Evening star., 1917-10-05
OSEA RAIDERS
IN SOUTH PACIFIC
Search Being Made for Ger
man Commerce Destroyers
by Allied Navies.
AMERICAN LATEST VICTIM

with definite information OF the pres
.encs of two German sea raiders in the
South Pacific ocean. announced In dis
patches from Samoa to the Navy De-
partment. a hunt for the commerce
destroyers has been set in motion. The
two raiders are manned by the crew OF
the famous Seeadler. which made hel
way late last year from Germany
through the allies patrol into the At
aantic, southwark around South Amer
= sca, preying on shipping, and thence to
the South Pacific, where she stranded
on Mopeha Island and had to be aban-
doned.
At least four American owned vessels
are reported overdue on the Pacific coast
from south Pacific ports and their owners
have abandoned hope OF their safety.
British. Japanese and American war
ships will scour the south Paclfc Tor the
two German raiders.
The operations of the German raiders
in the southern Pacific were revealed
in dispatch to the Navy Department
from Tutuila samoan Islands, telling
of the arrival there in open boat of
the master of the missing American
schooner O. Slade. with a story of how
the famous Seeadler had stranded on
Mopeha Island
of Capt. Hador Smith of the schooner
Slade one of the Seeadler's victims, was
sent September 29, several weeks after
the two new raiders left Mopeha Island,
where they had been captured by the
Germans. The first put to sea August
81 and the other September 8, and it
probably was their operations which led
to recent reports of raiders in the Pa
cific.
Sinks at Least Twelve.
Before coming to grief August . the
Seeadler had added the American
schooners A. B. Johnson, Manila. and
Slade to the list of at least twelve al
lied vessels which she sank early this
wear in the south Atlantic ocean. In
the long period from last March, when
she was last heard from, the raider
probably sent down other craft encoun-
tered in passing through the Atlantic,
around Cape Horn and across the Pa
cific to the Society Group French Is
lands. of which Mopeha is one.
The Seeadler. according to Capt.
Smiths report. arrived at Mopeha on
July 81. Two days later she stranded
on the island and was abandoned a
total loss. the master and crew, with
twenty-seven white men and seventeen
native prisoners making shore in
safety. The company remained there
until August II, when the Seeadler's
master. accompanied by three officers
ana TWO men. put TO sea IN motor
sloop with machine guns, rifles, bombs
and about two months supplies.
French Schooner Seized.
The remainder of the crew stayed
on the island until September 15, when
the French schooner Lutece, bound out
OF Tahiti, Society Islands, arrived at
Mopeha. and was seized. The schooner
was equipped with machine guns. rifles
and bombs. and the Germans immedi-
ately put to sea in her.
The Seeadler's prisoners, of whom
Capt Smith was one. were left on the
almost desolate island. but Septem-
ber 10 Smith and three others of the
prisoners departed in an open boat
and reached Tutuila ten days later.
Smith reported the prisoners badly in
need of food and water.
The dispatch from the naval officer
did not indicate the size of the raid
ers and nothing is known of them,
as one was unnamed. while the French
schooner Lutece is not listed in availa-
BILE shipping records.