Jt ? i' i HOIBMIV- i? -WKWR , - " PA ." TrlCtortirSectfoii 'EVENING EDOERr-PHILADELPHIA,. 'M0NB3X OCTOBER 9, 1017 GERMANY "When Germany decided the latter part of January to begin a ruthless cam n? nSSSS.li.ji calculated they could sink an average of 600,000 tons per mo REPUBLIC ? German authorities calculated they could sinican avwugc ui ,, um8. per mow L ""." i,, onriv r, nnn.nnn tons of shinning could be sent to the iWu of the ocean-then the Allies would be robbed of the millions of Ions of goods whicj these ships could carry." (By CAFZL, w.AgkermaN f Copyright. 1817, Oaorc II. Dorn Company. LT " 1 1 I, : " Jt During the Two Years of Hit-and-Miss Submarine Campaigns Germany Had Learned That It Was Too Costlu, in Ships and Trained Crews, to Continue Attacks on a Large Scale Against s the Splendidly Defended British Isles All Teuton Devices Failed to Break Through This Lesson, Ojice Learned, Determined Von Tir . pitz and His Cohorts to Insist Upon an Un limited Warfare Against All Merchant Ship ping Regardless of Nationality and in Parts of the Oceaii Where It Would Be Impossible for England to Combat tl'ie U-Boats SUBMARINE warfare is a very exact and difficult science. Besides the skilled captain, competent first officers, wireless operators and Artillerymen, engineers arc needed. Each man, too, must be a "seadog." Soma of the smaller submarines toss like tubs when they reach the ocean, and only toughened seamen can stand the "wear and tear." Hence the weeks and months which are 'neces sary to put the men in order before they leave home for their first excursion in sea mur'der. But Germany has learned a great deal during two years of hit-and-miss submarine campaigns. When Von Tirpitz began in 1915 he ordered his men to work off the coasts of England. Then ao many submarines were lost it became a dangerous and expen sive military operation. The Allies began to use great steel nets, both as traps and as protection to warships. The German navy learned this within a very short time, and the military engineers were ordered to perfect a torpedo which would go through a ste -1 net The first invention was a torpedo with knives on the nose. When the nose hit the net there wa3 a minor explosion. The knives were sent through the net, permitting the torpedo to continue on its way. Then the Allies doubled the nets, and two sets of knives were attached to the German torpedoes. But gradually the Allies employed nets as traps. These were anchored or dragged by fishing boats. Some submarines have gotten inside, been juggled around, but have escaped. More, perhaps, have been lost this way. Successfully Baffling the V-Boats Then, when merchant ships began to carry armament, the peii scopes were shot away, so the navy invented a so-called "finger periscope," a thin rod pipe with a mirror at one end. This rod Sould be shoved out from the top of the submarine and used for observation purposes in case the big periscope was destroyed. From time to time there were other inventions. As the submarine fleet irew the means of communicating with each other while submergW t sea were perfected. Copper plates were fastened fore and aft "on the outside of submarines, and it was made possible for wireless messages to be sent through the water at a distance of fifty miles. A submarine cannot aim at a ship without some object as a sight. So one submarine often acted as a "sight" for the sub marine firing the torpedo. Submarines, which at first were unarmed, were later fitted with armor plate and cannon were mounted on deck. The biggest submarines now carry six-inch guns. Like all methods of ruthless warfare, the submarine cam- JL a v. Ah jfliBss S wawwSs 1 -I WM J'i wm-aflilBai jj fQ HIE ,wMnjnMfOSMaHBF I JMI I 1 i wiforafta ral JUL ilT Wl CjvMmwI& ar?S3&Dm ' &$Mw$&ffiM MlWiiiIp SiSlF&A ssfeffiaaa M stater. :MtoM!:4ltS ' liiwW 4iwWim JMMJBMt'mm i a German "potato card" ' v?4 iwlkmffl&Wml m i IRANI i paign can be and will be for a time successful. Germany's subma rine warfare today is much more successful than the average person realizes. By December, 1916, for instance, the submarines were sinking a half million tons of ships a month. In January, 1917, more than 600,000 tons were destroyed. On February nearly 800,000 tons were lost. The destruction of ships means a corie sponding destruction of cargoes, of many hundreds of thousands of tons. When Germany decided the latter part of January to begin a ruthless campaign German authorities calculated they could sink an average of 600,000 tons per month and that in nine months nearly 6.000,000 tons of shipping could be sent to the bottom of the . ocean then the Allies would be robbed of the millions of tons of goods which these ships could carry. In any military campaign, one of the biggest problems is the tiansportation of troops and supplies. Germany during this war has had to depend upon her railroads; the Allies have depended upon ships. Germany looked at her own military situation and fcaw if the Allies could destroy as many railroad cars as Germany expected to sink ships, Germany would be broken up and unable to continue the war, Germany believed ships weie to the Allies what railrotd carriages are to Germany. The General Staff looked at the situation from other angles. During the winter there was a tremendous coal shortage in France and Italy. There had been coal riots in Paris and Rome. The Italian Government was so in need of coal that it had to confiscate even private supplies. The Grand Hotel in Rome, for instance, had to give up 300 tons which it had in its coal bins. In 1915 France had been importing 2,000,000 tons of coal a month across the Channel from England. Because of the ordinary loss of ton nage the French coal imports dropped 400,000 tons per month. Germany calculated that if she could decrease England's coal exports 400,000 tons a month by an ordinary submarine campaign she could double it by a ruthless campaign. "In any military campaign one of the biggest problems Is the transportation of troops and supplies. Germany during the war had to depend upon her failroads." Geimany was looking forward to the Allied offensive which was expected this spring. Germany knew that the Allies would need troops and ammunition. She knew that to manufacture ammu nition and war supplies coal wa3 needed. Germany calculated that if the coal importations to France could be cut down a tons a month France would not be able to manufacture the nffl sary ammunition for an offensive lasting several months. German Expectations From "Ruthlcssness" Germany knew that England and France were importing uh sands of tons of war supplies and food from the United SUtJ Judging from the uerman newspapers wnicn i read at this taS every One in uermuay uuu um juijjicDaivm uiub me IOOQ EKUl in England and France was almost as tiaa as in Uermany. Ei Ambassador Gerard had somewhat the same impression. Whw left Germany for Switzerland on his way to Spain he tooV in cases of cgg3 which he had purchased in Denmark. One nisM a reception in Berne one of the American women in the GenH party asked the French Ambassador whether France really enough food. If the Americans coming from Germany ha4 impression that the Allies were sorely in need of supplies can see how general the impression must have been througlifi Germany. J When I was in Paris I was surprised to see so much ft2 and to see such a variety. Paris appeared to be as normal in tfi lespect as Copenhagen or Rotterdam. But I was told by America women who were keeping house there that it was becoming morj and more difficult to get food. After Congress declared war it became evident for the fir! time that the Allies really did need war supplies and food frts the United States more than they needed anything else. LondS and Paris officials publicly stated that this was the kind of aid tlj Allies really needed. It became evident, too, that the Allies mS only needed the food, but that they needed ships to carry suppliS across the Atlantic. One of the first things President Wilson da was to approve plans for the construction of a fleet of 3000 wood ships virtually to bridge the Atlantic. i (CONTINUED TOJIORnOW) PICTORIAL PRESENTMENTS OF PERSONS AND PLACES OF PRESENT PROMINENCE r WM i ! ! ! , .1 .m I I - ... ,., ,. ,. ... , I' ' ' I ! I I - II. ! ... ! .1 . ' fpu PROMISING ASPIRANTS FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL GRIDIRON CHAMPIONSHIP - RED CROSS WORKERS SELL PIPES -TO AID OUR SOLDIER MEN yamaBmamWm The football squad of Frankford High is out for the honors of the 1917 season. It is showing Mrs. F. S. McCormick (left) and Miss B. Phillips (right), members of Independence ' yHHHMHHV. K00d results under the Gaining of Coach Williamswho appears in the front row, wearing a white Square Auxiliary, No. 276, are disposing of these ''smokirs'' delights?" made from moch ,, .(Wis'it HxrrU tint u. AUKS, W tOK EVER SOLDIER AND SAILOR 4n4 wiik&ftt uk Joseph Lee, of Uotvon, president of the Play- itrotMi afti MtvrMtion 4ct-iili'n o- '' -" .-blisn a fttnd inWnt 0 ptwM wft itm,, commrcit eciention center in every nulHmry ad nanl cMJiwurik- HEP! HEP! HEP1 HERE COME TllE MEN OF DUNMOltE The delegation from tne ihnving coal-mining town of Lackawanna County made a brave showing as they matehed to their training quarters at Camp Meade, so the. Eyenjnu ceCer photographer couldn't resist the chance to snap them. , J-, A JL!" LoKjUSTlcE band i to wWnK- ,X ?BUin' i.o accompanied her hue- Vt$Y - of iDT 31, fife. ' i , . ) ' i P '
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers