THE WAR.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 January 1915, Page 2

THE WAR.

« (.ELECTRIC TELEGIIAPH —COPYRIGHT 1 IPKK I'll EBB ASSOCIATION.! THE XAVAiTbATTLE. London, Jan. 27. The Scotsman reports that the Lion's broadside when passing the Blucher caused frightful damage, but the Lion's quarry was further ahead, namely the raider of Scarborough. The Tiger passing also hit the Blucfier, and 'lie Princess Hoyal passing also delivered a terrific broadside. The Blucher, being already doomed, was abandoned by her sister ships. When the bigger German ships were overhauled and pounded, their light cruisers did' their utmost to escape. The Dorfflrnger's and the Seydlitz's tire weakened as the light proceeded, and within half an hour of reaching the mine area the former was afire forward, masses of flames sweeping her i'orodecks, and her decks being strewn with wreckage. When within the mined area hor guns were unable to answer the hail of projectiles following her. The loss of life must have been serious. The third vessel, the Seydlitz or the Moltke suffered severely- One of her guns was smashed and there was groat execution among her crew, and she was a silent ship, steaming desperately for shelter with her whole afterdeck ablaze as she entered the mined area. Meanwhile the Lion endeavoured to head off the light cruisers towards the pursuers and damaged them but they escaped, some with seriously damaged hulls and battered guns swept from their mountings. Towards the end l of the action the Arethusa fired a torpedo which struck the Blucher. The latter's men leapt into the sea. One of the Blucher's superior officers was assisted aboard the rescuing vsesel. and one of the latter's officers advanced and the German spat in his face. The larger proportion of the Blucher's losses was dme to th"e terrible effect of the British gunfire. But for the intervention o? the ari-cra-ft, scarcely a man of those thrown into the sea would have been lost. A huge Zeppelin and a number of aeroplanes from Heligoland avoided 1 Ihe larger vessel's anti-aircraft guns and bombarded the destroyers.