White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-08-09
CHAPTER x
Racing the Enemy Around
Cane Horn

Cape Horn
Alloy, shipmate." said to Leude.
mann. "you are the fellow who likes
yacht racing. By Joe, It's to be a
race nova race to see who gets to
Cape Horn first"
We knew that, as soon as our for
mer prisoners made port, the news OF
our presence in the South Atlantic
would be flashed abroad. Then the
British would send their cruisers on
the double-quick down the coast OF
South America to keep us from dou.
bling the Cape. To be sure, we had
taken care to give ourselves mighty
good start. But in race of wind
TANNER against swift cruisers, what
is start of a thousand miles or so.
With decent weather, we had hopes
Of making 1t. So far we had fair
winds and had made good time. But
the most difficult stretch of sea In all
the world now lay before US. The
storms for which the Horn is famous
often delay sailing ships for weeks.
"And them" responded Leudemann,
''even if we do get to the Cape before
any cruisers that may be sent down
from the North, they may have
cruiser or two nosing around at the
Pacific end Of the Straits. Unless we
round the Horn before those chaps
reach Rio, the Jig may be up"
Just south of the Falklands, we
caught a wireless from British
cruiser, warning message to allied
merchantmen.
"Steer clear of Fernando Noronha
German cruiser Moewe reported
there"
"Moewe" means "sea gull" in Ger.
man. Hail to you, far-distant Sea
Gull, may you fare as well on your
warlike fight as we hope to fare In
our Sea Eagle!"
A feeling of inconsistencies for the
old Moewe came over nc, as 1t does
over any sailor at the mention of
ship on which he has sailed. My
service aboard the Moewe had been
neither long nor eventful, but already
she had made for herself heroic
reputation. have always regretted
that was not with her on her raids.
She made several, slipping out
through the blockade, sinking guam.
titles of allied shipping, and stealing
back into German waters.
She was built just before the war.
| and originally designed to carry the
exotic banana from, soutlwes' Africa
and Ger i'm East" t. Hamburg
| Plans had just been made to flood
| Germany with them. Her sister ship
In the banana trade was the Wolf.
and she, too, became famous
| raider.
All manner OF ingenious devices
we're invented in fitting out the
Moewe for her career as raider
She was altered SO that she could dis
guise herself and change DISCUSSES
while steaming at full spted just like
quick-change actor. One day she
would be three or two funneled
steamer the next she would look like
q slow tramp with one funnel The
line of her deck could be changed In
few minutes also She also had
fake superstruttures that could be
raised or lowered in few moments
| by means of fake section that
slipped out from her STERN One da.
she would DE. tramp. the next with
fake bulls'-eyes a liner. These start
ling metamorphoses were great sue
| cess and enabled her to dodge many
an allied cruiser.
Of course, the British soon got OH
to the MOewe's quick-change habits
and were not to be fooled by them
On one OF her adventures the Mnews
was trapped off the eastern coast 0f
| South America The British cruisers
Glasgow and Amethyst were warned
by wireless that the Moewe was steer
ing south from Fernando Noronlla to
take coal. So they rushed out from
Rio de Janeiro to trap her Present
~ the Glasgow spotted the MOewe on
the horizon. The German ship had
on one Of her innulneruble DISCUSSES
and the captain Of the Glasgow could
not recognize her. He was wary
however, and on to the MOewe's
tricks, so he wirelessed her to stand
by to be searched The Mnewe turned
and ran south. The Glasgow could
make twenty-five knots and easil.
OUTRAGE her. The Moewe was well
armed with guns and torreAoes and
would fight, but she would he no
match for an arnIored ship. Tie men
aboard the MOewe seemed as good
as at the bottom of the sea- The
Glasgow knew that the fleeing ship
4 must be the long-soughf-for raider
and prepared to sink her
The two ships steamed with strain
ing boilers, and the Glasgow was fast
creeping up on the Moewe. When al
most within range the hurled raider
ran into one of those sudden rain
squalls that sweep over the ocean
Like the Biblical cloud 1t hid her
from the pursuing cruiser ut course.
the Glasgow followed hei info +
sQuall. But as the hiOewe run
through the swirling storm. she
passed another steamer. this one
steamins north. The cruiser saw
emerging from the squalI this new
snip. She had three masts The
Moewe had had but two The cap
tain OF the Glasgow thought only of
the Moewe's ability to disguise her.
self. He presumed that the M0ewe
mad faFen advantage of the squall to
run up a third mast and then double
back on her trail in the hope that the
Englishman would not recognize her