Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-02-17

GERMANY DESPERATE
English OficialdOm Believes Block
aGe" Beginning of End of Kaiser's
Resources.
Resources.

! Liverpool. Feb, 17--Twenty eight
steamers, sailing from New York and
carrying more than 1000 American
passengers, today are speeding into
the wax zone to face the peril Of
German torpedoes They will he sub
: iect to the retaliation ordered ny the
German admiralty beginning tomor-
row. against British merchantmen.
The big White Star liner Adriatic
is due to arrive here tomorrow night
Or Friday. She carries about 400
passengers, large part of whom
are Americans, and a rich food cargo.
Every precauti0n will be taken to
insure her safe passage through the
Irish Sea in the belief that the Ger
mans may attempt to strike a spec
tacular submarine blow. At about
The same time the Norwegian vessel
Bergensfjord, carrying a number Of
passengers, will enter the war area.
It least forty ships sailing from
Norfolk and Newport News for Eng
lish and continental ports are due to
arrive within the next few days. as
are about dozen freighterS and
smaller steamers, against which Won
Tirritz mas promised to send his UNI
der sea raiders. Two American car
90 steamers, the kansan and the
s1:r.,-a. are ;nc'uded-.in in the dozen
vessels that will penetrate the dam
@er zone within forty eight hours.
London, Feb l7---Engand accepts
he enforcement Of the German sub
marine blockade, which commences
tomorrow, as indicating the "pegln-
ming of the end" It is felt that this
will be Germany's last great blow.
Her Zeppclins having failed to come
~ to expectations and her fleet be-
;rr forced to remain impotent be-
hind her closely guarded land fortI-
;catons, the last weapon available
5 her great feet Of submarines.
And the British admiralty calmly
declares that the precautions already
taken will nullify any under sea raid
shat may be attempted.
Not single official of either army
1,. navy but believes that Germany
will mark her own doom the moment
her submarines unloose their tor
padoes at merchantmen carrying
passengers. They declare the civillz-
ed world will not view with equani-
uily the sending to bottom Of trad
inr ships with their crews and pass
aneers unwarned and unable to save
themselves.
The newspapers commenting on the
German notes to the United States
sav there is no reason TO believe
otherwise than that is the last des-
perate attempt on the part Of Ger
man officialdom to save its race
They assert the military situation
was never better. The possibility of
conscription has been absolutely re-
moved by enormous number Of volun-
teers who have been flocking to the
ccicrs.
MANY Of the British newspapers
charge that the German submarine
blockade was planned entirely for
the purpose Of involving the United
States and other neutral nations. If
they should be brought into the pre-
seE, situation, German officialdom,
the papers say, would be able to de-
clare that with the entire world
against her Germany cannot longer
| igh. and must make the best peace
terms that she can.
This view. in the opinion of the
newspapers. is supported by the pre-
sent anti-American agitation in the
| German press. 1t is pointed out that
the rigid German censorship could
! nave prevented the printing Of any
Of these articles, and the very fact
|! that they have appeared in cited as
pruof that the anti-American agita-
ton has the approva! Of the govern
nsent. .
Berlin, Feb. 17.-By wireless tc