The Bombardment Of

Papeete

Exactly 38 Years Ago

AT 6 a.m. on September 22, 1914 —6 weeks after the outbreak of World War I and exactly 38 years igo —people in Papeete saw two arge warships approaching through he morning haze. Allied vessels vere expected. A large crowd lathered on the waterfront. Doubts arose when the approach- Dg ships showed no flags. A small french fort, on the hill behind the bwn, fired some warning blanks, [he ships—now identified as hostile h-went on out of sight to the east ward. They came back at 7 a.m., ,nd signalled a demand for coal and lores.

Papeete did nothing. The ships fired 10 blank shots. The Governor saw what was coming, and rdered an immediate evacuation of le town into the valleys of the hills ehind.

The ships fired about 30 shells into le town. They did little damage, he little fort fired shells—which fell iort —and the little gunboat —Zelee earned outwards. Her commander lanned to block the entrance by

sinking her there.

The German warships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau then apparently de cided that neither the fuel nor food was forthcoming. The bombardment began in earnest. The Zelee was sunk before she had gone 200 yards.

Buildings began to crumble.

The little French garrison of 250 stayed there, helpless. There was growing panic among the Chinese and Tahitians, as they made for ihe valleys.

The garrison set fire to 2,000 tons of stored coal. It was still burning when the first overseas ship (the Matai ) arrived 10 days later.

The two German ships battered the little French town with about 100 shells. Destruction of buildings and contents was general, and severe.

Two men—a Chinese and a native —were killed. No one else was injured.

Firing ceased at 11 a.m., and the enemy ships departed. Hours later, the populace returned. There were many alarms after that. The Chinese panicked again, and removed supplies to the valleys, and many were still camping there when the Matai arrived.

The French had a big job in re storing Papeete. They said there was poetic justice in the fact that they made the crew of the German

freighter Walk lire (captured on the outbreak of war by the Zelee ) toil for many weeks on the work of repairs.

WHEN war came on August 4, 1914, the German squadron in the Pacific comprised the powerful battle - cruisers . Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the small cruisers

Nurnberg and Leipsic. British French warships sought them; 1 in those non-radio days, they ea eluded pursuit.

The New Zealanders occuj Western Samoa late in August, the two battle-cruisers sudde appeared off Apia, and Mulifu plantation (18 miles west of Ap: on September 14. In each case, though a NZ force was in occupati German residents went off to Scharnhorst and, it appears, the C man civilians told the German N men that they were being very n treated. The German comman said that he had no quarrel v civilians and, after a short stay, ships left without any hostile dem stration. They were next heard oi Tahiti.

Nothing was known of bombardment of Papeete until ab October 2. The cable station Papeete had been completely c troyed.

By then, the Germans had ■ appeared again. It is now knc that they went around Cape He Off the Falkland Islands they j a superior British squadron un Admiral Craddock; and all f< German ships were sunk in Battle of the Falkland Islands, January, 1915. A couple of hund men were saved from the Gneisen but most of the men on the otl ships were lost.