The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-11-16
MAY STOP
THEFLEET
Further Difficulty North
Sea Outrage
RUSSIA IS OFFENDED
President RooSevelt's Offer OF
Mediation Resented in St
Petersburg
RUSSIA IS OFFENDED

| LONDON, Nov ~. - The inquiry
| which Great Britain conducts Oh her
| own behalf into the North sea incident
has opened at Hull. Vice Admiral
! Bridge and Butler Aspinall, an admi-
rally court lawyer. who were appoint.
ed to conduct the inquiry and whose
report Will form the basis of the Brit
ish case before the International COM
mission at Paris, presided.
The first witness was Managing Di-
rector Beeching of the Gamecock fleet.
He testified that for twenty-five or
thirty years the fishing fleets had been
TRAVELLING off Dogger bank.
The Russian consul asked the first
two witnesses if the men of the trawl-
er fleet had reported seeing other war
ships besides the Russian vessels. but
apparently only the Russian vessels
had been met.
Some interest was added to the pro-
ceedings by the introduction of tiny
model of a trawley Photographs show
ing the large lettering and numbers on
the tunnels and sides of the trawlers
attacked We're also presented
Witnesses all denied that any arms,
ammunition or contraband were on
board the trawlers. There was no
room, II was added. TO carry a torpedo.
Dispatches from st. Petersburg say
that difference has developed be-
tween Great Britain and Russia over
ha lun Of al H., I,a
sea convention relative to the question
of responsibility. AT the foreign office
1t is said that Russia does not desire to
In any way recede from the basis of
the agreement, but she proposes q
modification of the language submit
ted in the English text. The admiralty,
1t is understood, contended all along
that the international commission
should confine its inquiry TO the estab-
lishment of the question whether tor
pedo boats were off the Dogger bank
and whether in any event the Russian
ships were justified in firing.
Vice Admiral Rojestvensky's detailed
report shows that some shots from
The battleships hit the Russian protect
ed cruiser Aurora, one of the shells
entering the wardroom and wounding
a priest, who afterward died at Tan
gier from the injuries which he sus-
tanned.
The Russian admiralty contends that
this is additional proof of the good
faith of the vessels which fired on
what they believed to be torpedo boats,
not having seen either the fishing yes
sells or their own ships of the cruiser
There is a deep seated suspicion
among the Russian people that if the
Baltic fleet arrives close to its destina-
ion in an efficient condition Great Brit
lin will in some way find preteXt
o block its further progress, and some
If the newspapers refer to the necessi-
y for mobilizing troops on the Indian
rontier where Russia now has two
Irmy corps, as a counter threat to
guarantee the safe passage of the
quadron."
The reiteration of the statement that
President Roosevelt. having the sup
'0rt of Great Britain and France. had
lready been approached by Japan and
vas ready 10 offer his offices in view
f Russia's position is not considered
o be Il friendly act
Russia will push the war on an ever
o so are being made everywhere.