THE OESEL BATTLE.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 October 1917, Page 3

THE OESEL BATTLE.

A RUSSIA* REPORT

LONDON, Oct 19. A wireless Russian official message says that during Wednesday’s battle our battleships secured hits on the enemy dreadnoughts. No fewer than ten German chea'lnoughts of the Kaiser-Koenig type, ten cruisers, fifty destroyers (whereof twenty were of the. newest type) ten submarines, a largo number of trawlers, auxiliaries, transports, hydroplanes and rafts, participated. The enemy troops on Wednesday landed at Serro on the Dago Island. It is reported that eleven of the enemy ships anchored on the east const of Moon Island.

THE OESEL FIGHT

HELSINGFORS, October 22.

I Tho crews of two .Russian torpedo boats participating in the fight at Oesel have arrived. They declared the fighting lasted practically uninterruptedly from the twelfth to the seventeenth, the Germans losing one dreadnought and one cruiser .sunk, and two disabled.

rAUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION & REUTER.]

LONDON, October 22.

A Russian naval communique deals with the general situation in the Baltic Isles on the 19tli. as follows:

The islands of Oesel and Moon 1 * are definitely in the enemy hands. Operations in Dago Island wero hampered by marshes; also because the small garrisons wore merely defending the Const batteries in the naval battles in Moon Sounds. -The bulk of the warships, tugs, transports etcetera transferred in an orderly manner to a safe point at the south of the Gulf of Finland despite the enemy opposition.

RUSSIAN PEACE AIMS

PETROGRAD, October 22

The following are among the Russian peace demands, which the Soldiers and Workmen's Councils’ delegacies will possess when attending the Inter-Allied Conference at Paris: —A free and uninfluenced plebiscite regarding the future of Alsace and Lorraine, tile Italian Irredenta,. Belgium, Serbia and Montenegro with compensation from an international fund, restitution to, Germany of all colonies, neutralisation of all straits leading to the inner secs (including Suez and Panama canals!, disarmament on land and sea, and the creotio n of a system of militia. TAKING PRECAUTIONS. PETROGRAD, Oct. 22, Important munition works arc being removed from Potrograd. \ ’ _____ \ RUSSIAN OPERATIONS. \ TAUSTRAL!AX & N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION] (Received this dav at 1.20 a.m.,) PETROGRAD, Oct, 22.

A naval communique says the abandoned base was completely dismantled. Russian warships are now protecting the northern entry to Moon Sound and the mouth of the Gulf of Finland against fresh enemy attack. During the. Gulf of Riga operations, a submarine attacked the enemy fleet, and fired two torpedoes at a Dreadnought, but the submarine was shelle' 7 and riddled by seaplanes, and compelled to submerge after realising by clouds of smoke on the horizon that Dreadnoughts and a fleet of destroyers were approaching. One of the latter was torpedoed. ON THE DVINA FRONT. (Reuter’s Telegrams.! PETROGRAD, Oct. 22. Reports from the Dvina front state that German prisoners admit a mutinous movement in the German Army at the prospect of a winter campaign. The were severely punished. KORNI LOFF’S AFFAIR. (Received fins day at 12.30 a.m.) PETROGRAD, Oct.. 22. Published documents relating to the General KornJloff 'affair, inpliule a memorandum issued by General Alexieff when resigning his post as Chief-of-Staff. It states the common conviction that Ivorniloff did not. lift his hand against the State. 'All lie desired was to create a strong capable working government. He had no personal aims and was ready to work with anyone who would save the country. This js the basis of the widespread sympathy for KornilotT.

A GERMAN CAPTURE. \ \ T ADMIRALTY l*Elt WIRELESS PRESS.J (Received this day at 12.30 a.m.) LONDON, Oc. 22. German official.—-Dago Island is in our hands. A GERMAN LANDING. ON WEBBER PENINSULA. TADMIRALTY PER WIRELESS PRESS.] ( I Ji'c'nved fl>i<= n-v 12.25. p.m l LONLON, October 22. Russian official—The Germans, after a bombardment by destroyers, landed on Werder Peninsula on Sunday, pressed back our advanced posts and occupied the western port of the peninsula. SUBMARINE AT RIGA. (Received This T>*v »t- 1° “~ 5 LONDON, October 22. A British submarine in the Riga Gulf, launched two torpedoes at a German The result is unknowns . She attacked transports, destroying one.

TWO DESTROYERS SINK. A GERMAN AND A RUSSIAN. (Received 'nd a Dnv at 11.25. a.m.) PETROGRAD, October 22. Details of the Oesel battle show the destroyer Grim was holed in twenty places and was soon a sheet of flames but it continued to fire until every gun was out of action. The battle was fought at short range. "When the crew abandoned the vessel an enemy torpedoer attempted to tow the. Grom away. A Russian sailor in Tflio Torpedo chamber .who still survived by heroic efforts launched a torpedo and blow up the German torpedoer.

SHOOTING PRISONERS.

PETROGRAD. October 22

According to refugees from Oesel the Germans placed the Russian prisoners i n boats saying, get off to Russia, as we have nothing to feed you with. When a short distance from the shore the enemy machine gunned them.

THE GERMAN WAY

NEW YORK, Oct. 22

It- is reported that German agents, working a s mechanics put in wooden rivets instead of steel, in plates, while repairing ia' troopship. Thiirty-eightt were interned from Holboken shipyards.