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[Page 13]
THE "EMDEN" - "SYDNEY" FIGHT.
(This account is of course strictly copyright to Mr. C.E.W. Bean. The greater part of it has been sent to the Australian papers).
On the evening of Sunday, 8th November, the inhabitants of the little cable settlement on Cocos Island in the Indian Ocean were visited by a strange warship. She was a four-funnelled cruiser corresponding somewhat to the British "Town" class, and might have been either H.M.A. "NEWCASTLE" or H.M.S. "YARMOUTH". She did not come to shore, but steamed away at night time.
Next morning just before sunrise the same cruiser was seen approaching the Island again. She was clearly intending to send a boat ashore; but this time as she approached the beach her aftermost funnel was seen to wobble and then come down on to the deck. It is not known whether this was an accident or not, but the people at the Wireless Station had just time to send one message broadcast over the Indian Ocean stating that an unknown warship was off the shore, when three boats put off from the cruiser and a strong landing party arrived at the Island. They were Germans.
This part of the story is necessarily at thrid or fourth hand, but I give it as I heard it. All of what follows can be vouched for. The strange warship had refused to answer the Wireless Signal she to her by Cocos Island, but instead began making signals to some other unknown ship near by. When Cocos Island sent out its warning signal the stranger tried to drown it by loud wireless calls.
That warning signal, however, was picked up by H.M.A.S. "SYDNEY" about 60 miles away. The "SYDNEY" turned and made straight in the direction of the call. Her speed at this time averaged about 20 knots.
At 9.15 land was seen ahead about 17 miles distant. Almost immediately afterwards a little to the right of the land and beyond it was seen the smoke of a steamer. The smoke was quite stationary. The "SYDNEY" was now approaching the island at a rate of nearly one mile in two minutes, and the masts and funnels of the other ship came quickly into sight. The stranger got under way and began to move out at a rapidly increasing pace to the Northward. The "SYDNEY"s Officers had been practically sure from the first of what they now knew to be a fact - that the stranger was the cruiser which had already sunk 20 British Merchantmen and done 2 ½ million pounds worth of damage, the "EMDEN".
A PRETTY SHIP.
She looked a very pretty little ship as she came out. The German landing party ashore who had no time to get back to their ship could not refrain from gathering to watch her. The British residents of the settlement collected on the roof of the cable station, the largest building on the main island, and they and the Germans watched as if from a gallery, played out before the, one of the prettiest naval actions that has been fought.
As the "EMDEN" had 10 - 4" guns, and the "SYDNEY" 8 of 6", the "EMDEN"s game naturally was to close and use her guns at a short range, at which they were most effective. This she tried to