The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-07-13
GERMAN u ARRIVES
Bio German Submarine Freighter,
with Valuable Cargo of Dyes
has Arrived al Baltimore.


it was announced that Germany was
sending a big submarine freighter to
America, and the report was scotfed
at. but all doubts were dispelled when
the submarine dropped anchor at Bal
timore on Sunday. The vessel the
Deutschland carried cargo OF 1,OOO
tons of dye stuffs and was unarmed,
and will return with cargo OF Amer
ican products. She carried crew OF
twenty-nine men, is over 500 feet IN
length and has tonnage of 791 tons
net. The captain of the vessel an
nounced that other submarines would
follow him to America, and it seems
as if the Germans have broken the
blockade established by the Allies.
The vessel sailed from Helgoland on
June 23rd.
Captain konig's own story OF the
Deutschland's voyage across the
ocean was told to newspaper CORE
spondents soon after he made puDllc
his prepared statement He laughed
at stories of his being chased for OFT
his course by enemy vessels. and de-
clared that during the entire trip the
vessel travelled submerged only about
ninety miles.
81 have seen," said the captain,
Statements that we were forced to
go hundreds of miles out OF our
course in the Atlantic because OF Brit
ish warships That is not so. why
should we go out of our course, eX-
cept to submerge? That is the SIM
plest and most effective way to get
out of our course. Besides it is much
easier to submerge.
"We came to Hampton Roads by
the straight course from the English
Channel. We do not come by the way
of Azores. Altogether, from Helgo-
land to Baltimore we covered $500
miles, Of that distance ninety miles
was driven under the surface OF the
water.
.Throughout the entire trip the Of
ficers and crew were in excellent
health and spirits. OF course, when
We were under water for long spells
the air got very stuffy sometimes, and
there was some inconvenience, but 1t
never was serious. The Deutschland
is built to stay under water for four
consecutive days, and we never reach
ed anywhere near our submersion
limit on this voyage.
"The ship is much easier to ride IN
than torpedo boat destroyer, much
steadier. Nothing can happen to her
she is so perfectly built. OF course,
she rolls a little sometimes, but that
is no hardship.
"Any nation can do what we did,
that can build ship like the .Deutsch-
land
The German commander talked
with the smiling enthusiasm OF
child and his eyes fairly glittered as
he related the principal incidents OF
his remarkable feat.
"There is little to tell of the trip,
he continued. ''We left Helgoland on
June 90 and steamed on the surface
into the North Sea. Before sailing
we conducted trial trips and drills for
the crew for ten days or two weeks,
having proceeded from Bremen to
our starting point. l had never been
on a submarine voyage, and the train
ing | had all was received in the prac-
tice trips on the Deutschland.
Everything went without incident
the first day, but on the second day
in the North Sea we were in the zone
of the British cruisers and destroy
ers. We sighted their smoke fire.
uuently, but only dived when we
thought there was danger of our be-
ing detected. OF course we were diff
ficult to see because we were running
so low and our ship gave out no
smoke. We did submerge several
times in the North Sea, staying under
sometimes two hours and sometimes
less. Everytime we came to the sur
face. if all looked we'll, we kept on
going. We saw no British battleshlps
in the North Sea, only cruisers and
destroyers, or at least what we took
to be British naval vessels.
eve did not on the entire trip
come into close proximity with any
man-of-war. We avoided them all.
1t was very simple.
"From the North Sea we went
straight through the English Chan
mel which is alive with warships and
on the night of the fourth day we
submerged and remained still all
night on the ground, on the bottom OF
the channel. There were lots OF
cruisers which we knew and 1t was
yery foggy. So we thought it wise
not to take any chances and l gave
the order to submerge for the night
and until there should be clearer
weather. The next morning all was
well and we proceeded through the
channel into the Atlantic ocean with
out incident.
"Our trip has demonstrated that
the big merchant submarine is practi-
cal and that it has come to stay. we
expect the venture to be great finan-
cial success. This ship can carry
cargo of 1000 tons and on this trip
carried $50 tons of dye-stuffs valued
at s1,OOO,OOO. The charges for the
shipment alone will pay for the cost
of the Deutschland, about $5O0,OOO.
On this trip we carried no mails. nor
did we carry money or securities.
Also we came without insurance run
ming entirely at our own risk
.Did you bring message from the
kaiser to President Wilson, the cap
tain was asked.
"No, we did not" Captain KONG
replied with emphasis, that is plain
lie."
.We will go back again, carrying
whatever cargo there is for us to
take. And we can go without taking