El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-06

destroyed and all hands on board were
either killed by gun fire or drowned.
nile, so far as known, the Germans
suffered no damage worth mentioning
anc old not lose single man.
Won Specs I'll Luck.
The commander Of the German squad
ron was admiral Won Spec one Of the
cleverest and most capable officers in
the kaiser's navy. He knew how to
fight, and he also knew how and when
10 Iun away. But in the subsequent
event luck was against him. He had
no information of the fact that the
British admiralty was sending battle
cruisers to chase and destroy him. In
deed the matter was kept so secret that
only two or three persons in England
knew Of il. the avengers being dis
patched with sealed orders.
The avengers did not themselves
know where Won Spec was; for he was
an exceedingly artful dodGer. They
had stopped at the Falkland Islands.
in the South Atlantic, not far to the
northeast Of Cape Horn. to get fresh
water, and had no notion that the Ger
man squadron was anywhere in the
neighborhood. But, by mere chance. Il
so happened that Won Spec turned up
al the same place. possibly needing
water, or perhaps contemplating a raid
tie Falkans being British properly.
The surprise and delight Of the Brit
ish commander, Admiral Sturdee, may
wei be imagined Here was his much
desired prey actually coming to be
caught Jumping at the opportunity
thus offered, he sent out Of the harbor
a couple Of light cruisers, the Bristol
and Glasgow. for bait. As he expected,
the Germans promptly started to chase
them. But what was the establishment
Of Won Spec when two huge battlecruis-
ers presently made their appearance
and proceeded TO hunt for him. It was
like the case Of n man, who. pursuing
deer. IS suddenly confronted by a pair
OF tigers.
The battlecruisers were the Invinci-
bio AND Inflexible, twin armored ships
OF 1880 tons, each of them carrying
eight 12-inch and 16 4-inch guns. If
these alone had been opposed to Won
Spec. he would have had no chance;
for not only was their armament in
comparably superior, but they were
much swifter with speed Of 30 knOts)
than any vessel in his little squadron.
In the latter respect they would have
had a great advantage under the best
of conditions but the German ships
had been cruising for a long time. their
bottoms were foul, and the utmost
speed they could attain was far below
the normal
Strongly Supported.
The two battlecruisers. however,
were supported by formidable auXil-
Kent, Cornwall and CarnaTvon), and a
back number, yet efficient. battlship,
the Campus The Cornwall and Kent
were sister ships, Of $500 tons. each Of
them carrying IA 6-inch guns The
Carnarvon was Of 1850 tons, and had
four 1-2-inch and six 6-inch guns. The
Campus (12,950 tons) carried four r.
inch and twelve 6-inch rifles; but she
took no important part in the fight be-
cause she was too slow TO keep up
with the chase.
The fight off the coast Of Chile was
a "broadside engagement" It was en-
tirely a different affair near the Falk-
land Islands, a running fight, in which
the German squadron, utterly out
classed, made a hopeless effort to get
Intermittent firing. Admiral Sturdee
was I'm no hurry; he took his time. 1t
was manifestly impossible for the Ger
mans to get away, and so he set about
the business Of destroying them at
leisure.
The problem. from his point of view.
was not how to win-for he could not
help winning-but how to destroy the
enemy while himself suffering as little
rs possible. So he took his time. He
would fire, get the range freshly and
accurately, and fire again. As result,
The German ships were sunk one after
another, the British vessels being not
damaged. and the total loss
on board of them amounting to only
seven men killed and wounded.
Species Of DrendnnuEht.
The battlecruiser is a species Of
an all big gun ship. An
armored cruiser less swift, less heavily
and inferior in guns, cannot
stand up against 1t. Illustrations of
this proposition have been offered dur
Ing the present war so conVincingly
that England has abandoned the build
Ing Of armored cruisers. She has a