Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-12-17

have considerable liberty of action.
| There doubtless has been more than
one naval encounter in the North sea
| for the British statement refers to en-
gagements at various points.
| Immediately on the outbreak of hos
| tilit;es the British fleet, or at least
considerable portion of it, took up po-
sitions on the eastern side of the North
| sea by which the German warships
were held in check in or close to their
naval base at Wilhelmshafen, the
mouth of the Elbe and elsewhere on
the western coast of Germany. This
patrol has been maintained since early
! in August. 1t has from time 10 time
ibeen penetrated by German submar-
! ines, but so far as is known the in
istances when German cruisers or bat
itleships have broken the British line
and emerged into the North sea have
| been few and far between.
Activity Noticed.
| Dispatches from Germany for as
much as a month past have indicated
| in one way or another that the Ger
mans were making preparations at
| their sea bases for naval activity. Very
, little detail of what was going on has
come out, nevertheless these messages
led to the belief that the German ships
might soon attempt some maneuver.
| The Kiel canal running from the
North sea to the Baltic, makes it pos
sible for Germany to concentrate her
entire feet in either one water or the
other BY bringing through the canal
! such vessels as she may have used
since the beginning of the war in the
Baltic, Germany could concentrate in
the North sea virtually her entire
naval strength, exception being made
, of course, of her fast cruisers which
since the opening of hostilities have
oparated in the Pacific ocean and in
the southern Atlantic. These vessels
! all told do not exceed nine or ten and
cumbed to the vigilance of Germany's
enemies.
| Ships Whereabouts Unknown.
The British naval strength in the
North sea is and has been an unknown
quantity. There is reason to believe.
however, that it is formidable. Great
| Britain has some warships in the Med.
iterranean and during the last six
weeks it is evident that she detached
some of her ships for service in the
south Atlantic to pursue German
cruisers which have been raiding com.
MERGE Just how many vessels were
assigned to this latter duty Is not
definitely known Whatever the dis
position of British ships Of war out.
side of British waters may be today,
there has been from the beginning re.
liable evidences that she has concen.
trated in the North sea a. very large
proportion of her naval strength.
Many Shells Hurled.
Scarborough, England, Dec. 10
Just before daylight broke vessel
of the cruiser type was observed off
Scarborough. The warship came in
close and for half an hour threw
shell after shell into the town, doing
considerable damage.
A woman behind a counter in shop
was instantly killed and her husband
was wounded. The ruins Of the shop
tumbled about them.
Forty or fifty shells were thrown,
the objective Of the German gunners
apparently being the town hall. which
was damaged slightly. Other property
suffered much more severely and at
places the streets are filled with
wreckage.
i During the bombardment the vessel
steamed slowly past the town and
finally disappeared in the haze. After
she had been lost sight Of the sound
Of her guns was heard for some time