Omaha daily bee., 1917-10-22
SURV|V0RS0F'
GERMAN RAID
, REACH PORTS
Teutons Violate All Rules Of
Sea Warfare by Firing on
Sinking Men; Great
Hardships.
(Ry Associated Press,1

Narrowing tales are related by, the
survivors of the eleven British and
Swedish steamers sunk by two armed
German raiders Wednesday in the
North Sea.
While all on the two destroyers
:were>lost in a gallant effort to hold
the Germans at bay until the mer-
chant vessels could escape,~reports
from various points show THAT num-
bers of the merchant, crews have
reached port after undergoing the ut
most suffering on the open sea.
Left Crews to Drown.
The official statement says;
Anxious to make good their escape
before British forces could intercept
them, no effort was made to rescue
the crews of the sunken British de-
stroyers and the Germans left the
doomed merchant ships while these
were still sinking, thus enabling the
British patrol craft, which arrived
shortly afterward, Ito rescue somer
thirty Norwegians and others, regard
ing whom the details are not yet
known. The German navy by this
act once more and further degraded
itself by this disregard ofithe hostoric
chivalry of the sea.
One Hundred and Forty-fve Lost.
"The German official communique
on this subject states that the attack
took place within territorial waters in
the neighborhood of the Shetland
island and that all the esqort vessels,
including the destroyerS were sunk
with the exception of one escort fish
ing steamer. The statement as to
the locality of the attack is untrue,
as is also the statement regarding the
destruction of the escort vessels.
THE enemy raiders succeeded in
evading the British watching squad
rons on long, dark nights, both on
their hurried Outward dash and their
homeward fight.
1T is regretted that all the eighty
eight officers and men of his majesty's
service Mary, Rose and forty-seven
officers and men of his majesty's serv-
ice StrOn@ BOW were !osI.
Thirty-Seven Rescued.
Christiania, Oct. 20.-The admiral
in command reports the rescue Cf 81
men from the steamers sunk by the
German raiders. The following, de-
tails are given:
Rescued from Norwegian steam
ers:, Kristine, one man; Serhaug
$500 tons), II men; Silja, seven;
Hahil, seven.
From Swedish steamers: Wikan-
der, two rnes; Wistur, nine.
Fire After Surrender.
"a dispatch from Bergen says that
several survivors arrived there last
night and related narrowing stories
of their two days sufferings and pri-
vations in small boats before landing.
The captain of one of the Norwegian
steamers, the sole survivor of that
vessel, said he ordered his crew into
the boats. hut the Germans began fir
ing Immediately. After the boats
were oy.ered shell hit one and
killed nine men.
Ignore Desperate Plea.
"The crew in despair returned to
the steamer and signalled to the Ger
mans to cease firing, but their appeal
was not needed. The bridge, was
then hit and knocked overheard with
the captain and the, rest of the crew.
The captain managed to save himself
by swimming to raft and he was
picked up two hours later by a boat
from one of the other Sunken steam
ers.
1T is reported from Utvar that u
men from British destroyer arrived
here at 8 o'clock Friday morning. 1t
was at this port that a Norwegian
torpedo boat touched, with 3? sur
vivors from various sunken steamers"
London. Oct. 20.-Ten of the crew
of the British destroyer Mary Rose,
probably tn only survivors on that
vessel, have reaciled Bergen,