New-York tribune., 1916-07-12
Head of Company Says lie
Expects Weekly Sailing
in Near Future.
SECOND UNDERSEA
TRADER COMING SOON
Every PrcCaution Taken 10 In
sure Peaceful Character Of
the Deutschland.

Berlin. July 1.-THE opening of d.
rect shipping connections between Ger
many and the United States by the
suh~arinc merchantmen Deutschland
has occasioncd great juoilation and en-
thusiasm among Germans. but no one
81. more ciated than Alfred Lohmann,
ex.rres.dcnt OF the Bremen Chamber
of Commerce and the originator Of an
Underwater service.
Herr Lohmann said to-day that the
Deutschland was only the first Of
Gee, o. submarine froightcrs and that
regular transatlantic service, with
frequent sailings. would soon be IN
operation.
second Boat 10 Start.
A second boat. named the Bremen,
be added. is about 20 start for America
vfh a cargo. and a number Of sister
sh-ps are rapidly approaching compile
ION In is understood that the number
Of boats will soon be adequate for the
establishment Of weekly service.
Remember" said Herr Lohmann.
",hat the Deutschland was entirely un-
armed. She carried no torpedo tubes
no cannon and no weapons OF offence or
defence Of any kind.
so anxious was | that the unsrmed
merchantmen character OF our boats
sbo,,ld be established beyond doubt that
! insisted that the captain of the
Deutschland should not even carry the
customary revolver upon leaving
Bremen
Under .hese circumstances he
eontended. there is nothing TO pre-
vent the Deutschland, exclusively
merchantmen. from remaining as long
ss she pleases in a neutral harbor and
loading a cargo, fuel and supplies, free
from the restrictions which prevent
warships from entering neutral port
except under stress, or remaining over
twenty-four hours.
Il conceived the idea of breaking the
British blockade long ago. continued
Herr Lohmann. but the project hrst
took definite shape last autumn, when
! succeeded in convincing the capital
lists associated with me-the Deutsche
Bank and the Norddeutsche Lloyd
that the war presumably would last
another twelve months. This was the
bardest mart of my task. Once this
was done the rest was easy, for our
figures showed that the boats would
more than pay for themselves in
single round trip.
Company Is Formed.
"A companv was Immediately incor-
porated as the German Ocean Naviga-
ton Company of Bremen, with nomi-
nal capital. Articles were filed on No
yember < and work was commenced on
the first and second boats. The
Deutschland was completed some time
ago. and after successful trials in the
Baltic started for America. following
the usual peace route Of our bremen
and Hamburg steamers.
"No. I don't care TO give her exact
sailing date, nor the time OF passage
But YOU can reach an approximation
from the boats speed Of fourteen knots
making the necessary allowance Tor re,
duced speed when running suDmergei
and for a certain time in resting on the
bottom, which was necessary IN get.intg
through the channel past the British
lines"
Plan of the Ships.
The Deutschland and her sister ship
are 2.OOO-ton boats. Between four and
five hundred tons Of cargo can be car
red. The fuel is largely carried IN
ballast and the diving tanks, which are
filed with sea water as the oil is con-
sumed.
The officers and crew of the fleet
have been recruited from the German
merchant marine. Some difficulty was
experienced in securing their release
from naval service, but this was ac-
complished, and every man will be
finally and definitely mustered before
leaving Germany.
Herr Lohmann's outlook for CONNER
cisl possibilities extends TO the East
as we'll as to the West. He founded
the German and Oriental Commercial
Association, Of which he is president,
TO further the development of com
merce with Turkey and the Near East.
Another venture was the formation
bv him Of the Cotton Import Associa-
ton. which last year offered hlgn
price a pound for American cotton, for
Bremen delivery, in an endeaVor 10
stimulate the movement against the
British blockade measures. lie was Tor
two years president OF the bremen
Chamber of Commerce, retiring last
winter. III,
The return of the Deutschland will
be mdQe the OtCdSloH VI "a So
bration and banquet at Bremen. inns
will be the formal observance OF the
reopening of direct German-Amerlcah
trade relations.
Fears Trade Rivals.
Herr Lohmann also declined TO go
into details regarding the cargo car
ried. the crew and the nature OF the
return cargo. He explained that his
retcence was due less TO Germanys
enemies than TO the necessity for pre-
serving secrets from expected compe-
titors in Germany, who, he said,
would hasten TO invade the immense
ly profitable field"
In fact. he was more exultant over
the success of the venture and its I'M
portance for Germany than over the
start obtained over other shipping in
terests. He mentioned with glee artl-
ces from American papers which had
recently referred to his ideals as "a
Jules Verne romance" and cited a
German shipping agent in New York
and a British naval attache as declar-
ing that the project was utterly I'M