White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1916-06-09
GREAT SEA FIGHT
GERMAN VICTORY
TWO CRUISERS AND BATTLEsHIP
ADDED TO LIST OF DAMAGE
TO GERMAN FLEET.
BOTH SIDES CLAIM A WIN
British Deny Main Fleet in Action;
Estimate Casualties at 5o0o-AlI
Naval Agents Used-Germans
Are EIated.

Conflicting claims continue to cloud
the issue of the naval battle fought
off the Jutland coast Wednesday, May
81.
There is no such great disparity in
losses as at first appeared in the Brit
ish and German reports, according to
British admiralty officials, who claim
later reports show that two German
battle cruisers went down, while Lon
don announces the receipt of a wire
less dispatch from Berlin carrying an
admission from the German admiralty
that another German battleship, in ad-
dition to the Pommern, was sunk.
British Version of Losses.
Berlin has issued no further state
ment regarding the German losses,
which initially were given as one bat
tleship, two light cruisers and several
destroyers.
If the revised British reports are &C
cepted the losses in ships were approx
imately as follows:
British-Three battlecruisers, Queen
Mary, interchangeable and Invincible;
three armored cruisers, Defence, Black
Prince and Warrior; about dozen de-
stroyers and one submarine.
German-Two battleships, Westfal-
en- and Pommern; two battle cruisers,
unnamed; four light cruisers, includ-
ing the Wiesbaden, Elbing and Frau
enlob; six destroyers and subma.
rine.
The British admiralty, in addition
has admitted that the battleship MARI
borough was struck by a torpedo, but
declares she was towed safely to port.
Deny Main Fleet in Action.
The Germans are greatly elated at
the outcome of the engagement in
which their main fleet under Admiral
Scheer met the British, whose main
fleet, they assert, also was engaged.
That the Germans held the field after
the battle is shown, they declare, by
the fact that the Germans picked up
survivors of British warships that
went down.
London officially denies that the
British main fleet was in the action.
The battle cruiser squadron which is
reported to have rushed between the
Germans and their base seems to have
borne the brunt Of the fight. Eleven
British battleships eventually went
into the battle, it is admitted, but of
these several are declared to have
been only partly engaged. The total
British losses are estimated at 5000.
Tackled German Fleet.
An official of the British admiralty
made statement reviewing the bat
tie in some detail. He declared that
the British went out looking for a
fight, engaged the entire German high
sea fleet, interrupted it's plans and
drove it back to port The Germans,
he said, sprang no surprises. Only one
Zeppelin was seen and that was driven
off, and no 17-inch guns were in evil
dence.
A semiofficial statement issued in
Berlin declares that the Germans
faced the greater part of the madern
British navy, the battle cruisers and
light cruisers, beginning the engage
ment, while later the main forces on
both sides took part in the attack.
German torpedo boats did notable
work both during the daylight battle
and during the night, while naval air
ships and aeroplanes contributed
greatly to the German success, it is
claimed
Not Disaster.
London.-The latest reports from
the British fleet, from neutral vessels
which witnessed parts of the great ma
val battle in the North sea and from
survivors cause the British public to
believe the engagement was not so
near defeat as at first reported, and
in no wise disaster. The British
losses with all the craft engaged &C
counted for, were three battle cruis-
ers, three cruisers and eight destroy
ers.
The German losses are believed to
have been about the same number of
ships, although of much less aggre-
gate of tonnage.
British naval experts maintain that
Great Britain continues to hold the su-
preme command of the sea by safe
margin, and that her enormous navy
could better afford the losses it suf-
fered than could the smaller German
establishment. The first reports of
the heavy loss Of life unhappily have
not been revised. Great Britain
mourns 5000 of her best seamen, and
the whole nation is oppressed with
sadness, which Is reflected in the faces
of all the people of London.
Modern Sea Warfare.
There were 5000 men on the ships
which sank and only few hundred
have been saved. The horrors of mod
ern naval warfare, far exceeding those
when wooden ships fought and con-
tinued to float, even when they ceased
to be fighting units, were realized to
their utmost. From five of the largest
ships which went under with COM
plement of more than 1000 men oily
seven junior officers and a few sea-
men were rescued.
Rear Admiral Honorable Horace
I a n, hort Hood cor0nd in command IN
Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty, and
Captains Sowerby, Cay and Prowz
were lost with many others whose