Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-26


raider. and what developed came as +,
| surprise.
| Let me say once more that tho Ger
man sailors werc close TO mutiny IN
| their dissatisfaction with tho whole
| trip and with the dirty work they had
| TO do. and whilc Killing, the first officer.
In command OF tho island. was q clever
| fellow in way. he was no commander.
! so that following the departure OF
| Graf Won Luckner in the notor-boat
/ the men got more and more out of
hand. and oftcncr they gavo signs
they'd be glad II the whole snap was
given up.
DELIBERATE PLOT CAUSED
sHJ; TO DE; WRECKED
| II is that and a hundred little signs
that one noted at tho time. but doesn't
| recall onhand. thut made mo believe
then what heiieve now---;hat the final
disaster to the SceadIer was the out
come OF a deliberate plot on the part
OF SONG or all Of the raiders crew.
Till then very ii,ue attention had
been paid 10 tho Seeadlcr for almost
Il month. and with squalls during part
of that time. she had lain on tho coral
shelf. pounding and threatening TO
buckle, with the water sioshing almost
deck high at times and the last of tho
possible salvage work done except for
the chance Of landing the two four
inch guns under the swinging rail
blinds in tho bows.
But while many strange things are
10 be found In the islands of the Pa
ciEc. there's none ever chartcd on
which three sauarc-rigged masts grow
like palm trees. without a hull he
meath them. and So the officers at last
came to the conclusion that IL would
be wise 10 get rid of tho ,nasts--which
hadn't tcPplcd, near rs they seemed
TO It the day Of the grounding-or else
a warship might come down on Us and
stop the jig.
The idea had been to keep tho fore
mast and the foreysrd in her so there
would he chance to get the guns out.
That mast was selected as the last to
go. and meanwhile. they hoped TO lie
low and trust TO Won Luckner and his
motor boat-for even then he was at
large, and we on the island had no
way of knowing OF his morements--he
WAS not captured. near Suva, by the
British. indeed. until September lat
time when ! myself was on the high
seas in stiil smaller boat, with q few
companions. making good time. but
not without trying spell of work. GOV
cring the thousand miles from tho atoll
10 Page Pago.
But. to get back from all this wan
dcring into the job al hand on August
cl.
was. told you. on one OF the
most distant stretches OF the beach
trying 10 get some fun and excite
ment out of the business of Hopping
turtles on their backs and maybe get
ting n choice bit of steak for my birth
day dinner, when there was q roar that
fairly set every tree on the island
aTuiver.
by the Lord, Harry" cried. jump
ing UP as II a shell had landed in the
sand yard from me, and the first
thought that came TO me was that the
fuss button souse OF doctor had gone
10 sleep in the magazine with a lighted
cigar in his hand.
and there. across the blue lagoon.
and the fringe Of palma beyond and
tho D,,e island of the channel where
the ship had gone ashore, there was
already "A great lump OF oily smoke,
the lower part Of it dull red and bright
yellow by turns. and of the raider her
self there was little 10 he seen.
Al that I flung my hat In the air
higher than the coconut trees and let
out yell in answer TO the blast that
!; would have carried against tho wind
, in a hurricane.
, There was no time lost in getting
back to camp. and there the Germans
we're scarcely less ticklcd than the
4. Americans.
,, The old wagons hit bump now.
MY Saio' dhu IL they nau talked In
English instead OF German, it would
barring the cusses, have been some
, thing like this:
, Blast her ribs. she's got hers That's
chat comes of work that isn't II. 70,
a dog 10 do. It'd have been a GOOD ;ot
II the bloomn' tub had had that han.
pen 10 her before she got fairly started
and some better ships would still be
afoat."
> we picked UP the details bit by bf,
hxNf
= quite other feelings
ONE OF THE OFFICERS
. AND MEN BLOW MAsTS
, part OF the crew-inciuding tn.
men who were used to such work a.
blowing the sticks out OF vessels an,
c can still zee those new rnasts OF tn,
\ Slade az they fell by the board-hac
{ been put aboard with dynamite te
shake the mast. out OF her, except tn,
: foremost and the foreyard. They hac
a bored their holes and planted theii
) hombs. and set off the fuses, and thel
: happened what the officers hadn't bar.
gained for.
Whether by design or not (and 4
any can say, they won't, because i
n would mean a quick trial for them a ne
e tho sentence of treschery in war,in el
e the explosion reached the gar from tn,
: safety vents OF the fuel tanks, ant
> one flame swept the ship
: There were 800 tons OF oil In the hole
$500 ''' ~ tue III - pace Tor the OleSe
S engines.
Q King was dancing mad, but h,
e couldn't stop the FIRE. and all that nigh
0 the island from the channel to tn,
: farthermost reach of the seven-milt
n diameter. was light with the fare O
: the burning Seeadler. and every hou,
we We're set atingle by new explosion:
when sent the flames shooting so high
5 II seemed they might be seen ever
:. from Tahiti. $50 miles away
$ And all night long the sailors jubl
{ lated. Strengthening out their sr!ns
only when an officer came upon them
!, Next day the hulk was still burning
. brightly. and 1T wasn't till the secon,
night that she lay with just glow II
her. and some smoke still trailing
y lazily in the light breeze but done fo
n good and all. and her guns with her
I me German sailors were s happy a
( kids At the burning Of the Seeadler-
v happier than they had been when sh
: went ashore--yet they were soon cage
;, for new game, like children again
nj -irsy