The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-12
NAVAL BATTLES OF THE
WORLD WAR
BY G. KAY SPENCER.
written for the International
News Servfce.)
The Enden and the Sydney.


II was early on Monday, November
3, 1914. that the unex pected arrival
of HI. G. NJ, s. Emden broke the
calm of the isolated little Cocos
Islands in the Southern seas.
One Of the islands is known az
direction Island and there the East
ern Telegraph company has a cable
station and staff OF men engaged
in relaying messages between F,u
rope and Australia. All other inhab
itants are Malays
One day IN the late September a
message vthrated through from Sin
Eapore telling OF the dispatch OF the
German cruiser Emden to these
}sIJ&Hes- THEN the lockout began fo
sight questioning searchlights out
over the black waters during the cool.
dark nights. Their fears had been
so worked upon that every speck Of
phosphorescene ont on the waters was
reported as the cruiser Emden. Pha n
tom Emdens galore were reported
from many southern ports. for the
fear Of this wiil-o' -the-wisF cruiser
had been terrorizing the Southern
trade routes.
SO, at 6 O'Clock on this fair Mon
/ day morning the opalescent waters
were churned by a four funnelIed.
/ long, gray cruiser, making for the
entrance TO the lagoon at full speed
Suspicion was aroused, as the cruiser
/ flew no flag. and one funnel obvious
! ~ was a dummy made of painted can
/ vas, No action could to taken, for
no weapons capable OF a defense were
/ on the islands
Once inside the lagoon. the cruiser
! lowered AN armored launch and two
! boats, which came ashore and landed
/ on the coral beach, three officers and
forty uen. all fully armed and ac-
companied by fouE. Maxim guns.
The German III once rltehed the
"a BILE station; the operators flashing
| m essa ges for. aid TO the last second
| The operators were soon turned out,
! all Instruments smashed and guns set
over all the buildings The men were
treated with great civility. Indeed.
the men OF both sides were soon fra
Eternizing and exchanging wine and
tobacco.
The launch was in the meantime.
| graphing for the cables with the
view of cutting them. At A. Nj the
Emden suddenly began to blow her
siren furiously signal to the land
ing party to return TO the ship at
once They dashed for their boats,
hut the Emden got under way and.
leaving her boats behind dashed out
of the lagoon
The landing party promptly cap
tured an unseaN orthy yacht. the Aye
sha. stocked here with provisions and
set out 20 sea. When they arrived al
Berlin in tho lapse of time. they had
circumnavigated the world. fought
their way through rohber bands in
the deserts. and buried many Of their
small force who persisted from dis
ease on the route Lieutenant Won
| Muecke was the leader OF this band
the landing crew of II. /. G, NJ. S
Fmden
The Emden's desertlon of her land
ing crew was occasioned by the sight
ing of an Australian crusier The
enemy was the Australian Sydney
heavily superior TO the Linden,
4 The Australian was ma King full
speed northward. The Emden rushed
| out at twenty knots and began q
nanoeuvre to eliminate the disadvant-
age of the Sydney's superior calihre
IrThe Sydney. on her part, endeavored
TO keep her distance and destroy the
German while keeping herself out OF
the range of the Germans smaller
guns.
At s:40 A. NJ. fire wis opened, the
Emden releasing the first shot Her
IRE was marvellously accurate and
the first exchanGv resulted in the
Sydney's range finder being blown
clearly away.
The superior metal or the sydney
as Il matter OF course. began 10 tell.
| First the foremost funnel of the Ger
imam vert, then the foremast.-,As the
second and third ~fuiineis crashed over