New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-26
Waiting for the British Fleet.

Waiting for the British Fleet.
Mr.. Karl Won Wiegand has been al
lowed to visit the German High Sea Fleet
and to report his impressions-or such
of them. at least. as pleased the censor
in "The World" Most of his discourse
is an elaboration of the theme: "Will the
British fleet come out?" For the rest
L is given over in the main to a circum-
stantial refutation Of a report that gained
some currency about two months ago
the supposed destruction of the battle
cruiser Moltke. Perhaps in order to
make this refutation the more telling, Mr..
Won Wiegand's dispatches are dated from
"On board S. NJ. Battle-cruiser Moltke,
at sea on outpost duty"
Now, it is incredible that German naval
officers are so Uniformed as Mr.. Won
Wicgand's genial hosts apparently led
him to believe. If they dwelt at prodigi-
Gus length on trifes it must have been
in order to avoid discussing questions Of
more moment. The rumOr about the
Moltke came from Russia, not from Eng
land. 1t was said that the feat was an
nounced by the President Of the Duma, but
a day or two later-from Russian source,
too-the original story was considerably
modified According to the revised YER
sion, the battle-cruiser was not sunk, but
successfully attacked by British vessel.
Why the commander of the German
ship should be profoundly disturbed at
unofficial guesses and big illustrations"
in unimportant English newspapers is not
clear. He must have known perfectly
well that the British Admiralty had never
authorized a word about the sinking of
his ship, and that, in fact, the report was
not credited in England The story was
therefore not at all in the same category
as the wild story of the sinking of H. NJ.
S Tiger, by means oflwhich the Germans
tried to avert popular clamor at the dis
astrous encounter with a British squadron
If the running fight off the Dogger Bank.
If Mr.. Won Wiegand did not swallow
all he was told by the courteous Captain
Won Levetzow he seems at least to have
received it with a grave face, and in
deed, he reports it in the most solemn
manner. as if he really believed every
word. Will the British come out? For
fourteen MONTHS" he tells us, every man
Jack in the German fleet has been asking
this question:" ami all are hoping and
waiting to accept the challenge" Where?
Why, not more than 800 miles or so from
the British coast There they lie, from
beyond Helgoland to the Baltic" hoping
and waiting, not because they dare not
leave their own coasts, but because, as
the ingenious and delightful Captain Won
Levetzow explains, 1--WE do think that, the
British feet being twice our size, it's up
TO them to come out and challenge US"
Incidentally, it may be recalled that
the last time a German squadron made
toward the coast of the enemy they were
surprised by Sir David Beatty and very
prudently turned back at full speed. That
was a good many months ago, and doubt
less lHe lesson learned on lnal occasion
determined the present policy Of hopeful
waiting. Besides, TO quote the jnimitable
comedian Of the Moltke once more, no
one seems to know exactly where the
British feet is" All the Germans do
know for certain is, in short, that their
own feet is safer in the neighborhood of
Helgoland than out in the middle of the
North Sea. But" says Captain Won
Levetzow, "let the British feet come out
and we are likely TO be there"
II is impossible, of course, to believe
that German naval officers take all this
nonsense seriously. They know only too
well their helplessness. They know that
Britain's command Of the sea to-day is
greater than it was even after Trafalgar.
They know that, wherever the British
Grand Fleet may be, it paralyzes the Ger
man feet, and that as long as it can do
so it is fulfilling its function. Why, then
should German commander stuff the
correspondent Of an American paper with
talk which he knows will be received with
a smile of derision abroad?
re only explanation is that the ser
man government Is trying TO appease the