Evening journal., 1919-06-23
BIG EXPLOSION
IN SCAPA FLOW
Blast Heard Several Hours
After Sinking OF Ger
man Fleet
ANOTHER WARSHIP
GOES AGROUND

LONDON, June 22.-karlS o"'u"s
morning a violent explosion occurred
lose to-,he spot where one Of the Ger
man warships was sunk on saturday IN
seapa Flow. says Kirkw0ll dispa'oh
IN ihe Central News. \ huge column oil
,,.aier and debris were thrown up.
rho single German warship whlch
.om,ined anchored saturday night has
.-one aground. All the German creNa
nave been placed aboard tue D'l''s'i
battleship Royal Sovereign.
Arthur Pollen. The naval expert lh an
Interview in The Despatch regarding ule
sinking OF the German Warships III
,capa Flow, admires the spirit OF tile
Germans IN sinking their ships rdlher
han 10 allow them 70 pass into the pos
.esslon OF their enemies.
The article I'm the Despatch recalls
mat a writer in an evening paper re-
,enuy practically prophesied the ge-
,lructiou os the German ships. liiis
writer emphasized the case Of secreting
jamolition charges i'm "A MODERN war
.hip. adding: MANY people Ia the navy
believe that the ships left Germany
with dynamite charges already IN posi-
iion aud that when the decision OF the
peace Conference was announcer the
Scapa Flow would be the scene oil q
big pyroiechnic display
Commander KenwOrthy, NJ. p, told
ihe Despatch THAT II was easy to sink q
shin by opening the Kingston valves oi
removing the covers Of The condensers
rThe story is remarkable" said LORI
Sydenham Explosives could not have
been used a, they are believed 10 have
been removed. Assuming that tl'
Kingston valves were open, the shlp'
Avould not sink IN less than five hours
The loss OF the ships does not matter
but 90 is annoying that we were Out
wftied."
Commander Bellairs. NJ. p. declares
no witch from Tie guardboats coul'
haye prevented The scuttling o. IN
,bips. that therefore the sailors on th
spot are not 90 he blamed.
"The admiralty is responsible Com
mander Bellairs declared. Tor he,
made the armisticc but did not thinI
NJ the terms. The only lesson Is ina
the frst case OF police work Tor th
League OF Nations has been unsuccess
rul and that the Germn remains tru
lo type"
Admiral Sir Percy scott iniervieWe
by The sunday Times. regards The sins
ing Of the German ships as someihin
10 he expected.
1T serves Us right" he said "fo
trusting the Huns. They Shove
throughout The war that they were NJ
A., civilized race. and they never ougi
10 have been treated as such. They al
barbari1ns'
The Weekly Dispatch says that a.
cording 10 an officer who visited u
German fleet last month, the ships wh'
ihey arrived IN Scap2 fioNvi we
,earthed for explosives, but NOT sirl
GENTLY The admiralty officials made
hasfy survey ast November, but SIN
then everybody. including British OF
GER. were kept away because d W
the opinion of the government that u
Ships should not be treated as sure
dered until the peace conference h'
decided their fate.
"rhe public viii Insist upon the dl
closure OF the blunderer or blunderel
whose egregi0us trusifulness was
cynlcally abused says the Week
Dispatch in It's editorial comment. ."
the ships were IN the custody OF q
British navy as trustee for the Allies
most searching Investigation into @
nature OF the precautions taken obviou
iy T. necessary.