Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-23

me to defend. Amen. Amen. Amen.
across the road. Blinded by the ships
searchlight cyclist ran full tilt
against her side. The lookout man
leaned over the bow and called
angrily TO the cyclist: why the hell
don't you ring your bell."
Battles Never Published.
Excluding, then, any further ward
room information, | still heard enough
from other sources, visiting many
ships and chatting with officers and
men. to realize that not only is there
more movement in the grand fleet
than can be told in public, but that
actual naval engagements in the
North sea take place without one
word of them getting TO public
knowledge. For above all things tho
sailorman is loyal to his chief.
talked with one officer of senior rank
who told me that altho he had been
on leave three times during the war
he had never let his wife know the
name OF the base in which he spent
the greater part of mis- time.
But IL goes hard with some of them
those who have a scrap and win
victory. ANAL in proportion, but great
in heroism, and look In vain for any
mention OF 1t in the papers.
Such rigorous censorship is, how
ever, easily justified. The Germans
send out their swift and heavily
armed raiders one by one, they dis
appear into the darkness of the North
sea and are never heard OF again.
Picture the confusion of the German
intelligence department when abso
lutely nothing can be recorded be-
yond the fact that this or that cruiser
sailed from Wilhelmshafen on such
and such a date. IL helps materially
to make it impossible for the German
naval staff to organize any sort OF
general attack upon enemy commerce,
except that by submarines. Even re-
gardng this, German official records
are In constant confusion owing to
the British admiralty's consistent poll
icy of silence. The Huns nevGr know
as one officer put it 10 me. where
the missing submarine has been sunk
or captured or committed suicide.
Suicide? Do you mean captain
and crew and all?" / asked.
Everybody"
Everybody? Does that happen ?"
Yes; strikes a mine"
The result is that while the British
admirably knows whSt happens to
every submarine that sets out on its
piratical career, the German admiral
ty can only mark its losses as failed
to return to port" and that only after
all hope of each return has passed
Cruisers More Easily Traced.
For news Of raiding cruisers the
German period of hope Is naturally
longer; they always trust that a
cruiser has slipped thru the North
sea patrols and made some hiding
place in distant waters, there to
pounce out upon ocean commerCo and
sink without trace" while stores and
ammunition last, plundering her vic
Tins and Staying them to the last
man in the hope of prolonging her
doomed career As one source OF news
they. count on the humane princ
pies of the British navy which do
not permit a deliberate sinking with
out trace. The taking OF prisoners
may involve the publication of the
fact, as for example in the recent
affair of the Cattegat, when cruiser
and several armed patrol boats were
sunk and prisoners rescued.
But in stormy weather rescues at
sea are impossible, and the North sea
Is usually stormy; that is the time
when cruisers disappeap as mysteri-
ously as any, netted submarines. Of
such events l heard many rumors
in the grand fleet, of quick actions
and unavoidably traceless endings. j
should like to tell one of these stories.
partly because / had 1t from a sea
man who was on the British cruiser
in question, and particularly because
II shows that German trelchery and
frightfulness are not confined to the
army and submarines, hut are con-
slant elements in all Teutonic war.
fare.
This British light cruiser was on Il
certain northern patrol when she
sighted a seemingly innocent mer-
chant vessel flying a neutral flag.
The stranger obeyed a signal to heaVe
to. A very heavy sea was running,
but boat was sent out to examine
her papers. The examining officer
returned with the report that her pa
pers were not in order This made
1t necessary to invite her to a British
port for examination of her cargo.
The British cruiser ran up a signal
to that effect, with the order to fol-
low her at given speed. The
stranger got under way. But instead
of following, she left the.course and
made off at full speed in another di-
rection. A shot across her bows
stopped her. The British cruiser
steamed toward her and without
warning received salvo from con-
cealed guns-guns of a weight that
made it fair duel between the two.
In the running engagement that fol-
lowed, one by one the German guns
ceased to fire. Presently the white
flag of surrender was run up to her
mast. The British cruiser ceased fire.
The duel had been prolonged by n
growing storm which now made
physical communication between the
vessels almost impossible. Neverthe-
less, a boat set out with a boarding
party and at the risk of life of every
man on board ran alongside the Ger
man. After long fighting with tho
heavy seas the boats crew got safely
aboard her.
The captain of the British cruiser
,,,n IL nd FOR fhn air,nn1 frnIln fhn nffi1.nr.