Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-01
SAILORS TELL OF
FIERCE SEA FIGHT.
Trap Set by British to Draw
Germans Out at
HelgoIand.

LONDON, Sept. 1.-Sailors OF the
British ships engaged in the fight
with the Germans on Hclgoland who
arrived at Harwich furnish addi-
| tional details of the naval engage
ment off that place which was. the re-
suit of a trap set by the British COM
modoreS to draw tho Germans out.
One of these sailors, who said he
was among those who were .:zcd "aa
live bait" said to correspondent Of
the Daily News and Leader:
THE bait was slowly pushed tempt
ingly forward, till at last the atten-
| ton of the German boats, feeling. as
they thought, perfectly secure under
protection of their own land desenses.
was attracted.
"A German cruiser came out and
fired on the Fearless. Wo made
running fight to egg them or, and
two other German cruisers came out,
and a couple of torpedo boats aud q
destroyer all had pop at us.
Then the smaller boats of the no.
tilla began to buzz around. We had
drawn them out all right and the
| commodore signaled for general ac-
ton. Then the fiotillas commenced
to close round.
by this time the Fearless was in
the thick of 1t. All her guns were In
action and the boys landed their
cruisers to the bottom and looked
around for more. The Arathnsa was
| having a rough time Of it. X couple
of the onemy's torpedo boats Were
pounding away at her and she WAS
being badly pressed. In dashed The
| Fearless and threw all her weight
! into the fight. She maneuvered
grandly and managed to serd enc OF
the torpedo boats below.
Shortly afterward the Mainz burst
into flames, apparently as the result
of an explosion caused by n well di-
rected shell. The whole ship seemed
suddenly to be enveloped in names
We could not say which of the de-
stroyers inflicted the mortal blow, but
they all gathered round like flies TO
rescue the German sailors III tho
water.
Commander Frank Rose, of the
Laurel, was seriously shot In the LETT
leg. but though urged by his men to
go below he shifted his weight to the
other leg and continued to issue his
orders as though nothing had hap
pened. n
'All this time the Laurel was
making 1t desperately uncomfortable
for the two destroyers with which
! she was engaged, one of which short
ly !. afterward went to the bottom.
| a piece ofs another shell struck the
| commander on his SOUND leg ana
brought him down on the bridge, but
he still declined to give way, though
his signalman insisted on tearing off
his trousers to prevent his wounds
from being poisoned He continued
to fight his ship until he lost con-
seriousness.
LAS he lay unconscious on the
bridge one of the petty officers put
| life belt around him, for by this
time only three rounds of ammuni-
ton remained, and though the Brit
| ish cruisers had appeared on tho
scene it seemed impossible that the
| Laurel could live much longer in thd
| fire to which she was exposed.
| "a final shell struck her amidships.
enveloping her in dense cloud OF
dust and smoke, and all on board
were certain that she was going to
the bottom. That last shell, how
ever, was to prove her salvation, for
the dense cloud hung to her as abe
lay helpless on the water. and though
the cloud was split in all directions
by the enemy's projectiles, not onS
succeeded in finding her in the heart
| of it."