The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-04
Latest Reprts Show
 Germans Severely Handled
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(COntinued from Page One) Lambert Hood, second in command to | Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty, and Captains Sowerby, Cay and Prowse were lost with many others whose names are not yet known, because the ] government has not so far issued any casualty list. There were no surren-
 ders, and the ships which went down
 carried with them virtually their whole
 crews. Only the Warrior, which was lowed part way from the scene of bat | tie to a British port, was an exception. 1 Of some thousand men on the Queen Mary only a corporais guard is ac- counted for The same is true of the Invincible, while there are no survivors reported from the Indefatigable. the Defense or the Black Prince.
 It is impossible to visualize any CO., herent story of the great battle, which lasted many hours, with the different
 units at times fighting scattered en- gagements. The British and German reports contradict each other flatly on the main fact The British assert that the German fleet retired when the Brit ish battleships appeared, while the German official statement maintains that the German forces were in battle with the entire British fleet.
 The British assert that they had only 1 two divisions engaged and that all the units of these were not able to par l ticipate in the fighting and, further more, that Admiral Sir John Jellicoe commander of the grand fleet swept ! it thoroughly in search of enemy ships ! and survivors.
 The Kings message to Admiral Jel- l licoe states that the Germans robbed ! the British of the opportunity of gain
 ing a decisive victory by retiring inn mediately after the opening of the gen.
 eral engagement.
 I DETAILS NOT KNOWN i Vice Admiral Beatty. commanding the | battle cruiser squadron, presumably on his old flagship, the Lion, was again in l the thick of the action.a Every arm or the most powerful naval warware was employed -battleshps cruisers, torpedo boats destroyers, submarines and even Zeppelins. Whether most of the destruc- l ton was accomplished by gunfire or tor pedoes is not yet known British officers say that the battle was fought by the methods known and practced by all navies. There were no surprises and no new devices of weapons or strategy. How far the Zeppelins contributed to the German successes is a matter of dis
 pute. Only one airship came within sight ,, according to the British accounts, and she was soon badly damaged and with drew. But the Germans lay stress on the aid rendered by their air service, and neutrals report the presence of six Zep- pelins in the North sea. The popular belief among the British public is that scouting Zeppelins kept the German fleet informed by wireless of the approach of their enemy of his number and forma- ton.
 From survivors come thrilling stories of the horrors and humanities of the
 terrible battle. The British destroyer Shark acted as decoy to lead the Ger
 man ships into the engagement. She was battered to pieces by gunfire. and a half dozen sailors, picked up clinging to buoy by Danish ship, tell of her com mander and two seamen serving her only remaining gun to the last minue, when the commanders leg was blown off
 DRAMATIC STORIES TOLD
 There are stories of ships sinking with great explosion: of crews going down
 singing the national anthem: of mer- chant ships passing through a sea thick with floating bodies.
 A lifeboat with German survivors from the German cruiser Elbing rescued Sur geon Burton of the British destroyer Tip perary. He had sustained four wounds Two well-known London clergymen who had volunteered to serve as chaplains at the beginning of the war, Mr. Lyn- dell and MT. Lepatourel, both of the Church of England, are among the miss ing. Mr. Lyndell is nephew of Field Marshal Viscount French. He was to have been married at London Monday
 Portsmouth is town of mourning
 Three thousand of the men who went into the battle came from Portsmouth and most of them leave families.
 The admiralty has been crowded all day with anxious men and women of all classes trying to learn the fate of rela- tives. Only the names of surviving offi- cers were published today. Many per- sons who have relatives and friends in the navy are ignorant of what vessels they are serving on. Accurate casualty lists cannot be issued until the identity is known of the survivors who have been taken to Holland and Scandinavian ports.
 The admiralty has no information con. cerning a report that the German dread naught Hndenburg was sunk.
 FIRST OFFICIAL DETAILS
 London, June 3.-The first official account in detail of the North sea bat tie was given to the Associated Press today by a high official at the ad- miralty. It was noticeable that among admiralty officials who, of course, hava access to all the official reports, the opinion was general that the depression caused by the first rnouncement of the result of the engagement was not jus tihied. in the light of subsequent de- tails
 The Associated Press is informed that future details will have even a more heartening effect than the news Q s