Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-10-21
Two Raiding Cruisers Sink Two Destroyers and Nine
 Neutral Vessels.
GREAT AIR VICTORY
 FOR THE ALLIES
Zeppelins on HOmeward Journey Met by French AirJnen and Destroyed. Russian Situation I'm Riga
 Gulf Considered Serious.
Associated Press Summary.)

Associated Press Summary.)
 Germany scored on the water in Saturdays news developments which recorded the breaking up of merch- antconvoy in the North sea by raiding cruisers that sank two British destroy CTS and nine of the twelve conveyed ships. She suffered little less than dis, aster in the air, however, when four and probably five Zeppelin airships believed to be returning from a raid on England were brought down in French territory by airplanes and anti aircraft gunfire.
 Cost of Sea Tragedy.
 The sea tragedy cost the British the lives of 135 of the officers and men on the desroyers who were left to the fate by the German raiders in the haste to escape, as were the crews of the sinking merchantmen. About 100 known to have reached the shore in boats or on British patrol craft. All except three of the raiding ships were Eof Scandinavian nationality, most -of them apparently being small vessels. The character of the raiding warships is not apparent. The British admir-. atty describes them as very fast and heavily armed, while Berlin refers to them as Flight sea fighting forces.'' They escaped the vigilance of the Brit ish guard ships under cover of dark ness both on their outward and home. ward trips.
 Zeppelin's Downed.
 The story of Germany's reverse in the air began with the account of the raid on England last night, in which the bombs the Zeppelins dropped kill- ed 27 persons and injured 63 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, however, declared them to be the raiders returning from England. They had appeared over French territory 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. If, as appears from the dispatches, these were the airships which raided England, and their struggle to get over German territory was long and des- perate one, for those brought down were far from the sea when they fell. One of them was chased over several district of central France before being finally disposed of. The fact that none of them dropped any bombs in France seems to indicate that they had exhausted their supply previously.
 Germans Lay Mines.
 The situation of the minor Russian fleet which was caught by the Ger mans in the waters around the Gulf of Riga is apparently desperate one. The Germans have sown mines south of Moon sound to block an exit to the Russians, while they are closing the route to the north by their operations for taking possession of Dago island, which Berlin reports today, are pro- ceeding according to the German plan.
 On the western fighting front artil- lery battles continue, both in Flanders and the Aisne region. but no infantry operations of moment are reported. In none of the other war areas eth. CT have the operations been Of . na- ture to commend special attention.