The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-10-06
british OFFICERS FIND
MEANS TO FIGHT U-BOATS

MEANS TO FIGHT U-BOATS
Washington, Oct. 1.-Greet Brl-
tain has discovered and put into et-
fective operation means of combating
: submarines, which according to off,
, cial reports to the United States gov
-ernment already have resulted in a
loss estimated at between SO and 70
German submarines. The reports
. declare that the British admiralty
, confidently believes it has crushed
the German undersea campaign.
New methods of offense and de-
Tense that may reyolutionize naval
warfare have been adopted, and high
British naval officers are of the opin-
lion that unless the effectiveness of
tHhe submarine is increased, it no Ion
ger will be a menace to commerce
and battle fleets.
The British censorship has pre-
vented the disclosure of details con-
.eerning the developments. Within
:she last three weeks, however, conf
dental reports to various government
departments from representatives in
European capitals of neutral as well
as belligerent countries haze con-
firmed the British admiralt"'s view
that an effective means of dealing
With the submarine has been found.
Dreadnought Still Mains:ay.
These reports are being closely
:. scrutinized on account of the bearing
they may have on the naval policy of
the United States. They reaffrm Of
ficers of the navy in their conviction
that the dreadnought still is the main
stay in warfare on sea.
According to the reports destruc-
ton or capture of so subma-:res ac-
tually had been reported several
wrecks ago and it was regarded as pos
. Sible that the number might have
reached 70. A dinner was given re-
- Gently, in London which, while not a
formal state affair, was attended by
high government officials in celebra-
t.tion of the destruction of the 50th
underwater enemy.
Reports of the dinner apparently
were suppressed by the cencor.
While the greatest secrecy is
Thrown around the means employed
the United States has information
concerning the principal methods.
A submarine telephone has been
developed by which it is possible to
detect the approach of submarine
from observation boats or stations
planted off shore connected with
POINTS in the mainland.
Huge Nets Used.
For capturing craft whose presence
has not been detected or even sus-
Tected, the governments reports de-
scribe how huge nets have been
stretched across the channels and in
open waters near steamship lanes or
in the vicinity of warships nets sus-
pended between floats have been
spread broadcast. Armed patrol boats
watch and when the floats disappear
beneath the water, showing that sub
marine has become entangled, the
patrols congregate at the place and
when the victim comes to the surface
a. it inevitably must to direntangle
itself, it is destroyed or captured.
A special type of mine also has
been devised which has been very
successful.
The German methods of supplying
submarines with oil and provisions
either at sea or from concealed places
along the coasts of the British isles
have been ferreted out and disposed
OF. This compels the boats to return
to their bases at more frequent inter.
vals and leaves them only compare,
lively short time for effective duty.
Destroyers, the reports declare, be.
come expert in the game CT subma,
r:ne hunting, and armed trawlers also
have proved effective.
The New Terror.
But the greatest single factor, it is
Said, has been a newly built fleet Of