The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-04-23
GERMAN BOATS SHELL
ENGLISH AND FRENCH
PORTS SATURDAY
Calais, France, April 2l.-German
torpedo boat destroyers today fred
100 shells in the region OF Calais.
Some civilians were killed Twelve
persons were slightly wounded.

Calais is the western terminal Of the
main railroad artery that supplies the
British armies on the Lens-Arras bat
tie front in Northwestern France.
Ii is possible that the German dcs-
troyers which escaped in the darkness
from the Dover battle were the YES
sells which bombarded Calais, direct
ing their shells on the town while
skirting the coast on their return to
naval bases
London, April IA German Of
fetal statement describing the recent
naval raids in the English Channel
says that British outpost vessel off
Dover was destroyed, that British
scouting, vessel was sunk by torpedo
and that several others were heavily
damaged and one probably sunk.
The German statement also says
that as no enemy warships were en-
countered south OF the Thames, the
German dcstroyers had to be content
with bringing in some prisoners from
merchantmen. The Germans admit
the loss Of two OF their destroyers.
With respect to this statement, the
British admiralty says that no il
vessels Of any sort were sunk or even
seriously damaged, and that the Ger
mans captured only three men of an
abandoned barge
The German statement reads:
German light forces on Friday
night advanced in the eastern channel
and toward~the mouth of the Thames.
The fortresses of Dover and Calais
were effectively taken under fire at
short range, with altogether $50 shots.
An outpost vessel met off Dover was
destroyed
When. on the return, no other en-
envy was sighted, portions of our for
ces uder command of Capt. Gautier,
turned back and cruised again to-
ward the outlet of the channel. They
encountered east of Dover a greater
number of destroyers and scouting
vessels. Sharp engagements at the
closest range followed.
One enemy scouting ship was
sunk by torpedo and several others
were heavily damaged by artillery
hits and one probably was sunk.
OF our torpedo boats, the G-85 and
G-4z have not returned from these en-
gagements and must be considered
lost All the other vessels returned
unchanged without losses.
Portions of our forces which
pushed forward south of the Thames
mouth met no enemy war vessels and
could only bring in some prisoners of
merchantmen"
The British admiralty appends to
this communication the FOLLOWING
The statements contained in the
foregoing official statement are not in
accordance with the facts. No British
vessels OF any sort were sunk or even
seriously damaged. The only British
force that came into contact with the
hive German destroyers was composed
OF two destroyers' leaders with the re-
suits already published 1.-TWO German
destroyers and possibly three sunk !;
ten German officers and 108 men saw
ed.)
The inference implied in the Ger
man message that the enemy was anx-
lous tor an encounter with our patrols
is not borne out from the fact that the
engagement lasted only few minutes
after which the remnant of the enemy
made off at high speed and owed their
escape to the darkness.
With regard to the last paragraph
in the German communicate, the sole
results of the German raids appears
to have been the capture of three men
OF the crew of the barge Ivernia,
which was found abandoned