Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-28
No Material Progress on Either Side

airmen. plotting zcppelins. made a
daring attack Christmas Day on tho
German naval base at CuXhaven. at the
mouth OF the Elbe. Six OF the airmen
returned safely but the seventh, Com
man9er Hewlett. it Is feared has been
lost. His machine was found wrecked
off Holgoland.
What damage was done by the bombs
thrown by the attacking party could
not be ascertained. but the German re-
port OF the attack says the raid was
fruitless.
The enterprise OF the British navy
in thus attempting to dig out" the
German feet brought about a battle
between the most modern of war ma
chimes. The British squadron. includ-
ing the light cruisers Arethusa and
Undaunted which have been engaged
in previous exploits, on the German
coast, were attacked by Zcppelns and
submarines.
By rapid manoeuvring. the ships were
able to avoid the submarines. while
the Zeppelins found the fire Of the
cruisers too dangerous for them to con-
tinue tho fight. The German Zeppclins
dropped bombs, which according to the
British account. fell harmlessly into
the sea. The Germans claim to have
hit two dcstroyers and their convoy.
the latter being set afre.
The British ships remained in the
vicinity for three hours without being
attacked by any surface warships.
. BRITISH ANNOUNCEMENT
Or DARING ATTACK
The British announcement by the
Secretary of the Admiralty, made public
by the official press bureau, follows:
"On Friday, December 25. German
warships, lying in Schllig Roads. OF
Cuxhaven. were attacked by seven ma.
val seaplanes.
The attack was delivered at day
light. starting from a point in the
vicinity of HelEoland.
THE British seaplanes were escorted
by a light cruiser and torpedo boat
destroyer force with submarines. AS
soon as these ships were seen by the
Germans at Helgoland Two zeppelins
and three or four hostile seaplanes,
acting in conjunction with several hos
tile submarines. attacked them.
1T was necessary for the British
ships to remain In the neighborhood
in order to pick up the returning air
the most modern cruisers on the one
hand and the enemy's aircraft and
submarines on the other.
by swift manoeuvring the enemy's
submarines were avoided. and the Yep
relins We're easily put to flight by the
, guns OF the Uadaunted and he Are
Nhusa
THE enemy's seaplanes dropped
bombs near our ships without hitting
any of them.
Tho British ships remained for three
hours of the enemy's coast without
being molested by any surface vessel.
and safely re-embarked three out of
the seven airmen with their machines.
Three other pilots returned later and
we're picked Up by British submarines.
.hieh we've standing by Their ma
chimes we're sunk. SIX out Of the seven
pilots returned safely. Flight-Com-
na1de- Hewlett IS missing. His ma
chine W. seen in wrecked condition
apau; eight miles from Helgoland. and
IRE tsse OF the daring and skilfuI pilot
= AZ present unknown
The extent OF the damage by the
british airmea's bonbardment cannot
be estimated but all were discharged
at points OF military significance.
Another naval airnan on Christmas
Eve dropped twelve bombs on an air
ship shed at Brussels, bnt it was I'M
possible definitely TO ascertain the
amount OF damage done.
"On Thursday last, Squadron Com
lnander Richard B. Davies of the naval
al. service, visited Brussels in a bi
plane for the purpose of dropping
twelve bombs at an nirship shed re-
ported to contain a German Parzeval.
Eight of these bombs. Of which six
are believed to have hit. were dis
charged al the first attack. and the
remaining four on the return flight
Owing to the clouds OF snoHe which
arose from the she'd the effect could
not be distinguished"
1T was learned to-day that the Ger
man airman who visited England on
Christmas Day dropped a bomb near
Rochester, only twenty eight miles
east-southeast OF ST. Pauls London.
and seven miles from Gravesend. The
bomb did no damage, as IL fell on the
roadway"
A statement issued Saturday by the