BOMBARDMENT OF PAPEETE 



557 



A Tree Cut Off by a 5-Inch Shell. 



SHOWING A PORTION OF THE DESTRUCTION AT PAPEETE IN THE BOMBARDMENT BY THE GNEISENAU AND THE 



SCHARNHORST. 



firms in the United States. Report 

 has it that the Governor has written 

 Paris per Moana about the matter 

 as the Nurnburg was the consort of 

 the Leipsic when this vessel was at 

 San Francisco a month ago and the 

 two cruisers met off a small island north 

 of the Marquesas. The Leipsic may 

 have passed over some shells to the 

 Nurnburg for the Admiral's ship. No- 

 body knows. Everybody is supposing, 

 and the shells are here with U. S. A. 

 stamped on them. 



"I hope, in fact all of us do the same, 

 that the United States would not be 

 forced to break her neutrality. It 

 would be a big misfortune for us, as 

 San Francisco is our only outlet now. 

 That is, if she sides in with Germany and 

 Austria. The German Admiral Von 

 Spee during the breakfast at Borabora 



mentioned that the United States would 

 remain neutral only a short time longer 

 as she was already hand in glove with 

 Germany and it would greatly benefit 

 her to side in with the Germans. He 

 gave a toast: 'To our new Allies, the 

 United States of America.' Let us 

 hope it is only some more bluff. 



"On the morning of the twenty- 

 second, the stampede of the people 

 from Papeete was ludicrous and at the 

 same time pitiful. The beach was full 

 of people eager to see the two cruisers. 

 Then the shot from the fort went across 

 the Scharnhorst's bows. Up went the 

 flags on both of them and a shot came 

 crashing ashore. Up went a yell: 

 'It is the Germans!' Then came the 

 famous stampede. 



"All along the road to Point Venus 

 went carriages drawn by galloping 



