Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-17
.ENCLAND'S CONFIDENCE
IS SHATTERED BY RAID
British Had Relieved Their Flee
Sufficient to Render Such
Attack Impossible.
GERMAN activity WIDESPREAD
haiser's Navy Proves That 1t Has
Not Been Bottled Up and Can Pen
citrate Even Formidable Gordon OF
Warships Drawn About Isles.

/ Bomhardment Of English east coas
cities by German cruisers Is tho wars
nrst overt act against British territory
The British had felt their feet wos
mote.
I The bombardment would indicote ,ho
Germans nave considerable liberty ~
action. -
Immediately upon the outbreak Of
hosti!ities, the British fleet, or at least
considerable portion or it. supposed
~ TOOK up POSITIONS on the eostern
side of the North Sea, by which the
German warships were held in check
| or close to their naval base mt Wilhelm
shafen, the mouth of the Elbe and else
, Mhere on the Western German coast
ms patfol has been maintained since
early IN August. II has from time to
tlme been penetrated by German sub
marines, but so far as is known. the
instances when German cruisers or
Dattleships have broken the British
line and emerged into the North
sea have been few.
DISPATCHES FROM GERMANY
INDICATE NAVAL ACTIVITY
Dispatches from Germany for n
month past have indicated the Ger
mans were preparing at their sea
| bases Tor naval activity Few details
or what was going on have developed
NeNertheIess the messages led to the
| pehei that the German ships might
soon attempt some manoeuvre
The kiel Canal. running from the
North Sea to the Baltic. makes it pos
sible for Germany to concentrate her
entire fleet 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 have
operated In the Pacific and In the
Southern Atlantic. These vessels do
not exceed nine or ten, and n number
OF them already have succunbcd to the
vigilance of Germany'S enemies.
The British naval strength in the
North Sea is. ana has been an un-
known quantity. There is reason to
believe. however. that it is formidable
Great Britain has some warships in the
Mediterranean. and, during the past
six weeks, it is evident she sent some
Of her ships to the South Atlantic to
pursue German cruisers raidinG com
mcrcc. How many vessels were as
signed to that duty is not definitely
known. Whatever the disposition OF
British ships of war side OF Eng
lish waters may be to-day, there has
been from the beginning reliable evil
dences that she has concentrated in
the North Sea very large proper
tion Of her naval strength.
SCARBOROUGI SEAPORT
AND FASHIONABLE RESORT
Scarborough is a seaport and fash
ionablc resort in the northern part OF
Yorkshire on a headland extending into
the North Sea. 1t is thirty seven miles
northeast of tho important English city
Of York. 1t Is a little more than 200
miles from London.
Scarborough has been popularity
styled The queen of Watering Places"
The town has large aquarium,
museum and a fine drive and prone
made pier. The permanent population
is more than 10000.
liartlcpool is "a seaport of a municipal
borough. In the southeast portion OF
the County of Durham. 1t is about
forty miles northwest or Scarborough
on promontory that extends into the
North Sea. Its population Is about 26,-
600.
Adjoining Hartlcpool is West Hartle-
pool. city of more than $1,000 in
habitants The Hartlepools. which are
provided with vast system OF docks,
before the war had an active trade
with the Baltic ports, and with Ham
burg, Antwerp and Rotterdam The
chief industries are shlpbuilding, Iron
founding and the construction of ma
rine engines.
lIartlcpool was the place where the
Comtc de Bar landed from his fleet in
ilT1 TO assist William the Lion In in
CONTINUED on Third Pago.)