Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-02
INSIDE STORY
OF TSINGTAU IS
TOLD IN LETTER
CONTINUED from page one)

japanese should not Sget ANYTHING
which could be OF further use to
them. The Austrian cruiser was
blown up few days previous. as she
was all out OF ammunition. Her crew
went in the trenches and rendered
valuable assistance there. or all the
gunboats in Tsingtau the Jaguar was
the only one which was in commits
sion during the whole siege The
crews and guns of all the others were
on the auxiliary cruisers, which joined
Admiral Won Specs squadron before
the blockade of Tsingtau. The boats
were blown up in the first days of the
siege
We commenced to fee! awful super
fluous and decided to pull off some
stunt: so we sneaked out of the %har-
Dor some nights and took a look
around. but without result The next
night we went out again and dropped
a few mines, which afterwards one
of the Japanese ships tried to play
football with and got the worst of it.
A few days later on the 18th of Octo-
Der we got past three destroyers I'M
noticed and gained the open sea, to
attack one of the battleships prefer
ably the Triumph. We had almost
given up hope of sighting any of them
when at last we spied the Japanese
cruiser Takachio. We. got within 800
yards unnoticed shot sorpedoes, sev-
cry one hitting it's mark and IN 40
seconds the Takachio was torn to
shreds 1t was wonderful but takes
some nerve. One of the torpedoes hit
the ammunition room; 2 pieces Of iron
about 8 pounds each few
over on our boat and hundreds of
smaller pieces besides, so you can
imagine how close we must have been.
The Japanese had absolutely no time
10. do anything at all. OF crew Of
S25 only IL were saved.
After that, there was only one thing
or US to do, that was to try and reach |
he coast somewhere under cover of
he darkness before they captured US;
here was no chance for us to get
back to Tsingtau, and Shanghai was
90 far and unsafe. ~.
We landed in Gefion Bay, threw |
overheard all we could, blew up the
BOAT and marched away in the dark |
hight None of us was hurt. We
for ten days including two
'est-days over Ichaensien, Itchoufou
o Sautschan to the railroad. We rode
IN the train to Marking where we
we're interned by the Chinese gov
.rnment But we can go and do where
Ind what We want, have been in
Shanghai twice and go there again to- |
The Chinese government
reats US the very best, only they
seem to be, little scared of complica-
ions. ~.... .....=. .. -. F..
During the first days of the bonn
oardment of Tsingtau from the sea-
side most of the shooting was done
BY the Japanese battleships "Suwo"
Ind Tango" which shot with their
30, 5 en- guns and the British bat.
.leship Triumph with the %, 4 en-
guns. The otherwise so proud Brit
'ns! l wonder if they regarded it as
/ Triumph, that one of their admiras
stood under the command of Japa-
lese admiral? And that their flagship
rallied as the last ship behind the
Japanese? Britannia rules the waves?
What about it! ....= r..
We left Tsingtau on the 18th of
October and on November our only
lviator few away from there taking
he war journal with him. He landed
n Haftschou, destroyed his aeroplane
ind is now in Shanghai. The sur.
'ender-of Tsingtau occurred on. Nov
.mber z. 1t was a bad day for us, |
tut thank God it is over. The boys
leld out wonderfully. ..",. -
OF the officers fell: Won Riedesel, |
rom the legation in Peking; Won
fries, Shanghai; Captain Count Won
1erzberg; Interpreter Charter (Eng.)
md our good old friend little"
Iharles >Gerold. He was operating the
in the night from the 9th |
o 7th of November, was wounded but
efused to leave his post, somebody
'ut an emergency bandage on; he
tayed until the very end and was
rained in the final storm-attack.
The official lost lists are not out
ct, but from what understand our
osses must have been very small,
My about $50 dead. The Japanese
ost between 10000 and $4,000 men.
The prisoners were all brought to
apan in spite of the request of the