The Sentinel=record., 1915-04-24
PROSPECTIVE NAVAL ENGAGE MENT IN THE NORTH SEA
 WHERE FLEETS ARE NOW.
GERMANS CLAIM BIG GAIN
stoppaae of Shipping In North Sea
 and Fact That English Aeroplanes Are at Work Points to Some Start ling Activity There in Short Time.

London April 23.-With big bat. tie developing near Ypres in Flanders and reports of prospective naval en- gagement in the North sea and of preparations for the commencement of a combined naval and military at. tack on the Dardanelles or some other vital spot in Turkey, the people of Europe are highly expectant.
 Of these three anticipated events, only one has actually reached fulfill ment-the battle near Ypres. That a severe arrangement has taken place in this part of Flanders is confirmed by the official reports, but these are so contradictory in their claims that the actual result of the preliminary fighting is not known.
 To those outside the war offices of 1 the belligerent nataiOns it would ap- | pear, however, that following their | loss of Hill 60 and their failure after
  1 the Germans have commemorate of fensive from the northeast against | the Anglo-French line in front of 1 Ypres, which was the scene of such | bloody battles last autumn, and also l against the Belgian line farther west. The Germans claim that, with a rush, they drove the allies back to n fnIy | and French prisoners and a number l of guns. The French account admits that the allies had to fall back, but it states that this was due to the use by the Germans of asphyxiating gas bombs Paris asserts that in counter attacks the allies took many German prisoners and that the Belgans re- pulsed attacks launched against them. It is believed here that these opera tions are only the commencement of another battle of Ypres.
 Although a dispatch received from Holland tonight gives a rumor that the Germans are about to fall back to the Liege line, in order to have troops ready for possible use against Italy should Italy join the allies, it Is considered more likely in military circles here that the Germans will give battle where they are preferring to be the first to attack, having learned from recent experiences that 1t is difficult to hold the strongest positions when an extremely heavy cannonade is directed against them.
 uh and here also both the French and Germans claim successes. The French ill this regian seemingly are still on the offensive and apparently determined to attempt further to squeeze the German wedge which has its apex at St Mihiel.
 The prediction of a naval battle in the North sea- which is based on re- ports from Scandinavia of activity by the warsai2s, the prohibition of ship ping between England and Holland by the British admiralty, ar the an- nouncement from the { lan ad- miralty that the GermaA nigh seas fleet has several times lately been out in the North sea without encoun- 'SAAAS bAlt49h clApSs are lHClueHLS or the war that are calling forth much discussion.
 The only news from the Aegean sea comes from Athens and the Greek islands. It is to the effect that firing is heard at times in the vicinity of the Dardanelles and Smyrna, and also in the Gulf of Saros, where it is declared the allies have made a land ing in the vicinity of the Turkish port of Enos.
 There again have been reports of Zeppelin airships making their ap- pearance along the northeast coast of England. These reports lack con firmation. No bombs have been dropped on the coast towns and it is thought probable that if Zeppelins have again been the North sea coast it was fo' Irpose of recon noitering for the ,erman fleet.