New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-08
Bernstorff
Spring-Rice Calls
on Polk.
OFFICERS DOUBT
WARFARE HERE
Navy Men Point Out
Difficulty of Coast
Patrol.
Hmm N. Tribune Burtau. ]


gasped when news came OF the arrival
of the U-53 at Newport to-day and
had not recovered its breath before
the submarine departed. The inter-
val, however, was full of actich.
Sir Cecil Spring Rice rushed to the
State Department and held a hurried
conference with Acting Secretary Polk.
The German Ambassador, Count Won
Bernstorf, got word about the same
time and prepared to send delega-
ton from the embassy 10 greet the
U-boat's commander and give him
sack of important dispatches for the
Foreign Office that had been held ready
for the long awaited commercial SUBJ
marine Bremen.
State, Navy and Treasury officials
conferred hastily on measures for
protecting the neutrality of the United
States.
All this went for nothing. Word
came that the submarine had left, and
officials sighed their relief.
Bernstorff Seems Surprised.
Count Won Bernstorff was apparently
as much surprised as anybody. lie had
TO warning that any war submarine
was on the way, he said, and he could
hazard no guess as to the contents OF
the letter which the commander is
said to have brought for him.
While the flying visit of the subma-
rine was the main topic of discussion
among navy officers tonight, 1t was
her probable mission on the American
coast which interested them rather
than her mechanical features or how
her trip from Germany might affect
naval warfare in general.
Doubt Activity Here.
The distance covered by the subma-
rine from Wilhelmshaven is well within
the cruising radius of much smaller
vessels than the U-53, including some
of the older craft of the American navy.
However, it is believed that even the
big U-boats, which journeyed from the
North Sea to the Mediterranean and
back long ago, could not carry enough
fuel oil for a round trip across the At
lantic, as well as for cruising duty on
this side. For this reason, many offi-
GERS appeared to believe that the pur-
pose of the trip of the U-53 might have
been more TO give demonstration OF
the possibilities of submarine warfare
than actually to lie in wait for British
or Canadian vessels plying across tho
Atlantic.
The merchant submarine Deutsch
land crossed the Atlantic and re-
turned, but it is realized that the sp-
pearance of an armed naval under
water boat will create much more
profound impression, particularly on
the public mind in this country.
Cruisers Needs Large.
II was expected that the visit would
revive Immediately rumors of a Ger
man submarine base on the North
Atlantic coast and of secret radio
stations maintained along the Amer
lean coast line by German interests.
For a submarine patrol off American
or Canadian ports provision would
, have to be made to supply fuel, tor
pcdoes and food supplies. The aver
age submarine carries not more than
ten or twelve torpedoes, and, since
the chances are that several of these
would be fired for every hit recorded,
it would seem necessary that re-
serve supply be kept close at hand.
A majority of the officers around the
Navy Department tonight seemed to
think IL likely that the U-53 had been
sent over either as convoy for a
slower merchant submarine, or with
the idea of threatening Canadian trans
ports and ammunition ships sailing
from American ports.
British Made Trip First.
The first transatlantic submarine
boat journey was made by British
fighting craft similar 20 the American
Navy's H-type boats, ten Of which were
constructed in Canada by an American
firm. One of the tent went from the
Canadian coast to Gibraltar without
stopping her engines, and all Of the ten
arrived at their European destinations
without accident. IL is understood,
however. that these boats were accom-
panied by surface craft carrying extra
supplies and fuel. This makes the feat
Of the Deutschland, which made her
round trip from Bremen TO Baltimore
without tender and despite the pres
ence of hostile cruisers on the seas.
the first really spectacular cruise OF
the kind.
Navy constructors. however, have
never doubted the ability of Germany's
big war submarines to make the trip,
since they have greater speed, greater
fuel capacity and less dead weight TO
carry than had the Deutschland, which
| brought more than 700 tons Of general