The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-03
FORTY WARSHlPS
MEET IN DEATH
CRAPPLE ON SEA
Waters Covered With Bodies of
Dead Warriors.
England's Force Was Not
Equal to Germans.
'TEUTONS SWOOP DOWN ON FOE
When British Dreadnaughts
Came, Germans Fled.
Now Claim 15 British Vessels
Were Destroyed.
England's Force Was Not
Equal to Germans.
TEUTONS SWOOP DOWN ON FOE
When British Dreadnaughts
Came, Germans Fled.
Now Claim Is British Vessels
Were Destroyed.

London. June 3.-The British de-
number of her crew lost in big battle
in the North sea. Survivors landed at
Hull by a Dutch ship declared forty
warships were engaged in the fight
and that the Shark was used as de-
coy for the British fleet.
Unofficial Holland dispatches report
the loss of the German cruiser Elbing.
Forty warships took part in the en-
gagement.
With reports of these additional
losses also came dispatches telling how
bodies of hundreds of British and Ger
man sailors were seen floating in the
water near the scene OF the engage
ment by neutral ships which arrived
during Wednesday and Thursday.
British Outnumbered
All England was today anxiously
awaiting further details from the adj
miralty. but aside from late state
ment admitting the loss of six Destroy
ers, first reported as missing, no later
statement had been issued early to-
day than the initial announcement of
losses made yesterday.
Unofficial details of the fight drift
ing in from various points thrilled all
England. One Holland dispatch in
dicated that the German fleet swooped
down on the smaller vessels of the
British fleet at the opening of the en-
gagement. The British were hope
lessly outnumbered until the grand
guns roaring and hurting tons of shells
against the German armada, the
kaiser's vessels were forced to retreat
Bring German Survivors.
The steamer Thames, arriving At
the Hook of Holland, reported picking
up eleven survivors of the crew of
the German cruiser Frauenloeb They
were floating on RATS. The FcdueE-
lceb, the survivors said. was sunk by
British; torpedo at 1 a. M The tor
pedo struck squarely in the engine
room and the crew immediately
jumped overheard.
Stories of the Frauenloeb's survivors
indicate that 354 of her crew per-
ished.
II Out of 3s5 Survive.
OF the 365 men who leaped into the
water when the vessel sank "nIy IS
were able to get aboard RATS which
were cut adrift- The remainder sank
from exhaustion and were drowned
MANY were badly wounded before pc
ine, forced to leap from the ship $
deck. OF the 19 reported to have
reached RATS, eight are unaccoun@ei
for.
From Copenhagen and Dutch ports
came dispatches today bringing frag-
| mentary details of the terrific fight
Fishermen arriving off Osbjerg report
passing through fields of bodies OF
both British and German sailors
With fifteen British ships now re-
ported destroyed the total losses are
expected to mount into the thousands
No estimates of casualties has yet
been made by the admiralty, how
ever, and it probably will be days be-
fore any definitely accurate estimate
/ can be made
From early reports it is obvious that
survivors have been landed at dozer
different ports. Dutch dispatches re-
ported the landing at Ymuiden of si1
officers and twelve members of the
crew of the German cruiser Elbing
This ship was not reported destroyed
in either the German or British ad
nniralty statements.
Saved Out of 90.
Hull, June 3.-Eighty-five member
| of the crew of the destroyer Sharl
are believed to have persisted wheI
the vessel was sunk.
The Danish steamer Wider has ar
rived here with seven survivors. The.
are believed to be the only men of tn
Sharks complement of ninety-two VIII
were saved
The survivors said the Shark wa
used as decoy for the British fleet
They were in the water six and hal
hours before being picked up.