Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-06-05
SAVE ONLY A FEW
HUNDREDS OF OF
SHIPS THOUSANDS
Great Craft of War Go Down With
Practically All on Board in
Terrible North Sea
Battle.
BERLIN AND LONDON DIFFER
Reports Contradict Each Other Con-
corning Result of Fight of
Fleets.
BRITIsHERs TAKE HEART AGAIN

from the British fleet, from neutral
vessels which witnessed parts OF the
great naval battle in the North Sea
and from survivors, cause the British
public to believe the engagement was
not so near defeat as at first re-
ported and in nowise a disaster. The
British losses, with all the craft en-
gagged accounted for, were three bat
tie cruisers, three cruisers and eight
destroyers.
The German losses are believed to
have been about the same number OF
ships although of much less aggrc-
gate tonnage.
British naval experts maintain that
Great Britain continues to hold the
supreme command OF the sea by a
safe margin and that its enormous
navy could better afford the losses il
suffered than could the smaller Ger
man establishment.
British Lose Over 1000.
The first reports of the heavy loss
Of life unhapply have not been re-
vised. Gre Britain mourns for more
than 1000 q. its best seamen and the
whole nation is oppressed with sad
ness, which is reflected in the faces OF
all the people of London. 1t is esti-
mated in London that the German
losses in men are nearly as great
There were some 5000 men on the
ships which sank, and only few hun
dred have been saved The horrors
of modern naval warfare, far exceed
ing those when wooden ships fought
and continued to float even when they
ceased to be fighting units, were real
lied TO their utmost. From five of the
largest ships which went under with
complement OF more than 1000 men,
only seven junior officers and a few
seamen were rescued.
Rear Admiral Lost.
Rear Admiral Horace Lambert
Hood, second in command to Vice
/ Admiral Sir David Beatty, and Cap
tains Sowerby, Cay and Prowz were
lost with many others whose names
are not yet. known, because the gov
ernment has not so Tar issued any
casualty list. There were no sur
renders, and the ships which went
down carried with them virtually the
whole crews
Only the Warrior, which was towed
part way from the scene OF battle to
British port, was an exception.
Of some thousand men on the
! Queen Mary, only a corporals guard
is accounted for. The same is true OF
the Invincible, while there are no sur
vivors reported from the Indefati-
gable, the Defense or the Black
Prince
1t is impossible to visualize any
coherent story of the great battle,
which lasted many hours, with the
different units at times fighting scat
tered engagements.
Reports Disagree.
The British and German reports
contradict each other flatly on the
main fact The British assert that
the German fleet retired when the
British battleships appeared, while
the German official statement main
tains that the German forces we're in
battle with the entire British fleet.
The British assert that they had
only two divisions engaged and that
/ all the units OF these were not able to
participate in the fighting, and, fur.
Ithermore. that Admiral Sir John Jellr
coe, commander of tho grand fleet,
remained in the area OF the battle
after the Germans had retreated and
swept 1t thoroughly in search Of
enemy ships and survivors
I The kings message 10 Admiral
Jellicne states that The Germans
robbed the British nf the opportunity
ol gaining a decisive victory immedi.
atcly after the opening OF the general
battle
All Arms Used
ADMIRAL Beatty commanding the
haltlcship squadron presumably un
his old flagship, the Lion. was again
( in the thick oi The action Every arm
/ of modern naval warfare was en-.
ploytd battleahips. hattie cruisers
torpedo boats. dcslf9Yrfs. submarines
aud even feppFltHa Whether much
iot Che destruction was accomplished
hy guulue or tofpednrs is ud set
known. British nIittfn tay that the
battle Was fought kY ttt methods
known and prstt,eet hy 40 uav,rt
\ There were nR surprises tnh n8 urw
devices Hi Wvapans 0f strategy.
. tluN iaf che trpnsiHs uHuihuttA
. tn the hfgmaH fulEFs b. q matter
~ tsFaiF only uHe atnbih came
wNhn sight according ta tNt British
aelauMts art N was tUaW hAdtF aAmr
6ged ana w.fhArrW hut fhe Germans
8F stress eH thr assistance ftHlaFel
af fIfN 8U frrft sHt rfntfaIs ff
reff the pFtmncr at Sis tuHtIfH m
lHE Moth N ta rasE
tHE tA NE.t.H a mta8f
|mg seHt E 0maH ft
Ml0 PSI WHe f.f tfHa
.at tffE rHrwF Ht H fs mssfs
.aHi iaUafmH