“Seeadler.”

Story of Famous Raider Revived.

From Our Oven Correspondent.

A Papeete. Sept. 14.

MYSTERIOUS radio message, emanating from a certain quar ter in Chicago, was received in Papeete the other day, asking for in formation regarding the remains of Von Luckner’s raider “Seeadler,” and whether the French authorities would raise objections to its removal.

The “Seeadler,” as will be remem bered by those who followed Von Luckner’s adventurous career, was a famous German raider in the War, and was taken to Meupiha, an isolated atoll about 250 miles N.W. of Tahiti, to have her bottom cleaned preparatory to an attempt to return to Germany by way of Cape Horn. Here she was kedged to the reef like any Island trading schooner, and the work commenced.

As the fates would have it, how ever—perhaps fortunately so for Von Luckner —a shift of wind and weather occurred, and the “Seeadler,” caught all unprepared, could not be extricated from her dangerous position, and was thrown upon the coral.

The subsequent adventures of Von Luckner have been so much written about that it is unnecessary to repeat them here, but it may not be gener ally known that there had been on board the “Seeadler” some officers of captured vessels, one at least of whom was well acquainted with the treacher ous currents around Moupiha. This officer, being very much averse to the hazards of a voyage round the Horn, with all its incidental chances of being shot to pieces by a British or Japanese cruiser, persuaded Von Luckner against his original plan of cleaning up his vessel at Rapa, where there is a good harbour, and was thus instrumental in bringing the “See adler” to her ignominious end.

After the war, the “Seeadler” was sold at auction and stripped of every thing valuable that was accessible by a local firm of shipbuilders, and no thing now remains of the wreck above water line. It is stated that she was fitted with specially fine engines, but these could scarcely be of any value after being submerged for seventeen years.

Some time ago, there was a rumour current in Papeete that Von Luckner proposed to visit the wreck, but his plans were objected to by the French Government.