Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-24
COAST DEFENSES
ARE BOMBARDED
BY BRITISH FLEET
Forty Vessels Turn Their
Monster Guns on Naval
Base at Zeebrugge.
TREMENDOUS DAMAGE
BELIEVED TO BE DONE
Great Russian Fortress of Osso-
wetz Finally Has Fallen
Into Teutonic Hands.
EASTERN PROGRESS CHECKED
Victory in Gulf of Riga Has Given
Fresh Hope to Petro-
grad.
EASTERN PROGRESS CHECKED
Victory in Gulf of Riga Has Given
Fresh Hope to Petro-
grad.

LONDON. August 28.-The German
naval reverse in the Gulf OF Riga and
the Baltic Sea. the German capture Of
ossowetz and British naval lombard
ment of the German naval base at Zee-
brugge to-day furnished a series OF
news features which temporarily di-
verted attention from tho gravity OF
the issues growing out Of the sinking
of the Arabic.
The German version OF the Riga bat
tie has not yet been given out, but the
defniteness OF the oflcial Russian re-
port on the sinking or crippling Of tho
German battle cruiser Moltke, two
other cruisers and eight torpedo-boats
has sent n wave OF enthusiasm through
out the country and dtspelled the de-
preston over the Russian retreat on
land.
Aside from the loss of the German
ships. the naval engagement is re-
garded chiefly important for the STRAIT
egic effect on the land operations in
the German sweep eastward toward
Petrograd, which military observers
now consider as having been checked
and possibly irreparably defeated.
HOLD ON GULF OF RIGA
IN CONTINUAL MENACE
The German center has pressed for
,, ward steadily until Prince Leopold is
near the Russian new line OF defense,
but the military observers say the en-
tire campaign hinged on the vast en-
veloping movement OF Won Hinden-
burg's forces in the north. They had
succeeded in pushing far beyond Riga
to Jacobstadt. on the Dvina. but the
Russian hold on the Gulf of Riga and
OF the great naval base of Riga was
a continual menace in their rear.
This. the military observers say, led
to the shifting of number of German
ships. including the Moltke, from the
North Sea to the Baltic. with the pur-
pose of controlling Riga, and thus
protecting a German land advance on
Petrograd. The result OF the naval
battle appears definitely to have de-
feated the German objective. according
to the observers. who say that, aside
from the loss of the ships. the gulf
and the naval base OF Riga still are
In Russian hands and menace Won Hin
denburg's further advance toward Pc
troSrad.
The capture OF Ossowetz gives the
Germans another stronghold. only
Grodno and Brest-Litovsk remaining in
the central section. 1t also gives them
the main point on the railway to
Bielsk and Brest-Litovsk
Special reports from Petrograd indi-
cate that the Russian position at
Brest-Litovsk gradually is becoming
untenable. and that the public is being
prepared for its abandonment.
ONLY MEAGER DETAILS
OF BRITISH BoMBARDMENT
Only mcager details have been re-
ceived concerning the British lombard
ment of the German submarine base of
ZeebruEge and neighboring points on
the Belgian coast. Berlin reports forty
British ships were engaged in 1t, but
the British admiralty as yet has made
no statement The firing lasted several
hours, the German heavy artillery
answering the British fire.
That there has been French naval
activity in the same locality 10 shown
in the Paris official communication,
which announces the sinking OF a Ger
man ,orpedo-boat destroyer off Ostend
by two French torpedo boats.
In the west there have been no nota-
Bile changes in the battle line.