Montevideo, Dec. 18.
Two terrific explosions of the ship's munitions stores tore gaping holes in her heavily armoured sides and the ship began to sink slowly and evenly unoil water rushed into the hold. The ship then listed sharply until her stern was under water. Minor explosions, believed to have been tor-edoes, could be heard just before the sank.
The German Embassy last night issued copies of a letter written to ihe Uruguayan Government yesterday by the commander of the Graf Spee who said he saw no alternative but to sink his ship. The letter complained against the failure of the Uruguayan Government to permit the Graf Spee sufficient time to repair damages suffered in the naval battle with three British cruisers last week.
Immediately after the first explosions all available ships in the port here rushed to the spa: where the Graf Spee was burning. Amon ships were the Uruguayan cruiser Uruguay and the Argentine gunboat Libertad Diplomatic quarters disclosed last night that German officials here refused to accept either internment of the Uruguayan ultimatum ordering the Graf Spee to leave Montevideo within 72 hours.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.