Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-10-26
GERMANY SINKS L
. SHIPS IN NORTH SEA
SEA RAIDERS BREAK UP BRITISH
coNvOY-135 LIVES LOST
2 DEsTRoYERs FAIL.
FOUR ZEPS BROUGHT DOWN
Send 9 Merchantmen Down-French
Wreck Aircraft-Russians in Sad
PIight-Part Of Fleet Trapped
in Moon Sound.

On the water in Saturdays news
developments, which recorded the
breaking up of a merchant convoy
in the North sea, raiding cruisers of
Germany sank two British destroyers
and nine of the IL conveyed ships.
Germany suffered little less than
disaster in the air, however, when
four and probably five Zeppelin air.
ships, believed to be returning from
raid on England, were brought
down in French territory by airplane
and anti-aircraft gunfire.
The sea tragedy cost the British
the lives of 1876 officers and men on
the destroyers, which were left to
theof fate by the German raiders, as
were the crews of the sinking mer-
chantmen. About 100 of the merchant
| sailors, however, are known to have
reached the shore in boats or on
British patrol craft All but three
of the trading ships were of Scandi-
navian nationality, most of them ap-
parently being small vessels.
German Ships Speedy
| The character of the raiding war
ships is not apparent. The British
admiralty describes them as very fast
and heavily armed, while Berlin in
its report refers to them as light
sea fighting forces They escaped
the vigilance of the British guard
ships under cover of darkness both
1 fhoir r1 nd ND
trips.
The story of Germany's reverse in
the air began with the account of a
raid on England recently, in which
the bombs the Zeppelins dropped
killed 81 persons and injured 90
others. Reports soon began to be
received, however, of Zeppelins being
brought down in France. These were
at first supposed to belong to an
independent raiding fleet. Dispatches
from France late in the day, how
ever, declared them to be the raid
ers returning from England. They
had appeared over French territory,
it was stated, and were scattered to
various parts of the country as the
alarm went out and the French air
men rose in swarms to attack them.
The Russian fleet which was
caught by the Germans in the waters
around the gulf Of Riga is apparently
in desperate situation. The Ger
mans have sown mines south Of Moon
sound to block an exit to the Rus
slant there, while they are closing
: the route to the north by their op-
erations for taking possession of
Dago island, which Berlin reports say
are proceeding according to the Ger
Y man plan.
/ On the western fighting front the
1 artillery battles are continuing both
Q in Flanders and in the Aisne region,
n but no infantry operation of moment
are reported. In none of the other
s war areas have the operations been
g of nature to command especial at.
j. tention.
9 Russian Ships Escape.
Petrograd-The Russians have sue
, ceeded in getting all their ships ex
;. cept observation elements out Of
= Moon sound without losses and in
= pcIACCI OIuCI, dCCOiuluS " Ill OIL
cial communication issued by the ma
= rine department. The communication
:, says that Oesel and Moon islands
= have definitely passed into the hand.
q Of the Germans, but that the mill
tary operations on Dago island ar.
q being hampered by typographical con
ditions, notably the marshy ground.
1855 Lives Lost at Sea.
London.-One hundred and fit,
lives were lost when five Norwegian
e one Danish and three Swedish vessels
were sunk by two German raiders il