Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-12-03
BIG BATTLESH|P
LOST TO BRITAIN
BuIwark Blown Up in Estuary Of
River Midway, Near /
London.
ALMOST ENTIRE CREW GONE

Between TOO and 300 Men kltied-Be
lleved to Have Been Caused by Elk
piosIon Of the Observation-Disclosures,
Claim Victory Which 10 Denied BY
eeriin--Llttie Fighting In Flanders
London. Nov. 2S.--The battleshiI
Bulwark of Great Britain was blown
up and sunk Thursday In the estuary OF
the Midway river. Between TOO and
800 men were lost, including Capt
Guy Belater. her commander. and all
her officers. Only IA Of her crew were
saved.
1t is announced officially that the ex'
plosion was interior and originated in
the ships magazine.
The disaster is the most appalling
with the exception of the loss of the
Audacious, the British navy has suf,
fered in war. The men aboard her
had not fighting chance for their
lives The boat sank in three min
utes.
The band was playing aboard the
Bulwark. Near her were anchored
several other ships.
Churchill Announces Disaster.
Suddenly a terrific explosion oc-
CURED in the bowels of the ship. A
great cloud of smoke arose. envelop-
ing the Bulwark and shutting her from
sight. A great white flash of fire
streaked through the black veil; the
smoke cloud thickened and rolled out
ward and upward
Announcement of the loss of the Bul-
wark in Sheerness harbor was made
in the house of commons by Winston
Churchill. first lord of the admiralty.
Only Fourteen Are Saved.
"r. Churchill's official statement fol-
lows:
The battleship Bulwark was lying
in the harbor at Sheerness when she
was blown up The disaster occurred
At 1853 O'Clock In the morning. The
hip YVES torn absolutely asunder and
had entirely disappeared when the
smoke cleared away. 1t is the opinion
of the admirels at Sheerness that the
ship was destroyed by an explosion Of
the magazine Only IA members Of
The crew were saved. The destruction
Of the Bulwark will not sensibly af-
feet our military or naval position
Chief Loss is In Men.
The Bulwark was of $4,000 tons dis
,lFcement II was laid down in 1889
and completed in 1902 1t was All feet
ong. rs feet wide. and drew 20 feet
water. Its armament consisted of
our Pinch guns ~ 6-inch guns. i6
i2-pounders. six 3-pounders and four
b,aergfd torpedo tubes II had q
Implement OF 750 men. 1t cost $1,000.
90 ~,
sltheugh too old to be any longer
n the first Sighting line, the Bulwark
till was useful unit, The loss of the
ship however. was nothing compared
with the heavy loss in trained officers
and men The Bulwark in its early ca
reer was quite favored ship. For
4 long time IT was the flagship of Ad-
miral Charles Beresford in the Medi-
terranean
More British Ships Sunk.
London, Nov. 29.-German submar.
ines have sunk two more British
steamships and German mine has
sent to the bottom a British naval col
Her, according to admission of the
British admiralty.
Coming on the heels of the appall
ing disaster which befell the British
battleship Bulwark. when 1t was blown
up with the loss Of more than $50 Off.
GERS and men, these new evidences OF
hostile naval menace at the very gates
of London has served to spread con.
sternation over England.
Churchill Seeks to AiIay Fear.
A supreme effort to allay the grow.
ing terror of the British people was
made in an extraordinary speech in
the house of commons by Winston
Churchill, first lord of the admiralty.
He reviewed the operations of the Brit.
ish feet in the war and contrasted the
present and prospective strength OF
the British feet with that Of the Ger
man feet, declaring new warships
we're being finished SO rapidly in Eng
land now that Great Britain could lose
one dreadnaught every month for a
year and still retain her present SUI
periority over the Germans.
AT the beginning of the war we
had 81 dreadnaughts and Germany had
a." Mr.. Churchill said. 1--WE have lost
six Of our older armed cruisers; Ger
many has lost two. Great Britain had
36 modern light cruisers; Germany had
rs. We have lost two; Germany has
lost or interned six; we have added
SIX"
To Reveal All Losses.
Referring to criticisms Of the ad-
miralty's failure to utilize its sub.
marines as effectively as the Germans
had done, Churchill said the fact that
British submarines had been unable to
produce results on a large scale was
due to the seldom offered opportunity
to attack
"The time has not yet arrived when
we can usefully discuss the particulars
of certain losses to which reference
has been made. As soon as possible
all facts connected with past opera.
lions and the administration of the
navy will be made public"
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