Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-01-12

| LOT new lofk. NOl Only uNl lHeSe
German battleships outnumber the
Americans two to one, but they We're
more heavily armed and more modern
| in construction, seven of them having
high explosive engines built OF Char
lottenburg steel and all carrying Char
lottenburg steel guns.
The fleets came into contact on
Wednesday before any actual declara-
ton Of war. The Americans had strung
out in the modern fashion at distances
of thirty miles or so and We're steam
| ing to keep themselves between the
Germans and either the eastern states
or Panama, because, vital as it was to
defend the seaboard cities, and partic-
ularly New York, 1t was still more
vital to save the canal from any attack
! that might prevent the return of the
main feet from the Pacific. No doubt,
said Kurt, this was now making rec
ords across that ocean, "unless the
Japanese have had the same idea as
the Germans" 1t was obviously be-
yond human possibility that the Ameri
can north Atlantic fleet could hope to
meet and defeat the German; but. on
the other hand, with luck 1t might
| fight delaying action and infict such
damage as to greatly weaken the at
tack upon the coast defenses. Its duty,
indeed, was not victory, but devotion,
the severest task in the world. Mean
while the submarine defenses Of New
| York. Panama and the other more vital
points could be put in some sort of
order.
This was the naval situation, and un-
til Wednesday in Whit week 1t was
the only situation the American people
had realized. 1t was then they heard
for the first time of the real scale of
the Dornhof Aeronautic park and the
possibility of an attack coming upon
them not only by sea. but by the air.
But 1t is curious that so discredited
We're the newspapers of that period
that large majority of New Workers,
for example, did not believe the most
copious and circumstantial accounts of
the German air fleet until 1t was ac
tually in sight of New York
Kurt's talk was half soliloQuy. He
stood with map on Mercator's pro-
| lection before him. swaying to the
swinging of the ship and talking of
guns and tonnage, of ships and their
build and powers and speed, of stra-
tegic points and bases of operation. A
certain shyness that reduced him to
the status Of a listener at the officers
table no longer silenced him.
Bert stood by, saying very little. but
watching kurts finger on the map.
They've been saying things like this
in the papers for long time" he re-
marked. Fancy it coming real.'
Kurt had detailed knowledge Of the
Miles Standish. "She used to be a
crack ship for gunnery-held the rec
ord. / wonder If we beat her shooting,
or how? l wish / was In it. l wonder
which of our ships beat her. Maybe
she got shell in her engines. It's
running fight! 1 wonder what the Bar
barossa Is doing" he went on. shes
my old ship. Not first rater, but good
stuff. l bet she's got a shot or two
home by now If old Schneiders up to
form. Just think of IT.! There they
are whacking away at each other,
great guns going, shells exploding.
| about like straw In a gale, all we've
been dreaming of for years! l sup
pose We shall fly right away to New
York-just as though it wasn't any
thing at all. suppose we shall reckon
we aren't wanted down there. It's no
more than a covering fight on our side.
ALI those tenders and storeships of
ours are going on southwest by west
to New York to make floating depot
for us. Seer He dabbed his forefinger
on the map. Here We are. Our train
Of stores goes there. our battleships el-
bow the Americans out Of our way
| there"
When Bert went down to the mems
mess room to get This evening ration
hardly an ice Of him ex-
----A ----- fnP an In