The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1919-06-25

cording to the Mail, it was evident the
sea valves had been opened and in
surprisingly short time the vessels,
big and small, began to settle down.
Every effort was made by the British
naval craft to beach the sinking
ships, and in the ease Of destroyers
considerable success was achieved, At
I o'clock in the afternoon, however,
what an hour before had been state
~ feet riding calmly at ~ hor, was
an array Of Keeling. rocking battle
ships, the doom Of which was written
in their movements.
Plunged to Death.
Here a destroyer would disappear
amid a cloud of steam, and there
battleship would take her last plunge
and disappear in a cloud of spray.
One would settle down at the stern
and another would heel over until
only the keel showed above the water.
The Derffiinger, Hindenburg, VonDer
Tam, Moltke and Seydlitz settled
down beside each other, the last
named turning turtle as she filled
with water. Her keel is still show
ing where she capsized. The waters
of Scapa Flow were dotted with small
boats full of men who had with dra-
matte suddenness settled the question
of the disposition of the informed
ships.
The first boat load was lowed
alongside the H. NJ. S. Victorious by
drifter, a German officer in the
boat ordered his men to cheer. They
responded with three vigorous
"Hochs."
Craft of every description followed
fast to the side of the war ship each
towing boat loads of Germans who
were taken on board the Victorious,
the decks of which soon became
crowded with men and hunbles.
A German officer who came aboard
wore a sword and seemed to wish to
make an impressive ceremony by
handing it over to an officer who had
been in command of a division of in
termed destroyers.
Carried Out Orders.
"We are not Bolsheviki," he said.
peace was signed today. We had
our orders and have carried them
out"
The Germans were not aware that
the armistice had been extended until
Monday and there was an almost con-
tinuous heel-clicking and saluting as
the officers of various ships greeted
each other on coming aboard. That
the Germans were ready for the
event was apparent from the amount
and variety of the gear they had
with them, some seamen staggering
under the weight of bundles bigger
than themselves, the salvage repre-
senting every thing from banjos to
pet dogs. Both the officers and men
seemed very anxious that none of
their ships should be saved.
| One officer who wore the iron cross,
pointed to the sinking ships and said:
"See how the German navy goes down
with its flags flying"
Such, however, was not the case,
as British sailors he'd boarded most
of the German ships and had hauled
down the flags before the vessels
went under.
Water Isn't Deep.
The prospect of salvaging a few
i ships is fairly hopeful, the Mail says.
None has gone down in really deep
water The Bleaching of the sinking
ships proved a difficult and at times
dangerous matter. One destroyer
sank as it was being towed ashore,
British sailors on board having scarce
ly time to jump clear before the craft
went down. About twenty destroyers
out of fifty that were informed were
beached during the day. The German
crews which were taken to the Vic
torious were later transferred to the
other warships.
what was a crowded anchorage
this morning." wired a Mail CORE
spondent, late Saturday, "is a desc
i late expanse of water tonight, with
here and there the masts of sunken
German ship marking the final resting
place of once-proud and mighty high
seas feet"
One of the Mails correspondents
who watched the sinking ships from
the air station at Houton, which
overlooks the anchorage, writes:
e "The battleships as a rule grad
!. ually submerged until their decks
e were almost awash. Then they turned
turtle and went quickly out of sight