamers in the
Indian ocean on Sept. IA. On Sept. %
she appeared off Madras and shelled
the city. eXtnguishing her lights and
disappearing when the forts replied
Then she renewed her activity in the
vicinity of Rangoon. where more Brit
ish vessels fell prey to her Again she
disappeared and was not heard from
until she turned up at Penang.
The Emden was n sister ship of the
cruiser Dresden, which participated in
the naval battle off the coast of Chile
Nov |. when the British squadron un
der command of Rear Admiral Sir
Christopher Cradocll was defeated
The Emden had complement of 3G1
| men. Her armament consisted of ten
IL inch guns, eight iye-pounders and
four machine guns. She also was
equipped with two submerged III inch
| torpedo tubes. The cruiser displaced
5000 tons She was 3ST feet long and
| had beam Of 43 1-3 feet. She was
| laid down at Dantzig in 1906 and com
| pleted in May. 1908.
| The Australian cruiser Sydney car
ries main battery of eight six-inch
/ guns against the Emden's ten Al. thus
! giving her heavy advantage over the
| German ship. While the speed Of the
/ two ships was theoretically equal. that
! of the Emden being 245 knots as
! against the Sydney's PAT, the former
/ probably was foul and her engines
/ badly racked from her three months OF
/ almost constant cruising in southern
waters. chasing and being chased ana
! with no port for refitting or repairs,