Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-03-17
FIRST GERMAN
TO SURRENDER
Cruiser Dresden Is Trapped Off
Juan fernandez Island
COLORS ARE SOON LOWERED

Magazine ExpIodes and Sea Raider
Goes to the Bottom After Being
Badly Damaged by British Fleet In
Battle Lasting but Five Minutes
British Suffer No Damage and
Dresden's Crew saved-RattIe Sets
New RecOrd-Fighting on Land Re-
ceives scant Notice
After rowing the south Pacific for
more than three months since the
fatefuI battle off the Falkland islands,
on Dec. & last, the German cruiser
Dresden at last met her fate under
the guns of British warships off the
coast OF Chile.
The Dresden was one of the few
remaining units of the German navy
at large, the only others, since the
voluntary seclusion of the Prinz Eitel
Friedrich behind the Virginian capes,
being the Karlruhe, last reported in
West Indian waters; the Kronprinz
Wilhelm, which is still raiding the
South Atlantic waters, and possibly
the Won der Thanh, which has not
been heard Of since her reported sink
ing Off the coast Of Argentine a few
months ago.
The AdmiraIty's Report
The British admiraItys account OF
the last scene in the Dresden's career
was as follows:
On March IA, at a. M, H. M.
S. Glasgow, Captain Luce, H. M.
auxiliary cruiser Drama, Captain
Segrave, and H. NJ. S. Kent, Captain
Allen, caught the Dresden near Fer
nandez island.
An action ensued and after five
minutes fighting the Dresden hauled
down her cOlOrs and displayed the
white flag. She was much damaged
and set on fire, and after she had
been burning for some time her maya
zine exploded and she sank.
The crew were saved, fifteen
badly wounded. The Germans are be-
ing landed at Valparaiso. There were
no British casualties and no damage
to the ships
From the official account it is ap-
parent that there was plenty of time
for the British boats to rescue the
Dresden's crew before the fire on the
German cruiser reached her maya
zines and caused the final explosion.
Dresden's Doubtful Distinction
The Dresden has the rather doubt
Of
man Warship to surrender since the
start Of the war. 1t is evident that
the terrific fire poured into her by the
three British vessels completely de-
mOralized her within a few minutes
and there was nothing left for her
commander to do, in the interests @,
humanity, but run up the white flag
The Dresden was the only one OF
the five German Warships engaged in
the FaIlIlands battle of Dec. that
succeeded in making her escape.
The others, all Of which were sunk
by the fleet Of Vice Admiral Sturdee
were the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau
Leipsig and Nurnburg. The Dresden
steamed away and escaped her pur-
suers in the darkness. She was al
first reported to have taken refuge in
bay on the Patagonian shore. anc
was afterward sighted by merchant
man in the Straits of Magellan. Since
leaving the last refuge she has evil
IDENTIFY been making her way slowly VI
the western coast of South America.
The Dresden was a sister ship OF
the Emden, whose career as a com
merce raider was cut short off the
Cocos islands in the Indian ocean By
the Australian cruiser Sydney.
At the outbreak of the war Tho
Dresden was assigned to the West In.
dian station, and just prior to the be.
ginning of European hostilities sht
- took Victoriano Huerta, who had re
signed as provisional president O
Mexico, from Puerto, Mex. to ia
maica.
Dresden a Small Ship
The Dresden was one of the smalIe
vessels of the German navy, being O
$500 tons, and her armament wa
comparatively light. She carried twt
Al guns, eight 5-pounders four ma
chine guns and two torpedo tubes
one WdS 900 I0GL lung. her COmDlo
ment was 321 men.
Juan Fernandez island, near whic
the Dresden was finally run Gown. i
a Chilean dependency in the Pacifi
ocean, about 400 miles off the mail
land The Chilean government pro
tested to Germany in Decem be
against alleged violations of neutralit
by German warships in Chilean wa
ters, and three destroyers were sen
by Chile to the Juan Fernandez is
land.
The solitary residence on Juan Fer
nandez island for four years of
Scotchman named Alexander Selk1r
is supposed to have formed the basi
of IlofOn,c tale of 'Rnhi.1cnn Cr,,cno