New Britain herald., 1916-07-10
LAKE MAY LIBEL
 THE DEUTSCHLAND
Believes It Has Some Of His
 Patented Appliances

Bridgeport, July 1O.-Simon Lake,
 Inventor of the even-keel type of sub-
 marine, and treasurer of the Lake Torpedo Boat company, announces
 that he, F. B. Whitney, his chief
 counsel, and Mercer D. Blondell, a
 patent attorney, would go to Balti-
 more today and inspect the German
 submarine Deutschland.
 If it has any of my devices on it,
 and I have every reason to believe it
 has," MT. Lake said, "I will libel the German boat"
 That the day of the commercial submarine has arrived, and that na- tions would now build two types of submarines, one for commercial use and the other for warfare, was an- other statement by MT. Lake. "The possibilities of undersea commerce are great" he said. For twenty-five years I have been urging commercial submarines, but no one seemed to s$hink such an idea practical. Subma- rines can be built that will carry csr- goes of 5000 tons.
 ''While I have no patent rights in Germany on my devices I control my patents in the United States. If they are used here without my con- sent I can bring legal action. This does not mean, of course, that the submarine will have to stay in the United States. If the officers can furnish a satisfactory bond I cant have the submarine held here.
 When I was in Germany in 1904 and in 1905 negotiating with the Krupps and the German govern +o ri ing to show them it's differences from the diving or Holland type, officers of the Krupps promised me orders. They looked at my plans, copied them, learned all I could tell them, and I got nothing from Germany. I certainly will libel the Deutschland if my patents are in use on it."
 MT. Lake said that he was greatly interested in learning that it is prob ably a commercial submarine that Germany sent to the United States. "That is just the natural evolution of the submarine" he said. '|When I built my first submarine it was not intended for warfare, but to recover lost valuables from the ocean bot toms. Jules Verne's book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in spired me Now the commercial sub marine which I have maintained would be a success, proves that was right.
 "Fleets of commercial submarines and fleets of undersea boats built es- peciallv for warfare will be owned by every nation some day. I have many patents on ideas practical only on freight-carrying submarines. The ar rival of the German submarine with cargo will prove to other nations the | need of undersea craft for commer- ciaI use."
 Further pursuing his theory that the Deutschland is a commercial ves- sel MT. Lake said:
 "Germany has dem onstrated theor- les that I have been preaching ana writing about for the past twenty-five years. The coming here of the Ger man submarine Is an epoch in marl- time affairs Naturally I am intense ly interested. It shows that no coun- try can be mistress of the seas. Ger many has been forced into the build ing of comm ercial submarines to break down a blockade. Every coun- try at war will eventually come to the same thing The development Of the submarine is a long step toward bringing an end to war and restoring | permanent peace.
 '"When the news comes out you Will l zee that the German vessel came | loaded with dyes or medicines that l 20 away with goods that Germany is sorely in want of just now"