The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1914-09-17
NAVAL OFFICER SAYS SEA FIGHT
WAS NOT BATTLE, BUT MASSACRE

London 4 graphic description Of
the naval engagement OF Helgoland
IN which British vessels sank ave Ger.
man ships and KILLED 500 men. has
reached here ia 4 letter TO relatives
from = young lieutenant who was on
one Of the British torpedo boat de
stroycrs. Il reads
AS to our light OF HehEolAnd.
think the home papers are magnify
inE shat really WAa bat an afiAir OF
outpaSts Ne desiFcyerA sent In and
Iared the enemy out and had lots OF
excitement. The big fellows then came
up and afforded some excellent target
practice, and we acre very glad to see
them come; but you ought not to con
slider that we had hight. because 1t
was a massacre. not fght
Just a Case Of eombardment.
There was superb Eeneralship and
overwhelming forces on. the spot. but
there was really nothing for them To
do except 10 shoot the enemy, even as
pa shoots pheasants.
Have you ever noticed a dog rush
In on a flock OF sheep and scatter
them? He goes for the nearest and
barks and goes so much faster than
the flock that II lunches up with Its
companions. The dog then barks al
another and the sheep spread out fan.
wise, SO in front OF the dog there Is a
semi-circie OF sheep and behind him
none
Tells Of the Battle.
THAT was much what we did at
a. m. on August rs. The sheep we're
the German torpedo craft. which fell
back on the limits of our range and
tried to lure us within the fire OF the
Helgoland forts. But a cruiser then
came out and engaged our Arethusa
and they had real heart to heart talk.
while we looked on, and few of US
tried to shoot at the enemy. too.
though it was beyond our distance.
I'VE we're getting nearer Helgoland
all the time. There was thick mist
and l expected every minute to find
the forts on the island bombarding US.
so the Arethusa presently drew off,
after landing at least one good shell
on the enemy. The enemy gave every
bit as good as he got there.
I'VE then reformed, but strong de-
'stroyer belonging to the submarines
got chased, and the Arethusa and
Fearless went back to look after It
We presently heard hot action
astern, so the captain In command OF
the fiotilla turned us around and we
went back to help. But they had driven
the enemy off and on our arrival told
us to form up on the Arethusa.
Cruiser Fires on Ships.
when we had partly formed and
were very much punched together
making a fine target, suddenly out Of
the mist arrived FIVE or six shells from
a point not $50 yards away We gazet
at whence they came and again FIVE OF
six stabs of fire pierced the fog, anC
we made out four funnSled German
cruiser of the Breslau class.
Those stabs were its guns goins
OF. We waited Is seconds and thu
shots and noise of it's guns arrive,
pretty well from so yards away. 1T
next salvo of shots went above us, ant
ducked as they whirred overhead
like covey of fast cartridges.
You would suppose our captain hal
done this sort of thing all his life. HI
went full speed ahead at once, upol
the first salvo, to string the bunch GU
and thus offer less target The com
modore from the Arethusa made sig
nal to us to attack with torpedoes. S,
we swung round at right angles an,
charged full speed at the enemy Xix
an hussar attack.
Catches Debris From Shells.
Our boat got away at the start mag
nificently and led the field, so all tn
enemy's firing was aimed at us for tn
next ten minutes, when we got so clos
that debris from their shells fell o.
board. Then we altered our course an
so threw them out in their reckoning @
our speed and they had all their wor
to do over again.
Humanity speaking, our captain b
twisting and turning at Psychologist
moments saved us. Actually, l fee
that we were in Gods keeping tina
day. After ten minutes we got nea
enough to fire our torpedo. Then W
turned back to the Arethusa. Mex
our follower arrived just where W
had been and fired it's torpedo, and @
course the enemy fred at it instea
of us. What q blessed relief
After the destroyers came tn
Fearless, and it stayed on the scene
Soon we found it was engaging tire
funneler, the Mainz, so off we starte
again, now for the Mainz, the situs
ton being that the crippled Arethus
was too tubby to do anything but b
defended by US, it's children.
Draw Fire Of the Enemy.
Scarcely, however, had we started
when, from out of the mist and acros
our front, in furious pursuit came tn
first cruiser squadron of the tow
class, the Birmingham, and each uni
a match for three like the Mainz. A
we looked and reduced speed the
opened fire, and the clear bang-ban
-.