Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-12
GERMANY ADMITS RECENT:
loss IN SOUTH ATLANTIC
London Confident That the Dresden,
Sole Remaining Unit OF Squad
ron, Is Accounted For.
LATEST REPORT FROM sTURDEE
None Of British Ships Injured; Sew
en- Men Killed and Four Wounded.
Teuton Casualties VIII Reach Ap.
proximately 8,O0O.>

Especial Cable to The Times-Dispatch.]
LONDON, December 11.-Berlin Is
ready to concede the loss Of the Dres-
den, the sole remaining unit of the
German squadron destroyed by Vice.
Admiral Sir Frederick Sturdee off the
Falkland Islands. in tho the South At
lantic, last Tuesday.
The Imperial Press Bureau, from
which emanates all official Information
given for publication, In "a statement
Issued apparently before the destruc-
ton of the Nurnberg became known
there. says after recording the sink
ing of the Scharnhorst. Gneisenau and
Leipzig and the escape of the Nurn-
berg and Dresden In the main en-
gagement:
IN view of the superiority of the
enemy's fleet. which consists particu-
lnrly of big. fast, well-armed ships
there seems little chance that our two
cruisers can long evade pursuit We
must, therefore, also reckon with the
loss Of both these ships"
London also Is confident that tho
Dresden has been accounted for, but
the official ANNOUNCEMENT is awaited
with great patience, as Is also the an
nouncement by the British admiralty
of the composition of the British fleet
which won this signal victory.
Admiral Sturdee's latest command
was the second cruiser squadron at
tached to the home fleet. This in
cluded the cruisers Shannon, Achilles.
Cochrane and Natal, with a number of
light cruisers, torpedo fotilla, coll
liers and transports.
or these the three last named were
sister ships, laid down in 1903 and
1904. OF 1850 tons, an average speed
OF 23.5 knots, and carrying six 9.12-
inch guns. four SIS. and four three
Founders. The Shannon is cruiser
OF 1860 tons displacement. Her speed
is PA knots, and her armament con-
sists of the same type of guns. but
about 700 men.
ADMIRAL srURDEE's
MOST RECENT COMMAND
In view of the admiralty's stringent
policy with relation to revealing the
whereabouts Of the units OF the fleets
now on the sea, 1t Is only permissible
, to say that this was Admiral Sturdee's
most recent command.
Reference to the press bureau Of the
admiralty of the report repeated here
from Buenos Aires that the British
fleet lost three ships In the engage
ment with Admiral vpn Specs squadron.
caused n reiteration Of the official
statement quoting Admiral Sturdee to
the effect that none OF the British ships
had been lost. The press bureau added
that the revised reports OF the casual
ties on the British ships during the
engagement showed seven men had
been killed and four wounded. No
| casualties were reported among the
officers. a 81
I The Buenos Ayres dispatch quotes
lprivate German ;sources as admitting
that the German losses would reach
5000.
According to the same sources. tho
Dresden was sunk eight hours after
| NJ
is no official confirmation of this. nor
! of the statement that n Japanese
squadron acted with the British fleet.
! trapping the Germans between the two
squadrons and forcing them 10 scatter.
The inaccuracy Of this information is
betrayed by the passage In the dis
patch which states that a number OF
British wounded have been taken to
Montevideo. This does not square with
the official statement that there were
but four men wounded. These natural
! ly would be attended in the sick bay
of the ships to which they are at
| tached.
EXPECTED TO ACCOUNT
| FOR THE KARLSRUHE
| Admiral Sturdee's feet Is looked to
now to account for the German raider,
ing for itself a reputation second only
to that OF the Emden. With the Ores
den disposed of. it.is thought Admiral
Sturdce will then devote his energies
to sweeping the South Atlantic in
search Of this indefatIgabIe destroyer
or commerce. Tho Kronprinz Wilhelm,
German converted cruiser, also hold
ing rowing commission, is reported
to be In South Atlantic waters, and
on the Pacific side. the Prince Eitel
Frederick still Is at large.
Japanese cruisers even now arc in
pursuit OF the Eitel, off the coast Of
Chile, according to dispatches from
Tokyo to-day. The Prince Eltel is the
converted North German Lloyd steam
ship which recently sank the British
steamship Charcas of Port Corral,
Chile.
England confidently believes Admiral
Sturdee will have cleared the seas of
these commerce raiders by the first Of
the year.
Indeed. they already are reported to
be seriously hampered by the loss of
their supply ships and GOLFERS. De-
| tails as to the location and time of the
destruction Of these supply auxiliaries
are lacking. as also is official con-
firmation of the report.
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