Oslo, Mar. 7.
The German cruiser Koeln suffered Slight damage to her engines whilst weathering a severe storm at the mouth of the Drontheim Fiord in Norway. Tugs have left Aalesund and, Roervik to assist the German cruiser which is reported to be in no danger.
"The Koeln is e: to reach a Norwegian port to-day. Several members of the crew are stated to have been injured.
Another vessel to experience the full force of the gale was the Netherlands steamer Vredenburg. While proceeding up Drontheim fjord two Of the ship's crew were swept overboard and drowned.—Trans-Ocean. there were a further 33 to come, including the captain of the vessel and three of his officers.
A further naval message received by H.M.5. Grimsby here late last night stated that 56 survivors, including one foreign lady, had been safely landed from the wreck, had proceeded cross-country to join the Cruiser Capetown and were en route in the cruiser to Weihaiwei. Seven Chinese were reported missing at the time the late message was sent.
The Yolande is a vessel of 6,850 tons deadweight and is owned by Captain Bertin, her master. Her local agents are Messrs. Wallem Ca. Shey was built in Sunderland in 1912. The Yolande had left Ching-wantage on March 4 with a cargo of 6400 tons of slack coal, bound for Shanghai.
As once again H.M.5. Capetown comes to the rescue, it will be recalled that she was "lost" for several months in the earlier part of the hostilities, the majority of her crew being taken off, and transported to Hongkong on the special "Capetown Express" A few days before Christmas last year. the Capetown set off from Hankow with a party of fifty civilians aboard. in an exciting attempt to "make" the boom which was being constructed near Kiukiang, and which closed only shortly after the British cruiser had slipped through. The cruiser twice ran aground on her way down river, and finally arrived off Woosung on the day before Christmas. With her came a convoy of British merchant ships.
One of the Capetown's officers, Lieutenant G. A. Tree, is at present in Shanghai, serving with the British naval authorities here.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.