The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-10-06
BREAKS SUB MENACE
ENGLAND SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO
PROTECT Her COMMERCE
confirm EARLY Stories
New Methods Of Defence and Offense
Render Waters Around British
Isles a Very Dangerous Place for
Submarines to Operate = News
Comes to Washington.

comes 10 washington.
Great Britain has discovered and
put into effective operation means Of
combating submarines which, ac-
cording to official reports to the
United States government, already
have resulted in a loss estimated at
between fifty and seventy German
submarines. The reports declare that
the British admiralty confidently be-
lieves it has crushed the German un-
dersea campaign.
New methods of offence and de-
fence that may reYolutioniZe naval
warfare have been adopted and high
British naval officers are of the .opin-
ion that unless the effectiveness of
the submarines is increased, it no
longer will be menace to commerce.
and battle fleets.
The British censorship has pre-
vented the disclosure Of details con-
cerning the developments. Within
the last three weeks, however, conf
Dental reports to various govern
ment departments from representa-
tives in European capitals of neutrals,
as well as belligerent countries, have
confirmed the British admiralty re-
port that an effective means Of deal.
ing with the submarine has been
found.
These reports are being closely
scrutinized on account of the bearing
they may have on the naval policy of
the United States. They reaffirm Of
ficers of the navy in their conviction
that the dreadnought still is the
mainstay in warfare on sea.
According to the reports destruc-
ton or capture of fifty submarines
actually had been reported several
weeks ago, and it was regarded as
possible chat the number might have
reached seventy. A dinner was given
recently in London, which, while not
a formal state affair, was attended
by high government officials, in cell
ebration of the destruction of the hf-
tieth underwater enemy. Reports of
the dinner apparently were suppress
ed by the censor.
While the greatest secrecy is
IuTO"u IIiC IASCho S1AP2SJ Sos
the United States has information
concerning the principal methods. A
submarine telephone has been deveI-
oped by which it is possible to detect
the approach of a submarine from
observation boats or stations planted
off shore connected with points IN
the mainland.
For capturing craft whose pres
ence has not been detected or even
suspected the governments reports
describe how huge nets have been
stretched across the channels and in.
open water near steamship lanes or
in the vicinity of warships, nets sus-
pended between floats have been
spread broadcast.
Armed patrol boats watched and
when the loats disappear beneath the
water, showing that submarine has
become entangled, the patrols con-
gregate at the place, and when the
victim comes to the surface; as it in
evitably must to disentangle itself,
it is destroye dor captured. A spe-
cial type of mine also has been de-
vised which has been very success
full
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 dispelled.
This compels the boats to return to
their bases at more frequent inter-
yals and leaves them only a COM
paratively short time for effective
duty.
Destroyers, the reports declare, be-
come expert in the game. OF subma-
rine hunting, and armed trawlers
also have proved effective. But the
greatest single factor, it is said, has
been newly built fleet of small sea-
going motor boats, armed with one
or two three-inch guns and possess
ing high speed. These boats liter
ally swarm over suspected expanses
of the water, and cover almost every
miles of the channels Of commerce
adjacent to Great Britain.
AS a submarine must rise fre-
uuently 10 renew its air supply and
recharge the storage batteries py
which it is propelled when submerg-
ed, one in the territory covered by
the scouts is almost certain; to be
eventually seen and destroyed. These
small boats have been built IN: large
numbers in England and it" is re-
ported that about five hundred are:
being constructed in the United
States and Canada to be shipped IN
sections to Great Britain. :,