e their escape were among the eleven
which were separated from the rest of Germany's navy in the North
Sea at the outbreak of hostilities. They were, with the exception of
the _Dresden_, the _Leipzig, Nuernberg, Scharnhorst_, and _Gneisenau_.
It was weeks before they were first reported--on September 22 at
the harbor of Papeete, where they destroyed the French gunboat
_Zelie_, and after putting again to sea their location was once
more a mystery.

On the evening of November 1 a British squadron consisting of the
vessels _Good Hope, Otranto, Glasgow_, and _Monmouth_, all except
the _Good Hope_ coming through the straits, sighted the enemy. The
British ships lined up abreast and proceeded in a northeasterly
direction. The Germans took up the same alignment eight miles to the
westward of the British ships and proceeded southward at full speed.
Both forces opened fire at a distance of 12,000 yards shortly after
six o'clock off Coronel near the coast of Chile. The _Gneisenau_ was
struck by a 9.2-inch shot from the _Good Hope_. The _Scharnhorst_
and _Gneisenau_ picked the _Good Hope_ as their first target, but
finding that they could do no damage at that range and that they
were safe from the fire of the British ship, they came to within
6,000 yards of her. Her fire in reply was augmented by that of
the _Monmouth_. Excellent aim on the part of the Germans soon had
the _Good Hope_ out of action, and fire broke out aboard her. Soon
after general action her magazine exploded.

The _Monmouth_ then received the brunt of the fire from the German
ships, and came in for more than her share of the destructive fire,
being put virtually out of action, and at the same time there occurred
an explosion on board the _Good Hope_ and she sank immediately,
carrying Admiral Cradock to his death.

There remained of the British force only the _Otranto_--a converted
liner and not really a battleship of the line--the _Glasgow_ and
the hopelessly disabled _Monmouth_ to continue the fight with an
efficient German force. The British commander ordered the former
two to get away by making speed, but the officer in charge of the
_Glasgow_, paying no heed to the order, kept in the fight.

Dusk was then coming on and the _Glasgow_ sought to take advantage
of it by getting between the German ships and the limping _Monmouth_,
concealing the latter from them with her smoke. But the Germans
had now come to within 4,500 yards. To escape possible attack fro