Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-25
WHEN GERMANY'S BIG FLEET
STRUCK COLORS TO ALLIES
Writer Pictures Der Tag" When the
Kaisers High Seas Navy Was Turned
Over In the Firth of Forth.
ny EDWARD PRICE BELL.

ny EDWARD PRICE BELL.
Especial Correspondence Of The Even
ing Star and Chicago Daily News')
ON BOARD THE FLAGSHIP NEW
YORK, Firth of Forth. Scotland. No
vember Give are under way, Sir
1t is 800"
Davis, my obliging young colored
attendant, had switched on the cleo
trio light and was speaking IN MS
soft tones in my ear. I rolled out
of my cot underneath the glistening
breech of a six-inch gun and dressed
hastily. 1t was 'deK tag" Germanys
high seas feet was coming to strike
it's colors and sink it's great amol-
lions in the green waters OF the
Firth of Forth.
On the deck of the New York;
broad deck ever whitening under the
scrubbing brush-I found supple hg-
ures passing to and fro In thick
sailor coats and rubber boots. 1t was
very dark and only running lights
were showing: Beyond the ION
liant, but we saw nothing of 1t ex.
cept an occasional silver blur. All
about US there was movement. small
craft in swarms had already put 70
sea; now the leviathans Of the Brit
ish and American fleets, anchors sus-
pended, were slipping in ghostlike
shapes, and as silently as ghosts,
toward blue water.
Through Nets and Up. VS."
I'VE are just about to pass the
nets" said a slight, sinewy sailor as
I drew near him on the port bow.
I'VE shall be lowering the P. VS. in
q moment"
"The nets" of course. were the
things that had kept the U-boats
from nosing into the Forth and tor
pedoing British warships. But what
were the "P. VS.? AS 1 quickly
learned. they were the perivanes-an
invention by a British naval ofi1cer
for guiding mines out Of the course
of a vessel and cutting them harm
lessly adrift.
There is q "P. "" on each side of
British or American vessel in mine
strewn waters. They look like torpe-
does. They are so constructed-wltn.
out essaying details-that they move
under the water at little distance
from the sides of the ship. and are
connected around the bow by cable
When the anchor chain of mine
strikes this cable. it is borne along
until it meets the perivane when IT
is cut and the mine sinks. The p.
"" works like a cowcatcher or a
snow pillow or a device on motor
omnibus for rolling fallen persons
from the path of the wheels
In the Open Sea.
Clear of the nets and with the peri
vanes in position. two lines OF capltai
ships stood out to sea. That on the
1f~n q m
south the blue" In the darkness they
were merely huge formiess blots,
against which cleaned few points
of light, and, from which now and
again burst electric Morse signals:
Straight ahead of the New York |
saw green light flashing. 1t marked
the spot, as the sailor told me, where
the mastheads Of the Campania pro-
truded from the water. Torn from
her moorings in storm. she had col
lided with battleship and gone
down. thus ending her days as an
aeroplane vessel.
Dawn stole falteringly over the sea.
Blue patches appeared among the
clouds. Rising breezes lifted the
waves into whitecaps and set them
tapping and singing along the great
hull Of the American flagship.
Flushes Of color began to form above
the horizon; shaft a,.u OF ST. s%n snii,s
ed shifting masses Of gold upon the
water. High above the deck on which
1 stood three large American nags
strained and Quivered from the cage
masts, against one of them the nag
of Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman. com
mander of the American battleship
squadron the sixth of the grand meet:
AS far ahead and astern as l could
see the line of great warships was
straight and unbroken, while on our
port flank screening destroyers lay
steadily on their course and securing
greater distance. On our starboard
hank we could see nothing but heav-
ing water. with deepening colorations
Of gold, for the blue" line was six
miles of and the morning was misty.
ave Have Found the Huns"
was in the wardroom eating the
best breakfast it had been my privi-
lese to eat in many a long day-and:
let me add. in delightfully."- congenial
company-when g commander bolted
in with the cry: We have found the
Huns" 1t was then $3.50 am. and
the most advanced destroyers. among
towing g. sausage balloon. had sig
nailed that they had established touch
with the late enemy at !:25.
AS I reached the deck. not many
minutes later, I found the gun crews
hurrying to their positions. Not
man believed the Teutons would fire
q shot. but every man. under orders.
was acting precisely as he would have
acted if it had been certain that a
mighty sea battle was at hand. More
over. our whole armament. like the
whole armament of the red" line and
the blue" was registered on that
course three miles away which the
German vessels were to be required
to follow. Our two lines were six
miles apart. so that it would have
been easy for both to pour their over
whelming fire upon the Huns without
endangering each other.
Overhead appeared an airshlp scout
ing for the German fleet. Heading
to starboard. to allow for the strong
breeze. it passed ahead. Sunshine
caught it, turning it's upright rud-
ders into points of glowing light.
Heliograph signals passed between it
and the feet. After a little it van
ished into the clouds ahead.
Then the Ships Appear.
In the foretop we watched and
waited. Below US. on the signal
deck, the signaling squad kept
changing the coding flags. At half
mast the long hulls of the Ger
man battle cruisers. cleaning white
on the port bow. came into view.
Sverhead was the scouting airship,
Wh;ch had turned with their leaders
Tn the forefront the Cardiff. com
manded by Rear Admiral Sinclair
showed the way At a short interval
there followed the Seydlitz (Which