Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-24


az Good luck from the ships COM
uan,es Of the escorting feet outside the
harbor. had scarcely got within sight OF
the light when it Was discovered py ehe
Germans Star shells instantly pieroeo
the thick haze, showing UP the cruiser as
rearIy as though it had been daylight
In one second it seemed as if every oat-
tory In the neighborhood had concentrated
its fire on the cruiser. How she was aoie
70 get ahead none of those watching he'
understood Great seventeen-inch sheiis
and others of smaller caliber flew aTouno
her like hail. She was apparently MT ny
some of the small ones, but she plugged
ahead and was seen to turn the corner
Of the mole and gain the inside OF the
harbor The German fire apparently was
detected from her vital parts by the IN.
tervening structure of the mole ana ulose
of the damage done was above the water
Disreearding all that had happened. the
cruiser went up to the mole and landed a
large party Of bluejacakets and MARINES.
The German defenders conceiweo inc and
according.to some OF the SURVIVORS, Tile
cry was heard:
"Its the Yankees"
TITS the Americans! It's the Yankees
Some of the Germans bolted en- maSse
from the nearest batteries. leaving tneif
guns to the British. The guns were de-
stroyed one by one, while others In the
landing party dealt with the sheds and
munition stores with fame throwers.
Apparently under cover of this opera
ton, continues the account sent by the
I,aiiy Chronicles correspondent, the
ooncrete-laden cruisers, with which ii
was intended to block the channels
made their way through the harbor, ac-
companied as far as it can be ascer-
they approached the entrance they
anchored, swung around on the cables
and. according to the testimony OF one
Of the observers. were sunk WITHIN
twenty-three minutes One OF the de-
stroyers or submarines exploded a
charge at the gates of the lock to the
Bruges canal and they are believed 10
have been destroyed.
Meanwhile four destrcyers entered the
harbor and cruised around. making OBJ
seryations, but were unable TO take
part in the battle.
When the attacking ship and its
landing party had completed their
work the sailors and marines were
taken aboard again despite the dam
aged condition of the cruiser. which
then began to make its way ont Of the
harbor.
One OF the 17-inch shells out Of
the hundreds of various calioers
fred at the cruiser got wen home In
her upper works Her steering gear
was injured and she signaled an escort
ship to show her the way out. but
before help arrived she had found her
way out and taken her place under
her own steam behind the lines q
protecting cruisers
Men Worked Like Trojans.
-.x.h.5 <ha opnrof} o,,
from an escorting ship said to the Daily
Chronicle correspondent:
when We saw the damage she had
suffered 1t seemed scarcely possible
that she was able to keep afoat. The
men below must have worked like
Tro1ans, for she was throwing flames
ten feet high from her tunnels and she
made the fastest time she probably
ever accomplished"
The narrator described the combined
noise Of the German gunf1re and the
SsEi.@ Oh Inc 'A''' GO
He added:
I'VE were only 400 or 500 yards away
afraid to FIRE shot. lest we reveal
our exact whereabouts to the enemy.
Apparently he nearly Judged it, for he
threw any humber of shells around us
At a moderate estimate between 5000
and 1000 shells were fred at the at
lacking squadron"
The German destroyer which was
sunk was rammed amidshipS and tor
pedoed. Those who returned to the
Kentish port also say that boarders
anchored in the harbor. taking them
completely by surprise. Some Of the
Germans hurried NJ to the hatchways
in their night clothes. but before they
could reach the decks the British
sailors knocked them on the head with
clubs and rifles and sent them tumbiing
down the hatchweys.
The return Of a damaged British cruiser
dispatches from Dover. Few of the crew
escaped injury Of some kind. while many
bodies were brought back and placed rev
$rently In a temporary mcrtuary.
The survivors were greeted with hearty
cheers from excited crowds who had
awaited news Of the fight eagerly since
they were awakened Monday midnight b.
the sound Of heavy gunfire. While the
action was in progress the tremendous ex'
blossoms were violent enough to shake
Nh1dings in Dover.
King George has telegraphed his con.
ordinations to Vice Admiral Reyes.
Articles by naval writer's and edi.
torials in the morning newspaper,
unteers who, carried out the raid
against Zeebrugge and Ostend and dis
cuss the probable import of thu
enterprise. Lieut.. Hobson's feat a.
Santiago and Admiral Togo's exploit
at Port Arthur are recalled as notable
presidents. but the landing on tn.
beach at Gallipoli Is regarded by som,
writer's as the only real parallel.
Fate of Two Crews Unreported.
Curiosity is expressed as to the fat,
Of the crews of the two old submarine!
which were assigned to blow up tn,
ptling at the approach to the mole a
Zeebrugge. Their devotion to dut.
appeals to the Imagination of thu
writer's. for 1t is assumed that they
voluntarily accepted almost certain
death, and that only by something akiI
to a mira Gle could those who remained
aboard to explode the charges hav'
survived.
Stories OF survivors who have arrived
at Dover flushed with belief in the full
success Of the expedition are not oorrob
GRATED in every detail by the officia
account. The reported destruction o,
the lock gates and the consequent
draining Of the Brugen canal lack con
nrmation. II substantiated, this pre-
sumably would be the greatest achieve
Estimates of the time the German,
will need to remove the obstruction.
from the channel and repair the dam
aged mole vary. Some assume tina
many days will Intervene, others man,
weeks. while still others seem to sup
pose that the damage cannot be re
paired for a very long time.
Beresford Lauds Achievement.
Admiral Lord Beresford in an inter.
view on the raid on the German sub.
marine bases while eulogizing the Zee
brugge achievement as a splendid