The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-11-12
THE HAsKIN LETTER
SUBMARINE WARFARE

SUBMA RINE
BY Frederick
That naval warfare is entering up
on Q stage when mastery Of the sea is
to be won and maintained from the
depths of the sea, is an opinion
which was more and more confidently
given by certain marine experts dur
ing the last few. years before the war.
One English naval strategist has gone
SO far in his estimate Of the fighting
qualities of the submerged torpedo
craft, as to express the belief that
their invention has made the dread
[naught obsolete, that with the deadly
hidden deep sea wasps securing for
prey money is only wasted which Is
put into huge surface warcraft. 1t
was upon the effectiveness Of her
submarines that the Germans found
ed their hopes of being able to chal-
lenge Great Britain's regency Of the
seven seas.
The qualities OF the improved sub
marine were never tested out before
this war, and, UP until now, they
have hardly begun the test which
shall determine their values to the
navies Of the world. So far. they
have proved to be above the expecta-
tons of their more severe critics,
without in any. way having justified
the sweeping claims Of their friends.
The submarine has yet to demonstrate
that 1t has made the dreadnaught OBJ
solete, or that by its aid the sea mas
terry Of the next few years is to be
won or held.
In the beginning, the submarine
was received with the same disfavor
as is the housekeeping Zeppelin Of
today. The people and mots military
and naval men were '.agin" it. When
Robert Fulton a century ago made
known his plans for an underwater
scheme. 1t was received as something
revolving to every manly principle.
He himself was denounced as a
crafty. murderous villain.' and his
invention was branded as mean,
Icowardly. ignoble !" instrument of war.
The submarine was written Of as "the
assassin's tool. :" much as writer's Of
today are describing Zeppelin war
craft. Stealthy destruction dealt to
the unsuspecting form under the roy
icrtfg blue-green of the water first
appealed to the imagination as some
thing barbarous and dishonorable.
Opinion, however, has sharply
lveered with the years. Man has be-
come accustomed to his new. subma-
r1ne weapon in the war arsenal. and
today military men regard 1t, not only
without malice and contempt. but
with lively enthusiasm or its deadly
powers. Tomorrow they may praise
the bomb-dropping airship. following
tne regular path of suspicion, con-
domination, acquiesence, enthusiasm.
The invention Of peace, as well as the
invention Of war, have all had to 70
through the same degrees OF popular
estimation. Today, the naval officers
OF the various nations see in the sub
marine service one Of glorious daring.
and one which offers to the young ser.
man the surest shortcut to distinc-
ton.
The United States led the way with
the submarine. French and English
tor time were bitterly opposed to its
adoption. The Frenchman was on
posed, because the Frenchmen of to-
day would rather meet an equally
sturdy foe breast to breast with the
flourish OF personal combat and battle
axes than mechanically to shoot his
enemy while half-a-mile away. The
Engltshman was opposed because of a
strength upon the surface Of the wat
er, and the invention which might
cause the hazard of this mastery
stirred his bile. One first lord Of the
admiralty decided that the submarine
was no weapon for Englishmen."
Nevertheless, the submarine came
to stay. much after the fashion Of
gunpowder. the ungallant use of
Wnlcn shocked passing chiyalry. In
this war, the submarine is expected to
play deciding part by some. while.
since Its recent achievements. It f.
generally expected that 1t will take a
significant part. The Germans look
upon their submarines-have looked
upon them so for the last ten years
as q means for breaking England's
monopoly of the open sea. Invention
uds 4ol1oWed invention In the eyolu-
ton Of the German submarine. and
the members Of its service have
strained every talent against the COM
ing Of the day when 1t would devolye
upon them to get under the mightiest
floating power of history, when It
would be their duty to preserve their
nations future by destroying a DOW
er Of cruiser, battle cruiser, dread
naught and superdreadnaught. which
mas long been tactily conceded sur
face invinclbility.
So far as the laity know, and their
s knowledge Is very likely pretty ac-
curate. in the main, there are num-
per OF serious defects in the subma-
rine which must be overcome before
It can become terror OF the seas. In
the first place. the cruising radius Of
one Of these craft is limited. and this
radius Is still more limited under wat
er. Further, when submerged. the
underwater torpedo boat is not capa-
bic OF enouhg speed to enable Its most
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