The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-09-15
now GREAT BRITAIN
.LOsTFIRSTWARsHIP
German Mine-Iayer Accompanies
Purpose After Being Sunk
-. ., by British

fsqp ~ itt - 80 IA 81 HA
A,ts
Describing the loss Of the British
efniser Amphion, which was destroyed
BY a nine explosion just after war wal
dsclhred, the Army and Navy Journa
publishes the following graphic aeeonni
BY the special correspondent of thu
Daily Mail at Harwich, who states sur
visors Of n. M. s. Amphion say shs
had hardly left Harwich when the,
were ordered TO clear the decks For nc
ton. They sighted the German mint
layer koenigin Luise, and as she re
fused 10 stop, even when shot wa'
fred across her bows, they gave chase
The German ship fred. Then the de
stroyers surrounded her and sank hel
after brief combined bombardment.
The captain was beside himself with
Jury. he had revolver In his hand
and threatened his men as they pre-
pared to surrender TO the rescuinp
ships. He fatty refused 10 give himself
up and was taken by force. His men
ON the contrary, appeared quite con
tented. They laughed and ehatted'
They smoked whenever they got the
chance.
Then the smoke of a big ship was
seen ON the. horizon, and the Amphion
gave chase, firing warning shot as she
drew near. The vessel at once made
her identity known as the Harwich
boat st. Petersburg, carrying Prince
Liehnowsky, the German ambassador,
o'the Hook of Holland.
While returning to port came the
tragedy. Of the Amphion. As she struck
The sunken mine she gave two plunging
iefksi then there was an explosion
which ripped up her fore part, shot up
her tunnels like, arrows from bow,
ana lifted her heavy guns into the air.
The falling material struck several OF
the boats Of the hotilla and injured
some Of the men on board.
The Amphion,s men were dreadfully
burnt and sealded. They have marks
on their faces and bodies which resem,
be the splashes Of an acid. The scene
IN. hospital is like that which follows
a eolliery explosion. OF the British
saamen in hospital, thirteen are suffer-
ing from severe burns, FIVE from less
serious burns, two from the effects OF
lyddite fumes and one each from con
e6ssion, severe injury, slight wounds,
shock and slight burns. A few wound
ed German sailors lie in the hospital.
The. number lost on the Amphion as
officially reported, petty officers and
men, Is Jas.
Following is given as a description
OF the actual circumstances attending
the sinking of the English cruiser Am.
phion and the destruction Of the Ger
man mine layer Koenigin Luise:
tThe KOenigin Lnise, which in times
Of peace is an excursion boat, was sent
20 lay mines, not as enormously stated
ON the German coast, where they would
be Of no use, since they would only
serve 10 destroy British ships, but in
front Of the months Of the English har,
bors.. In order TO prevent the English
ships from. leaving the harbors. She
edrried, a. al the German mine layers
%, q complete mapsof the parts Of the
North SEA where she was supposed to
drop the mines. Every spot where u
mine Is TO be dropped Is carefully laid
dllsbeforehand and latitude and longi.
ppk are carefully taken before the
iaine 4 laid.
The mines LAID BY the Germans are
atthched TO an iron block which drops
u the water, anehoring itself on the
hottom Of the sea. Through automatic
ciOekwork the height TO which the mine
rises from the anchor is carefully fixed
beforehand and corresponds with the
assumed depth Of the ocean at the spot
where the mine is supposed to be laid
In the Rnss0-Japanese war the Japa'
nese mines were attached to the wooden
structures which, after the mine was
anchored on the bottom, always drift
ed on the surface of the water, there,
fore warning the Russian warships OF
the presence of the Japanese mines
With the German iron structure, t.
which the mines are attached, a repe
tition Of this is, prevented, since there
- no sign whatever Of the mine on the
surface OF the water. ......' +.
While the Koenigin Luise was busy
dropping these mines, which rolled from
the aft Of the ship on tracks into tbs
water one English torpedo destroyer
pat W its appearance, noticed the Ger
man ship, aud Immediately sent a wire
less message 10 the cruiser of the flo
tina she belonged to. Every TORPEDO
ftotilla has one so.ealled flagship, whicI
issaalled in German 'FuehFersrhiff, AM
this ship in question was the Amphion
She was at the head Of a Aotilla Of
torpedo destroyers, which in fact il
only . large type Of torpedoboat, am
whieh are called in German Hochse,
Terpedoboote, ships Of about 500 b
1900 tons #
ttImmediately upon receiving tn
news from its torpedo scout the entir
fotilla, under the leadership Of tn
Amphion, went in pursuit of the Ger
man ship, and the Amphion was sum
hy fnnning on to one Of the torpedoe
apparently planted by the Koenigi
Llise
The Navy Department announce
that Rear Admiral Frank +. Fletcher
Of the Atlantic feet, has taken owe
command Of the feet relieving Rea
Admiral Charles ,. Badger.
1T Is hoped that practically all tn
battl0shipk may be Withdrawn from tn
east coast Of Mexico soon. On with
trawal Of the battleships Of the Al