Captain von Müller.
(Photo, Record Press.)
On 22nd September the Emden was off Madras, that great straggling seaport which fronts a strand on which the sea foams in unceasing billows. One of the Emden's crew had worked in Madras, and he pointed out to the captain the position of the oil tanks at the entrance to the harbour. At 9.30 that night the Emden crept in, turned her searchlights on the tanks, and fired two broadsides to find the range. Then the searchlights were turned off, and salvos were fired which set the tanks on fire. While great flames were shooting skyward and making the night as bright as day, the Emden retired full speed northward. The shore batteries opened fire, but their shells fell short.
The Emden, the famous German Commerce-raider. Photo, Central News.
Next day the Emden turned her nose north-east, to give the impression that she was sailing for Calcutta, but when out of sight of land turned southwards. Off Pondicherry[139] she paused, but perceiving that the town was defenceless, refrained from firing a gun. She then ran past the east coast of Ceylon to the island of Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Archipelago, a group of low coral islands between Mauritius and Ceylon. Diego Garcia was reached on 10th October. The few European families on the island had not yet heard of the war, as they are only visited by a steamer once in three months. The Emden coaled at Diego Garcia, and took on board supplies of cocoa-nuts and fish.
About the middle of October she lost her attendant collier, and with it her reserve of ammunition, coal, and food. By this time it was clear that her course was practically run, and that she had better do what mischief she could to the warships and war material of the enemy before meeting her doom.
Early on the morning of 28th October the Emden was ten miles outside Penang, in the Straits Settlements,[140] and the carpenters were set to work rigging up a dummy funnel, to make her look like a British cruiser. She then hoisted British colours and entered the harbour, in which several ships could be seen, with an unknown cruiser well in front of them. When the Emden entered the harbour she discovered that this cruiser was the Russian ship Jemtchug. Mistaking the Emden for a British man-of-war, the Jemtchug did not attempt to prevent the German cruiser from getting between her and the land. The Emden then let fly two torpedoes, the first of which struck the Russian cruiser just under the after funnel. The other torpedo, fired at closer range, struck her below the bridge, and caused a terrible explosion. Meanwhile the Emden was firing salvo after salvo at the Jemtchug, which made but a feeble reply; all of her shots missed, but some of them hit ships in the harbour behind.
As the Jemtchug sank the Emden turned and left the harbour at full speed. Thirty miles out she fell in with the British steamer Glenturret, which had signalled to the shore for a pilot, who had just reached her in his launch. The Emden had swung out her boats to take possession of the prize when a warship appeared on the horizon. The Emden immediately recalled her boats and made off, as the warship appeared to be a large one. This, however, was only the effect of the early morning mirage.[141] At about 6,000 yards distance the newcomer was found to be the French destroyer Mousquet.
The Emden opened fire, and the Mousquet replied, though, of course, the destroyer was quite outclassed by the cruiser. The first few shots from the Emden hit the Mousquet's engine-room, and apparently wrecked her. "Cease fire" was then ordered, to enable the French destroyer to surrender; but instead of doing so she showed fight once more. A few more shots from the Emden were sufficient to sink her, bows first. About thirty-six of the crew were rescued. While this merciful work was going on, another destroyer was seen approaching from Penang; whereupon the Emden steamed off at full speed for the Indian Ocean. The destroyer chased her for three hours; but a heavy rainstorm came on, and the Emden escaped.
There was a good deal of discontent in England when news arrived that the Emden had sunk ship after ship, and had not been brought to account. The Admiralty explained that searching for the Emden over vast expanses of ocean was no easy task, and that the many thousand islands of the East Indies afforded her plenty of hiding-places, and the straits between them numberless avenues of escape. To catch the raider was a matter of time, patience, and good luck. The Germans were highly delighted that their ship had proved such a will o' the wisp, and one of their papers contained a caricature showing the Emden as a Jack-in-the-box that continually popped up to the annoyance of John Bull. It was inscribed, "Emden über Alles," and underneath was the following rhyme:—
"When you think you have him tightly, He springs forth again so lightly."
We are soon to hear how, by a stroke of good luck the Emden was caught tightly and destroyed.