Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-08
WAR TAKEN AS
EXALTED SPORT
Description of Bombardment
by British Officer Shows
They Enjoy 1t

OF the Associated Press The much
criticized British view of war as
sort of exalted game or sport is en-
phasised in a British officers descrip-
ton of the bombardment of Dedea-
catch by the British fleet, contained
i'm letter published here. His letter
bristles with such phases as ''lt was
grand picnic for the men," "The
ships companies enjoyed themselves
immensely" THE harbor-master's
office burned splendidly," THE de-
stroyers were able to creep in and
plug all manner of things
The officer began his letter BY re-
marking that he was playing piquet
with the captain when the orders
came to lift anchor and attack Dedea-
Catch. and he regretfully chronicles
that the exigencies of the service
made me sacrifice a hand containing
fourteen aces!' There were some
gruesome preparations for the battle
in the captains cabin. which had been
turned into an operating theater. No
need arose for using 1t. however, as
no defense of the port was attempted
by the Bulgarians.
The description of the actual bonn
bardment is in part as follows:
At about quarter past one in the
afternoon we loosed off at the big bar
racks. Our first shot brought the
soldiers tearing out of the buildings,
and We eased up a bit and let them
get clear. Then we banged and bat
tered away at about $500 yards, max
ing enormous holes and smashing in
great areas of walls. Unless someone
was Killed inside the buildings, I think
we did not hurt anyone. German
accounts of the battle declare that
several hundred soldiers were killed
in these barracks.)
we were only out for destruction
and damage, not slaughter, as the
thrifty Bulgar hates to have his prop
erty knocked about but cares very lit
tie II his neighbor-or even himself
is laid out.
Very Tricky Work
After a bit we went for the har-
bor-very trick work, as the bulk of
the caiques which we had orders to
shoot at were just beyond low outer
breakwater, and with a trajectory
from the ship, the least alteration in
the elevation Of the guns made big
difference. The difficulty was largely
settled when our shells set the masts
and sails afire and the flames spread
ing downward TO the ships.
The destroyers and monitors drew
much less water than our larger ships
and were able to creep in on the lead.
the charts of Dedeagatch being in
accurate. and they plugged all man
ner OF things. Fortunately the popu-
lation of the town had all gone away,
and the troops stayed behind up in the
hills, so l don't think anyone was
hurt. We killed sitting engine which
tried to hide itself behind a bush,
but one which. ran away escaped ali
right Two of the destroyers inspired
it to still greater efforts with their
four-inch guns.
just Bonfire
when we realized that there was
no one hurt, II just become bonfire
or Trafalgar Day f1reworks-it being
the 10th anniversary OF the battle
of Trafalgar. We set all manner of
things on fire. Common shell was eff
fective but lyddite was better. We
burned a vast mountain of coal,
many railway vans and trucks, ships
and two oil storehouses.
But the best blazes were ware
houses behind the caique harbor and
an immense factory stuffed with high
ly infiammable goods. It was six
stories high, ten windows square. and
had two anneXes, each of four stories.
With roaring wind to help us, and
no fire brigade to spoil the fun, 1t was
a most gorgeous hare-up, and the
flames were bright enough to cast
shadow six miles away.
The railway cars burned merrily,
the fire jumping along from one TO
the other and even eating away to
windward. and the storehouses burned
solidly and well. section after section
catching. They had great glass sky
lights, which were shattered by the
shells and ventilated the fire nicely.
Enjoying the Blaze
THE great thing about it was that
nobody tried % put the fires out, and
il one got smoky, a shell frightened
things up a bit and improved the
ventilation. so I don't suppose I shall
ever see a finer blaze than Dedea-
Catch. The sparks from the big fac
tory set fires to leeward and these
developed well. The coalheap fire un-
fortunately could not spread TO any,
thing. but it blazed and glowed in
the wind.
Sometimes shell would not set
fire to building-it would make a
hole in the front wall and burst in
side. chawing ii up. Or, il a Iyddite
she'll it would blow the roof off and
not picturesque. The barracks were
in several detached sections and
only one of them burned. The Bull
garians had flag flying over one of
the barrack buildings, and we
brought it down in six shots, together
with the building it had adorned.
we stayed on until after dark. en-
joying the blaze. The flames from the
big warehouse must have shot up 80
feet or more from the roof, and the
fire looked solid from the basement
upward-streamers fifty feet long
rushing upwards from each of the
sixty windows on the front and from,
the two anneXes and sides. The oil
store burned during the afternoon. a
glow and some flames, hut mostly
black. greasy-looking smoke, which
rose l.50O feet and chung together for
about two miles. Unfortunately il
was tank in the ground SO could not
spread much. But one railway car
had oil or tar in it, and the stuff ran
out all blazing. fine sight"