The British squadron went into action unexpectedly and so short of coal that some of them had to burn their boats and everything else combustible that could be spared, according to details of the battle furnished by the captain of the British steamship Orissa, which arrived at Punta Arenas irom the Falklands to-day.
On the other hand, the German ships, which apparently were bent on seizing the islands and destroying the wireless station, blundered into a fatal trap in the belief that they had cornered the Canopus, the only vessel of the late Admiral Cradock's squadron they had not engaged.
"On the afternoon of the 7 said the Orissa's captain, an English squadron arrived at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, to take coal and supplies. It was com-mendsd by Admiral Sturdee, and consisted of the battleship Canopus, the battle cruisers Invincible and Inflexible, and the Kent, Cornwall, tol, and Glasgow. The squadron was bound for the Pacific.
"On the morning of the ath, while some of the ships were Port Stanley taking on supplii and others were neighbouring island cruised outside the Roar at Port Stanley on guard duty. The crew of the battleship made out a warship nearing the bay. A few minutes later they described four more ships of the German squadron, commanded by Vice-Admiral von Spee, and composed of armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the cruisers Tal lands of Juan Fernandez on November 18, heading for Cape Horn and the Falklands. Apparently the plan of the German s! wat to seize the islands and destroy the wireless station.
Von Spee's Mistake.
Seeing only the Canopus cruising along the coast, Admiral von Spee must have assumed that she was alone, and he promptly disposed his squadron to cut off the battleship's escape. The Canopus began the action as the Germans closed in. In a short while, however, the other British vessels came around both sides of the island at full speed and belching dense clouds of smoke. Then the Germans realized that instead of trapping the Canopus they themselves had been frappe transport that accompanied the German squadron got away. The onllivrs, refusing to surrender, were sunk after their crews, consisting of 100 men, had taken to boats and been picked up.
"Throughout the action—the h ships were short of coal,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.