The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-09-24
GER MAN CRUISER
AND z TORPEDO
BOATS SUNK
Russian Victory in Naval Battle
In the Baltic
ENGLAND MOURNS LOO LOST
German Admiralty Claims Single Sub
marine Accomplished Destruction
of Three British Cruisers

lIOluOns DtDl. b0 iANNo Vi -
Russian naval victory in the Baltic,
in which Russian cruiser sank
German cruiser and two torpedo
boats, has lessened somewhat the dis
may felt by the British public over
the destruction of three British cruis-
ers off the Hook of Holland.
The Russian armored cruiser Baiy-
an encountered the German warships
in the Baltic willis they were mine
laying. After a short, spirited en-
gagement the Baiyan sent the cruiser
and the torpedo boats TO the bottom
and apparently escaped serious in
jury The Baiyan is a comparatively
small cruiser, of 1887 tons, and was
completed in 1910. 1t is Of twenty
one knots speed and carries an arma-
ment OF two eightinch guns. eight
sx-inch guns and smaller batteries.
There can be no minimizing the dis
aster of last Tuesday morning. 1t is
not the loss of three practically obso-
lete cruisers, although they were very
useful, that England mOurns; it is the
loss of the great number of officers
and seamen-now estimated at 1888.
1t is as yet impossible to say exact
ly how many officers and seamen met
death in the torpedoing of the Abou-
kir. Hogue and Greasy. Undoubtedly
the c-ew of the Aboukir suffered most
since there is reason To believe that
only about fifty we're saved out of the
complement of S43. The Aboukir was
attacked first and its boilers exploded
Tho blowing up of the boilers destroy
ed what slim chances had existed for
the officers and crew. The AbOukir's
men were sleeping. save for the
watch, when the German submarine
discharged her torpedoes. They died
almost before they were fully awake.
The men of the Cressy and the Hogue
had n slightly better chance because
these ships, alarmed by the roar of
the explosion which shattered the
Aboukir. wero hurrying to the rescue.
The Hogue went down, il seems, iif-
teen minutes after the Aboukir disap-
peared and tho Cressy was blown up
few minutes later.
Unofficial reports received in Am
sterdam from Berlin say that a single
submarine, the 10, carried out the
successful raid. This account says
that the torpedo attack was made
Tuesday morning at & o'clock in clear
usnnthAs 90
ed against the Aboukir, which sank in
five minutes. The other two British
cruisers then began the work OF res
cuing their comrades. In another
three minutes the Hogue sank. while
the laundering of the Cfessy occurred
about o'clock. Submarine U.s. the
report adds, evadcd pursuit. and the
hope was expressed in Berlin that she
had reached place of safety. The
report that five submarines took part
in the attack, of which two wd.e sunk
the statement SAYS. is false. It reiter-
atcd that the attack was made by the
U-9 alone and that the names of this
vessels crew of 20 men will be pub
lished.
According To the stories told by sur
vivors at Harwich, Eng, the loss of
life was heaviest on the Aboukir.
This vessel was not expecting attack
and many members of her crew we.e
below. The other two vessels, while
preparing to aid their doomed sister.
had brought every available man on
deck. One small midshipman related
that he was on board the Cressy. the
last of the British cruisers to 20 down
The three vessels had been scouting.
he said. slight mist over the water
obscured the view. Suddenly the
Aboukir was seen TO keel over heav-
lily. All hands on the Greasy wee
called, and this cruiser stood by to
render assistance. The Hogue, also
coming in. arrived first. Just as she
was swinging her small beats over
she seemed to be lifted clear OF the
water. BY this time the Abouki- had
gone down. and the water around her
was filled with wreckage and swim
ming men.
Just as the Hogue settled back into
the water the watchers on the Cressy
caught a glimpse of submarine and
Immediately fired at it, The submar-
inc disappeared. evidently hit. Then"
in the words OF the midshipman. ''our
decks rippled beneath our feet. but
the good old tub recovered her bal
ance and would have STAYED up If We
had not baan to-nodood a sacop5 t;-,o