Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-02-22
BRITAIN FIGHTS
U.b0AT SILENTLY
Sir Edward Carson Relates How
Navy Is Countering the New
Submarine War.
MERCHANTMEN ARMED.
Sea Forces Had Forty Encounters with
Undc rsea Craft the First IS Days
In February.

London. Feb. H.-Sir Edward Carson,
first lord of the admiralty, told in the
House of Commons to-day an inspiring
story of the silent achievements Of the
British navy, all the more welcome be-
cause of the unexpected and interesting
revelations as to the extent to which the
navy is countering the submarine menace.
The sacrifices which the nation 10
asked voluntarily to bear in the shape Of
sclf-rationing and the daily rise in food
prices makes the submarine danger the
most absorbing question of the moment,
and Sir Edward Carsons statement was
listened to by an expectant House with
intense satisfaction.
The first lords showing how subma-
rines are being fought by destroyers. sea-
planes and other means and with what
apparently success. together with his
promise of further publicity in the future.
proved the most attractive feature Of his
| speech.
Besides indicating the gigantic work of
the navy during the war, the transport
! or eight million men, nine million tons of
explosives and forty-seven million gall
Ions of petrol, and the examination OF
over twenty-five thousand ships, Sir Ed
ward Carson gave statistics of ship
movements which will tend to restore
public confidence as to the extent the
SuuIIidTlHc war Is llkely 10 dCnlcVe iLS OO-
ject. indicating that the arming of mer-
chantmen had increased Al per cent. in
the last few months.
| Sir Edward expressed the confident be-
lief that the evil would be gradually
mitigated. He admitted that the allied
:osses were serious enough. but were not
equal to "the blatant and extravagant
bravado" Of the German accounts Of them.
From February l. when Germany began
her intensified submarine warfare, to
February 1s allied and neutral vessels
aggregating $4,000 tons had been sunk
Sir Edward said. as compared with tone
nages Of 223. 900 and $4,000 respectively for
same periods in December and January.
These tonnages included small vessels
sent to the bottom.
Sir Edward announced that tho ad-
miralty had record Of 10 encounters
with submarines during the first rS days
of February and cited several cases Whera
underwater boats had been captured o.
sunk. -
New York. Fob. M.-Emgiand's anf4>
submarine fleet consists Of 1000 pefvats
yachts. whalers and fishing vessels. man
ned by 10000 men. and this force already
has destroyed 200 German submarines.
Alfre Noyes, the English poet. asserted
in a statement here tonight
Every boat is armed with guns throw
ing II or "A pound explosive shells and
has 1000 yards of steel netting trailing
behind" he declared. IAN the home
waters are mapped out in blocks and each
block patrolled.
Imagine sixty trawlers stretching a
steel undersea net from the English
to the Irish coast and you get some
idea Of the British admiralty's anti
submarine campaign, by which the
German submersibles have been driven
from home waters and forced to at
tack neutral vessels on the high seas.
Mr.. Noyes said he had spent many
days with the trawlers and was in
formed by their captains that a sub
marine rarely will attack an armed
vessel. What becomes of a submarine
after it strikes trawler's net. the
poet said is a naval secret.
"Some have been captured and taken
to England. but most of them sink,
he added. at is impossible to save
the crews. What is done to them
when they hit the net am forbidden
| to saw"