soon made out they
were cruisers. They came on without a flag, and the Zelie, lying in the
harbor, fired a blank shot.

"Then the Germans hoisted their flag and the Zelie fired two shots. The
Germans swung around and fired their broadsides, and all the crew of the
Zelie scuttled ashore. No one was hurt.

"The Germans continued to swing and fire. Their shells flew all over the
town above the berth of the Zelie and the German prize ship Walkure,
which the Zelie had captured. Perhaps not knowing they were firing into
a German vessel, the Gneisenau and the Scharnhorst continued their wild
cannonades.

"During the two hours of bombardment a hundred shells from the big
8-inch guns of the cruisers fell and exploded in the town. The sound was
terrific, and nobody blamed the natives for running away.

"With all the destruction, only three men were killed--one Chinaman and
two natives. The Germans evidently made an effort to confine their fire,
but many shots went wide, and these did the main mischief.

"Finally, about 10 o'clock, without attempting to land, and not knowing
that the German crew of the Walkure were prisoners in the town, the
Gneisenau and the Scharnhorst steamed away and disappeared over the
horizon. They sailed off to the westward, but of course we could not
tell how they set their course when they got beyond our vision."

The damage to Papeete was estimated at $2,000,000. Two vessels were sunk
and two blocks of business houses and residences were destroyed. The
French set fire to a 40,000-ton coal pile to prevent the Germans
replenishing their bunkers.

The voyage of the Moana was fraught with adventure. From Papeete the
vessel, which flies the British flag, sailed with lights out and dodged
four German cruisers after being warned by the wireless operator, who
had picked up a German code message sent out by the cruisers which had
razed the island city.

*The Bloodless Capture of German Samoa*

*By Malcolm Ross, F.R.G.S.*

[Special Correspondence of THE NEW YORK TIMES.]

WELLINGTON, N.Z., Sept. 19.--The advance detachment of the New Zealand
Expeditionary Force which was ordered to seize German Samoa left
Wellington in two troopships at dawn on Aug. 15, and was met in the
ocean in latitude 36.0 south, longitude 178.30 east by three of the
British cruisers in New Zealand waters--the Psyche, Pyramus, and
Philomel.

As it was known that the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were
stil