The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-23

crowded with men and bundles.
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 COM
mand of a division of interned
{ destroyers.
3 "We are not bolsheviki,' he
said. peace Was sioned today. Y
We had our orders and have car
ried them OUT ~
Heel Clicking and Salutins.
The Germans were not aware that
the armistice had been extended un-
til Monday and there was an almost
continuous heel clicking and salut-
ing 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 stag
gering under the weight of bundles
bigger than themselves, the salvage
representing everything 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 it's flag flying"
Such. however, was not the case,
as British sailors had boarded most
of the German ships and had hauled
down the flags before the vessels
went under. The prospect of salvag-
ing a few ships is fairly hopeful, the
Mail says. None has gone down in
really deep water. The beaching of
the sinking ships proved a difficult
and at times a dangerous matter.
Twenty Destroyers Beached.
One destroyer sank as it was being
towed ashore, British sailors on board
having scarcely time to jump clear be-
fore the craft went down. About twen-
ty destroyers out of the fifty that were
ternoon. The German crews which
were taken to the Victorious were later
transferred to other warships.
What was a crowded anchorage
this morning" wired Mail cores
pondent late on Saturday, rs a desc
here and there the masts of a sunken
German ship marking the final resting
place of a once proud and mighty high
seas fleet"
One of the Mails correspondents who
watched the sinking ships from the
looked the anchorage, writes:
THE battleships as a rule gradually
submerged until their decks were al
most awash. Then they turned turtle
and went quickly out of sight there
being slight boiling of the sea at in
tervals for several hours and blush
sllum on the water caused by the re-
lease of oil. These were all that marked
the spot where the ships had gone
down, The light cruisers settled ,oS nS
the stern or bows and some times lOO
feet of the hull of one of these SHIPS
projected into the air like huge whales
leaping from the water:
photographer Cheated.
when the last sinking pattieshlp
disappeared drifter and a trawler
were at work alongside and destroyer
was standing by, evidently making an
attempt to tow the battleship INTO
shallow water A long splash between
the destroyer and the ship snoweu .i unal
shin canted violently, the drifter moved |
off and before a photographer oeslae |
tha writer was able to change a piatc |
in his camera, not single vestige Oh
the battleship remained.
"A number of German sailors came |
to the pier at Houston this afternoon, |
but were not permitted to land. being !
directed to the flagship.
Red Flag Was Signal.
Strong patrols were landed from the !
fleet and took positions along the |
beach. presumably to deal with any /
German swimmers who came ashore"
A Thurso dispatch to the Mail says the |
the German flagship ran up !
the red flag, twenty or thirty British |
destroyers and trawlers were patrollirg !
in and out of the German lines. A /
rush of Germans to the boats followed |
the signal. but the capacity of the |
boats was limited. as their number !
Germans wore life belts and those un-
able to enter the boats leaped into the !
sea without hesitation In the mean
time guard ships and several destroyers ,
patrol boats and pinnaces dashed in all
directions picking up the Germans from
the water.
1T is common knowledge here" the |
says, that the behaviour Of |
the crews of the German ships has
been growing progressively worse. The |
first few weeks after the armistice men
from the German ships were allowed |
to land on the island, but very soor |
farmers complained OF the loss of sheep.
Leave for the Germans was thereupon /
only one boat being allowed
to es-sa squadron"