Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-23
MORE SHIPS.
ARE SUNK BY.
FOE, REPORT.
Sinkings at Kiel Follow
Scuttling of Fleet at
Scapa Flow.

WO1mdrs SuHO5!s June Z@~-
(By the Associated Press.)-
The German warships which
were not surrendered to the
allies and which have been an
chOred off kiel, Wfhemshaven
and other points, have been
sunk by German sailors man.
ming them, according to a re-
port received here from a re-
liable authority.
According to the reports there
were II German war vessels, be-
sides deStroyers, which were in
German water, not having been
turned over to the entente uH-er
the armistice provisions.
German Sailors Killed.
London, June 23.-Although re-
ports have stated that six Germans
were killed and 10 wounded when
the boats of the German fleet IN
Scapa Flow were fired upon sub
sequent to the scuttling of the Ger
man fleet, the Daily Mail says tIlaI
others may have been drowned and
that some may have possibly escap
ed to the Orkney islands, and as yet
have not been recaptured. A force
of the British fleet was absent wnen
the ships were sunk, only some
drifters, small warships and pa
trolling aircraft being on guard
over the interned enemy squadron.
Admiral Won Beuter, commander
of the surrendered German fleet,
says he issued an order to sink the
ships, the Daily Mail adds, and did
so because at the beginning o. -.e
war, the German emperor directed
that no German warship should rali
into the enemy's hands. He says
that he believed, from newspape
reports. that the armistice had
been ended.
SignaIIed to Ships.
Admiral Won Reuter- visited Ger
many some weeks ago, it being un-
derstood at the time that the reason
for his trip there was that he was
ill, but he soon returned, and ii is
believed that at that time he cir
culated the order to sink the Ger
man ships by evading the censor
ship or making signals to the va
rious vessels. The Mail quotes the
admiralty as denying that the Ger
man crews were periodically
changed and saying that the origin
al crews remained on board the YES
sells. There were from $50 to 200
men on the big ships and from 10 to
20 on board the destroyers. There
fore there were nearly 5000 in the
water or in the ships bows when
the fleet was sunk. Fourteen hun
dred were landed by the British on
Sunday at Nigg, on the northern
shore of Cromarty Firth. They were
placed in hutments and are being
held under military guard.
Whole Fleet Goes Down.
From the behavior of the ships,
according to the Mail, it was evil
dent that the sea valves had been
opened and in a surprisingly short
time the vessels, big and small, be-
gan to settle down. Every effort was
made by the British naval craft to
beach the sinking ships, and in the
case of destroyers, considerable
success was achieved. BY l o'clock
in the afternoon, however, what an
hour before had been a stately fleet
riding calmly at anchor, was an ar
ray of reeling, rocking battleships.
the doom of which was written in
their movements.
The Derfflinger, Hindenburg, Won
Der Tam, Moltke and Seydlitz set
tied down beside each other, the
last named turning turtle as she
filed with water. Her keel is still
showing where she capsiZed. The
waters of Scapa Flow were dotted
with the small boats full of men
who had with dramatic suddenness
settled the question of the disposi- !
lion of the interned ships.
The first boat load was towed |
along side of H. M. S. Victorious by
a drifter, a German officer in the ,
boat ordering his men to cheer |