Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1915-07-23

RYyEWs out denclent IN land mill
%1Ssx~S> tary strength. On the
nMI other hand, Germany held
the preponderance as a
land military power, but was no match
for Great Britain on the seas.
Lord Kitchener, placed at the head
of the military organization of Great
Britain, set himself at the tremendous
task of raising volunteer army OF
not less than 100000 men.
In Germany, Grand Admiral Won
Tirpitz, as head of the German naval
organization, took up the task of equal
izing the great difference in strength
between the Germany navy and that
of England The solution of the prob
lem was not to build up dreadnaughts
and battle cruisers, as that would take
too long.
Lord Kitchener had promised to
have his new army ready to land on
the continent within six months. The
problem confronting Admiral Won Tir-
pitt was to meet this new attack on
sea before it could reach the chan
mel ports Of France and Belgium. So
all Germany's effort, aside from main
tanning its land military strength, was
centered on submarines. The pro-
gram decided upon has never been
made public. All that is known is
that the great works of Krupp at
Essen and the naval yards at Dant-
sic have been kept working twenty
four hours a day building submarines.
The success of the submarine in
the Irish sea and in the English chan
mel, following the declaration by Ger
many placing British waters in the
wer area, would indicate that Admiral
Won Tirpitz had completed his plans.
Undoubtedly the submarine at the
present time is the one overshadowing
factor in the war. The Germans have
been reported to have a number of
surprises up their sleeves. The one
most heralded has been the Zeppelin
airships. These, however, have so far
proved disappointing.
On the other hand, their submarines
have taken tremendous toll from the
British navy.
The submarine is the one instru-
ment of warfare against which no de.
tense exists. Attacks of the aeroplane
and the Zeppelin have been success.
fully met. New high angle fire guns
have been invented by all the nations
and a number of air craft have been
brought to earth by them. So far
however, the German submarines have
escaped unscathed.
To the existence of England's great
navy may be traced the invention oil
the submarine. Its attack on the
American colonies during the Revolu
ton brought forth what is generally
acknowledged to have been the first
successful underwater craft.
The invention is accredited to Da
yid Bushnell, a Yale student All
through his college days, from 1771
to ITS, he worked steadily on vesse
that would sail under water. Wher
the Revolutionary war broke out he
had ready a submarine boat which
on account of its shape, was called
the Turtle.
He was given a chance at the Brit
ish feet under Admiral Lord Howe
while 1t was blockading New Yorl
harbor. The strange submarine was
launched in New York, but owing t.
the fact that Mr.. Bushnell could moi
navigate the Turtle himself, as he hat
not sufficient physical strength, be
was forced to turn it over to another
man. The Turtle was propelled b,
hand and had a maximum speed O
two miles an hour.
Ezra Lee, the man chosen to max,
the attack on the British flagship
the Eagle, had little time to lear1
how to operate the new craft. He sue
ceeded in getting the Turtle under
meath the Eagle, placing a torped,
under the ships hull, but was unable
to fasten 1t, as the Eagle was sheathe,
with copper. The torpedo had a tim;
lock on it which caused it to explod,
within thirty minutes. 1t was, how
ever, carried away from the hull o
the Eagle by the tide, and at the an
pointed time it exploded, sending up
huge column of water not far from
the British flagship. The failure O
the enterprise disguised the continen
tai authorities and the whole matte
ended in ridicule.
A quarter of a century later Rober
Fulton took the Bushnell inventio
over to France and interested NapC
leon in it. He was given a try a
the British squadron off the coast @
France, but here again the craft faile
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