The Washburn leader., 1915-08-06
What the Fleet Would Do.

are like sand castles on the seashore.
What the Fleet Would Do.
If the German fleet breaks out into
the Atlantic it will scatter everywhere.
sinking all merchant ships on the trade
routes, excepting Americans, spreading
ruin and terror among England's colo
MES. Bermuda, Jamaica, Halifax, will
be attacked and forced to coal the
kaiser's Dreadnoughts. English coal
ing stations abound; great stores sof
coal cannot be quickly destroyed. and
the vital problem Of fuel will not worry
the Germans for some time. The weak
cruisers England has on patrol duty
in the Atlantic must fly for their lives.
A whole squadron of them could not
stand against one modern battleship.
Would Endanger British Empire.
The German ships thus scattered
through the Atlantic, the position of
Great Britain will be desperate in the
extreme. Jellicoe can do one Of two
things, keep his feet In the North sea
and protect England against the Ger
man army, or chase the German ships
into the Atlantic. Either course, it is
highly probable might result in the de-
struction of the empire.
If the British feet remains to guard
the east coast the command of the
world oceans will pass instantly from
England to Germany, with incalcula-
bic consequences. Even if food ships
from Holland and Scandinavia can be
protected and keep England from star
walton, and If communications with the
armies in Flanders can be kept up, her
downfall, with the colonies cut off and
the import Of war munitions for herself
and her allies stopped, might be only
question Of months. The Germans,
with the whole overseas empire at their
mercy, can get all the coal they want,
lay Canada and India and Australia
under tribute and patrol the seven seas
until England cries quits.
The German Strategy.
II Jellicoe, adopting the alternative.
gives chase, he must divide his armada
into many parts to pursue the Ger
mans. who will scatter in every direc.
tion. Some English ships, to be sure,
may catch some German ships and sink
them. But the great coup Of German
strategy can then be accomplished with
every chance Of success. Admiral
Count Won Spec showed how to play
this Teutonic trump card when he
gathered his ships together from over
three-ffths of the world into one squad
ron and fell upon the unsuspecting
CradOck.
Admiral Won Ingenohl, or Won Tir-
man navy takes the command himself
in this great venture, will bring his
first line ships together. after dispers-
ing them all over the Atlantic. The Sc
cret meeting place, to which the Ger
man ships will repair SO as to all arrive
at the same time, will be spot in the
open sea, selected long before the Ger
mans make their break from Helgo-
land. 1t has probably been selected
now. Each captain will know, his part
II Jellicoe's grand feet has scattered
over the ocean, not every German
Dreadn0ught may respond to the roll
call, but the admiral in command, TAX
ing what ships he has, will head his
reunited high seas feet at top speed
for the North sea.
!. Army to Invade England.
Troop ships. crowded with the best
soldiers Of the German armies, will be
waiting in the German ports. The first
inkling the English get of the reunion
Of the scattered German ships into q
great feet, If all goes well, will be the
appearance OF the feet in the North
sea. Before Jellicoe can gather enough
ships to give battle and arrive on the
scene the remnants of English naval
strength left on guard, together with
second line Mediterranean assistance
that may have arrived, will have been
destroyed and great army disem-
barked on English shores.
This army, the Germans firmly be-
neve. 0yerrun and conquer Great