New Britain herald., 1915-01-12
KARLSRUHE SUNK IN
 NAVAL ENCOUNTER
Eye Witness Gives Description Of
 Battle Off Grenada.

MOntfcal, Jan. IA dethlcd ue- Scription of d naval battle off Gren- ada, British West Indies. is given in a letter received today from an eye witness, who asserts that in his opin ion the German cruiser Karlsruhe took part and was sunk.
 The letter was dated Grenada, De cem Der 3, and the writer asserts that after the battle a Hfc-buoy camc ashore marked "S. M. $. Karlsruhe, together with wrcckagc and barrels and foodstuffs.
 He writes that fishermen had brought the news that they had met dead bodies floating in the vicinity of the battle, numbers of candles marked Kaiser Light" boots with feet in them, helmets and other wreckage.
 Text of Letter.
 The letter reads as follows: Tt may interest you to know that on Wednes- day evening, the 25th ultimo, while at my house situated on ridge ov- erlooking the sea to the north of Grenada, l witnessed a naval engage ment, which was undoubtedly carried on between more than two warships. The action lasted, as far as l observed, from z p. m., to Il p. m, and ap- peared to be on the very horizon to the north and northwest of the island. As the darkness increased it was quite apparent, when the broadsides of proiectiles exploded within seconds of each other on either side, within a range of four to six miles. I did not hear the explosion of the shells, as the fight was too far away, but as {. r.--1.A 1,~ nrtf of l, "A com batants veered round to the north and east and increased in severity. Nobody in st. Patricks appeared to have noticed what had happened and though I made dilgent inquiries l could not get my theories of a fight supported Whether the governm ent certainly censored all news as regards it.
 "Six days afterwards I was con- frmed in my opinion by the fact that Sauteurs fishermen fishing in the Carriacon Channel brought in the news that they had met dead bodies floating in the water together with numberless candles, marked Kaiser Light" GA sample of which I send you as a Christmas card), also boots
 
 wreckage, etc.
 Life Buoy Ashore.
 "On my portion of an island called Isle of Rhondre life buoy camo ashore marked "S. IT. S. Karlsruhe,' - and besides wreCkage and barrels of foOdstuffs. l am the lucky possessor Of an officers sword, which came ashore wrapped up carefully in oil cloth
 All this confirms my conviction that not only did an engagement occur, but that the dreaded karls- ruhe had been sunk. also got a quantity of wreckage. I hope to send the life buoy to frame as a memento, but for the present the government has commandeered it.
 Letter Made Public.
 The letter was made public by the Montreal Gazette and was received by a member of it's staff from one of his friends at Grenada.
 Heard From on Oct. PC.
 The Karlsruhe last was definitely heard from on October 26, when she captured the Lamport and Holt liner Nandyck, the seventeenth vessel that she had caught. Since that date sov- eral vessels have been reported in cable despatChes from points in South America as having sighted d Warship supposed to have been the Karlsruhe, but there was no positive Identification of the warship.
 The Karlsruhe dropped from sight almost simultaneously With the ar rival of the fast British cruiser Princess Royal on this side of the Atlantic.
 The Karlsruhe, according to naval records, has a crew of 314 men. She was built at Kiel in 1912 Her main battery consists of twelve 4.1- inch guns and she has a displacement of 4,S20 tons.