Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-15
GERMAN EYEWITNESS"
WRITES OF SEA BATTLE

"'i'Io VI oLh Ill Il
Describes Sinking of the Bluecher
From Interviews With
Participants.
OTTO Won GoTTBERG is AUTHOR
Declares Too Many Eyes Saw English
Battle Cruiser Go Down to Admit
Possibility of Error-Iirst of Sc
ries of Articles.
lCorrespondence OF Associated Press. ]
BERLIN. February 15.-Germun
newspapers have commenced the pub-
hcation of series of "eyewitness''
nIucies on naval affairs. written by
ctto Won Gottberg. the wcll-known au-
thor. or the battle of January "a. in
which the German cruiser Rleucher
was sunk, Won Gottberw. writing from
interviews with participants mostly
oincers. says tho German squadron was
made up of the frst-cluss cruisers
Bleucher, Seydlitx. Derfiinger and
Moltke, and smaller cruisers Kolberg.
Strnlsund, Graudenz and Rostock, Of
whioh the last two were not enGnged
In the actual fighting and torpedo craft.
| me kolberg was the first to sight
the enemy, - small British cruiser ac-
companied by destroyers. The Kolberg
Immediately opened fire and noted Tint
several OF her shells made good hits
me koiberR received two British
shots neither of which did much dam
age. but three men were killed and
! two wounded.
| While the Kolberg steamed ahead to
close with the enemy, her aister crui-
SER the Stralsund. steaming farther to
4 In, ,li
the squadron. sighted the main body
or the British neet, and signalcd:
! Eight large hostile ships sighted on
starboard how"
Now ON Opposite SIDE
FROM THAT SEEN BEE0RI.
| The flagship thereupon sirnalcd ~
| command which swung the great Ger
! man cruisers around and closed m.
umbrella screen OF tho destroycrs. The
nri'ish ships again had dropped out
| OIL sight and did not reappear until
some Time later, when the pilot of the
Moltke called attention TO i've blr
ships on the opposite side from those
seen before
The commander and the pilot"
writes Won Gottberg, were still study
Ing through their glasses the nyo
Scarceiy-visible shadows on the gray
waves when big shell struck the
water 800 wards away. The enemy had
uhihasked Itself: The German ships
prinS more guns into action first the
enemy then tho German SQUADRON. took
Il formation like Il flight OF steps and
steamed along thirteen miles apart.
INC British concentrated their IRE on
our rearmost ship. the Bleucher. and
forced the Bleucher to drop back Sb.
soon signaled, All engines useless
inc Bluecher was mass of flames
from forcbridge TO stern. the pilIar
or hre above her towering to the nky.
'Forty-hve minutes later tho quar-.
Yer deck or the Seydlitz also began to
| blaze. The Seydlltz. OF all the ships
which returned. was the only one on
whicn the two-hour bombardment in
hicted any real injury. The she'll
which caused the fire on the Seydli,z
pierced the foundation of turret, and
set off come Ammunition
The damage 10 the whole suuadron
was so slight that tho admiral did not
need to dock single snip. They are
All at IRIS moment ready to run out
| against the enemy
| EFFECT OF ARTILLERY
ON ENEMY'S SHIPS
! But let us consider The effect OF our
artillery on the enemy during the two
! hours OF combat. The second shin I'm
me line was the first 10 WAIVER under
| the severe fire of the German guns
| IT sheered out OF line, and the third
-
II and the fourth ship. The lame duck
was not seen again: presumably she
was the one that sank later After a
! niue more fighting. the two ships in
me foremost group OF English cruisers
dropped astern or turned about. Five
shells had struck them, causing fires
The British battle line was now in
conf fusion. and it's lighting power was
broken. This was tho reason why its
admiral broke on tho tight and de-
cidcd TO limp home. He was nowhere
near the German mine fields or suh,na-
! rincs. OF which tho British report
! speaks The fact was that the Brit
ISL were finished. Three of their big
gest cruisers were out of action.
AS TO the sinking OF the British
cruiser: The human eye may err, and
the excitement of the battle may cause
delnsions. but too many eyes saw an
| English battle cruiser go down and too
many lips from various places of OBJ
| servation reported 1t to admit the nos
| sibility of error
OFFICERS REPORT
SINKING OF SHIP
( The second officer OF the Moltkc re-
| ported TO his commander that there had
been a great explosion on board n hos
tile ship. Moreover the second officer
Kept his commander informed from
moment to moment of the effect of the
! explosion. finally closing with the an
nonncement ship sinks" The same an
nounccmcnt was made by two other
officers, and by several sailors An
airShip which had been following tho
! British ships later reported that onIv
four cruisers could be seen making for
tho British coast
One OF the most striking details OF
the lighting comes from q reserve
sailor, who stood unoccupicd on one of
the ships while the fight progressed.
and followed the details Of the battle
which were telcphoncd to the gun
crews by the commander. Finally, the
relief man, unable to keep back his
feelings. produced violin. Then while
the guns roared in the turrets and nil
lars of water from tho British shells
sprayed the decks, he played the Watch
On the Rhine and from all sjdos tbo