The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-05-24
us. IS BUILDING
BIG SUBMARINE
Craft Expected To Be Capable OF
Fighting In Mid-OCean II
Necessary
EXPERTS HAVE FAITH IN THEM
by r. james

mrc. And yet, though the first to
wage war successfully under the sea,
Germany was the slowcst and last Of
the great naval powers 10 recognize
the efficacy Of the submarine
United States nuynl experts have
long reposed faith In the submarine
The fact that today We have only "A
comparatively small flotillu Is due TO
the cross road naval policy Of con
gress rather than 10 lack Of foresight
on the part Of cur sea fighters
The General Navy Board, Of which
Admiral Dewey Is president has gone
ahead. contestlng with the nuyies Of
the world for the development u the
submarine.
The result IL that, at last, and prob
ably before Germany, England aud
France, the point has been reached
where We are ready to construct sub
marines capable or sufficient speed
ana large enough 10 be- hnhitnble for
Il long enough period So they can 20
out 10 sen, accompanying the fleet OF
fast dreadhoughts ana play cOusplc.
uous part In mld.ocrun battle
Whether such great progress has
been nude by amy other leading naval
power In not known The submarine
secrets NJ the warning nations Or Eu
rope are carefully guarded
with the idcn NJ constructing fleet
of big. fast ocean going submarines
the general navy board last Noyem
her asked congress authorize three
fleet submarines and sixteen coast
submarines Tor the 1916 naval pro-
gram The number was cut down TO
eight one OF which Is 10 be- ~ the
ocean going type In lts recommends
tiun the general bonrd said
For several Years past all leading
navies have been striving 10 perfect
u submarine uf nm culargrr type with
hHhitRbllity radius and spcrd suffl
ricnt 10 enable II 10 accompany the
fleet aud act with II tucticully. both
In offcnsc and defense Our design
crs and builders are now ready 10
guarantee such type The value ot
such n type Tor distant work with the
fleet can hardly be- overr,timnted %
The comparative submarine strength
NJ various navies ls estimated hy See.
rctnry VI the navy Daniels. including
craft building as we'll Hs I'm commits
sion. Rs follows England eighty
four: France. seventy United
States. flfty one. Germany thirty
one: japan, seventeen MIR Daniels
statement WAS. NJ course. based ON
information obtained from Germany
before the war II il not kuowu now
what she Is doing In submarine con.
structiOn
Theodore Roosevelt when prcsl
dent. WIS n great believer in the sub
marine He was undoubtedly the first
and possibly the only, head Of Il great
nation to take q trip IN submarine
Certainly mo- other president, king or
emperor Thought NJ such mn adven
urc ut that early stage " the sub
marine
No doubt his trip would have re-
mnlned secret. for time Ht least, hut
for the combination NJ Il girl. n Young
reporter pair ~ white duck trou
scrs rainy day aud II thirsty sailor
The girl was the magnet that drew
the young reporter from his post OF
duty AZ oyster Hay to New York The
white ducks were worn hy the report
cr because rhc day promised to ht
warm The rain came later 10 con
found the wcarrr NJ the ducks and
the sailor was thirsty because the
grape Juice administration had not YET
come on the scene
The Plungcr. now the Al, our first
submarine, was sent to Oyster Ray (,
he inspected hy President Roosevelt
during the summer NJ lNO5 liputcu
|nut Evans son NJ Fighting Bob" wa,
iu command The reporters Rt Oyster
llny got word that the president plan
ned to make trip I'm the plunger
The president dculcd most emphatic
! |nlly TINT he had any such Intention
! Nut the reporters were instructed b,
their newspapers tp watch the PLUM
ger They worked IN RELAYS nnd From
early morning until dusk pntrulC,
the hay and kept sharp watch fo
visitors tu the submarine This dut
vns performed Tor week Then cam
the dny when the call NJ the girl tool
the Young reporter m tu the CitN
The departure wns followed by n roh
raln, and the other rcpurtcr9>suugh b
tu arrange an nrml,tlrc with thf1rs
idcnt Romcs the presidents assist
amt secretary, after communicable
with Sycamore Hill assured the rrTol
tcrs that the president had uu
changed his mind about going dow
In the rluugcr and that he would me-
change it that day so the watc
was abandoned
The cold rain continued all day
~ o'clock train that night hrnugh
the young white duck clad, Thorough
Iy chilled reporter hack to Oyste
BAY lie stopped At "Harry's" q
= his way from the station 10 the tel,
graph office There he found men
her " the plungcr crew cutcrtalnin
I the bartender with the story of N
p presidents trip IN the submarine mad
. that day
Mir Roosevelt declared he had ~
loyed his trip immensely He told
y thrilling Nury ~ m attack on n
pmhger by school NJ pnrpolsp
which resented the invasion NJ the
submarine domain boy this stranl
R steel monster
That trip fixed Colonel Roosevelt
4 faith In the submarine The nav
o program ~ his administration thcr
IS after was responsible fur the rap
p start IN submarine building which {
4 day finds ms with twenty more hos
Y than Germany pDsspssp1 al the bpul