AN ADMIRALTY ANNOUNCEMENT

On Thursday, September 10, the secretary of the British Admiralty made
the following announcement: "Yesterday and today strong and numerous
squadrons and flotillas have made a complete sweep of the North Sea up
to and into the Heligoland Bight. The German fleet made no attempt to
interfere with our movements and no German ship of any kind was seen at
sea."

That much patience had to be exercised by the seamen of the North Sea
fleet is evidenced by a letter in which the writer said to his family,
"If you want to get away from the excitement of war, you should be here
with me." This situation, of course, might be changed at a moment's
notice. The London Times said in September: "It is not to be wondered at
if our seamen today envy a little the old-time sailors who did not have
to compete with such things as mines, destroyers and submarines. In the
accounts of the old blockades we read how by means of music and dancing,
and even theatrical entertainments, the monotonous nature of the work
was counteracted, and the officers of the ships, including Nelson and
other great commanders, welcomed these diversions for the prevention of
the evils which might be bred by enforced idleness. It is a true saying
that everything that stagnates corrupts. There is no possible chance of
the crews of our modern vessels stagnating under the new conditions of
war. Whether engaged in blockading in the big ships, scouting in the
cruisers, or patrolling the coasts in the destroyers, the life is
described as tremendously interesting and exciting. There has been no
sense of monotony whatever. Indeed, the conditions are such that, were
it not obligatory for portions of every crew to take rest, all of them
would be continually on the alert. We may be certain that arrangements
have been made for ensuring that the crews obtain periods of relaxation
from the constant strain; but the only real change comes in the big
ships when they have of necessity to refill their bunkers."

LOSS OF THE CRUISER AMPHION

The cruiser Amphion was the first British war vessel lost in the war.
The survivors on landing at the North Sea port of Harwich, England,
on August 10, stated that hardly had they left Harwich than they
were ordered to clear the decks for action. They sighted the German
mine-laying vessel Koenigin Luise, and, as it refused to stop even when
a shot was fired across its bows, they gave chase.

The German ship fired and the