Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1916-06-08
Thirty Ships Of Various
Go to the Bottom
InFierce Fight
Lord Kitchener Loses Life
on Way to Russia for
Conference

A great sea battle has been fought
in the North Sea between the German
and the British fleets.
The ealiest reports came from Ber-
lin and reported the loss of a dozen
or more of the British ships and a.
great victory for the German fleet.
Later reports coming from London,
declare the battle resulted in British
victory, but admitted that the loss
was great among the British in both
ships and men.
The generally accepted view, taking
the country as whole, is that the
German reports approximate the
truth in the losses to the British, but
that the German victory was by no
means complete in SO far as crippling
the English navy is concerned.
Full High Sea Fleet Engaged.
The full German high sea feet was
engaged, under command Of Vice Adj
miral Scheer, who succeeded Admiral
Won Pohl.
The British fleet is now estimated
at approximately twice as strong as
that under Admiral Scheer in guns
and ships.
From 5 O'Clock "Wednesday evening
until dawn on Thursday morning the
combat was almost uninterrupted
For the first four hours it was a
contest between the great :steel-cIad
monsters only The picture was one
to inspire marine painters.
In the light of the setting sun the
ships hurled death at each other,
while Zeppelins and aeroplanes whir-
red over the scene, now signaling the
arrival of new foes, or telling the re-
suits of the firing, and now dropping
bombs on the enemyss feet below.
First Act OF the Great Contest.
The first act of the battle occurred
late Wednesday afternoon when Vice
Admiral Hipper's scout squadron,
slipping along ahead of the German
battle feet, caught sight of a British
cruiser fiotilla.
He promptly gave the battle signal
to the battlesmps ana the British did
likewise.
Witnin an hour the great dread
nougnts came tearing along, letting
loose at long range their big guns as
soon as they sighted the enemy.
For four hours this act of battle
lasted 1t cost the British the battle
cruiser Queen Mary and an arrnored
cruiser of the Achilles class.
The Achilles was shot into flames
by the German flagship within half
miles range, and it sank, it's hull APP
pearing to be white hot
A number of British destrpyers also
were sunk at this time.
+ : 2 70 +
Conflicting Claims.
London. Conflicting claims CON-
tinue to clond the issue of the naval
battle fought off the Jutland coast
on Wednesday night.
There is no such great disparity in
losses as at first appeared in the
British and German reports, accord
ing to British admiralty officials, who
claim that later reports show that
two German battle cruisers went
down, while London announces the
receipt of wireless dispatch from
Berlin carrying an admission from the
German admiralty that another Ger
man battleship, IN addition to the
Pommern, was sunk.
Thirty Ships Went Down.
ii the revised British reports are ac-
cepted, the losses in ships approx
imately were as follows.
British Three battle cruisers (the
Queen Mary, Indefatigable and Irwin
cible); three armored cruisers (De-
fense, Black Prince and Warrior;
about dozen destroyers and one
submarine.
German Two battleships (West-
fallen and Pommern) two battle
cruisers (unnamed) four light cruis-
ers( including the Wiesbaden, ElbingI
and FrauenIob): six destroyers and
a submarine.
The British admiralty, in addition,
has admitted that the battleship MARI
borough was struck BY q torpedo, but
declares she was toWed safely to port
4 The German losses are believed to
have been about the same number Of
ships, although q much less aggre-
gate OF tonnage.
British naval experts maintain that
Great Britain continues to hold the
supreme command OF the sea by g
I safe margin. and that her enormous
navy could better AFFORD the losses