The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-09-15
DOES SUB WAR PAY?
LONDON DISCUSSES RESULTS
ACHIEVED BY GERMANS ;,
Have SUNK 800 Ships
English Capital Correspondent Writes
About the Submarine Blockade,
Insurers are Afraid But Error
NOUS Number Of Ships Enter and
Leave Harbors in Success in Safety.

Leave Harbors in Success in Safety.
London reports: Since the declara-
tion OF the blockade of England Feb
rulary Is German submarines have
sunk one hundred and forty-two
British merchantmen, whose gross
tonnage totaled 42e,44s- In the
same period one hundred and sixty
two fishing vessels, with gross ton
mage of 21,110, have been sent to the
bottom by the same agency, to say
nothing Of Russian, French and neu-
trail vessels. Altogether Great Bri-
tain alone has lost somewhere in the
neighborhood of two American mer-
chant, marines in the last six months.
But while British ships-almost
half a million tons of them-disau-
peared from the face of the seas,
there still remain aflot and engaged
IN the fabulously rich transatlantic
trade other British merchantmen
which entered and cleared from thu
ports OF the United Kingdom no few
er than 1887 times since February
18.
Estimating as the admiralty does;
that the average tonnage Of these.
ships exceeds $500, a little calcula-
ton will show that German subma-
rines thus far have missed almost a.
hundred million tons of shipping.
Including allied and neutral ships
arriving and clearing from ports Of
the United Kingdom since the block
ade was declared the total bagged by
German submarines is 211, with a
gross tonnage of $4,000. The ratio
of British vessels over 800 tons tor
pedoed is 0.37 Of the total arrivals
and clearances. The ratio of all
ships over 800 tons Summarized is
O.54 Of the total arrivals and clear
ances.
Naturally the Germans believe sin
cerely that their submarine methods
have been highly satisfactory. Nat
uralfy they have done and are doing
all in their power to exaggerate the
tremendous value of the results OBJ
tanned, just as naturally as England
believes sincerely the so-called block
ade has been huge failure and just
as naturally England to-day is mini
mixing the extent Of damage done as
far as possible.
Probably the truth lies between
these two extremes. It is perhaps
fair to refer to the sinking Of a fish
ing trawler or even tramp steam
ship as a pin prick, but when it comes
to a Lusitania or an Arabic pin prick
is surely hardly the word. Also 211
ships is not a staggering number
when it represents only a trifle more
than one in 200 ships which passed
over the danger zone, but 211 with
total tonnage of more than 100000
is tremendous when viewed from any
except comparative light.
Insurance brokers are most reluc-
tanant to discuss their business.
Their attitude bears out the shippers
statement that insurance now is
thing abhorred. Nobody here be-
ieves for a moment in the sincerity
of .Berlin's pronouncement that no
further merchantmen will be sunk
without warning, but the feeling
seems to be that even if the policy
of "frightfulness" is continued to the
utmost barbarity the chances Of es-
cape are good enough to more than
Offset the cost of insuring the car
goes Of vessels against loss.
A full table as supplied by the ad-
miralty from February Is to August
26, inclusive, states that the total ar
rivals and sailings at ports Of the
United Kingdom Of vessels of 800
tons or over, was 3S,437, while Brit
ish merchantmen submarined num-
bered 142, with a gross tonnage of
429,443; neutral merchantmen, 40,
gross tonnage, 54,504; allied mer-
chantmen sublarined, 80, gross ton
mage, 1859, being three Belgian,
1927 tons; two Italian, 4,125 tons;
nine French, 1864 tons, and fifteen
Russian, 24,654 tons This uakes
total of 211 ships of 529,606 tons.
British merchantmen mined were
three with tonnage of S,096; British
merchantmen sunk by German cruis-
ers, five, tonnage, 1850; British
fishing smacks submarined, 1852, ton
mage, 10000; Russian, 24,654 tons.
This makes total of 800 ships of
100000 tons.