The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-17
U-BOat Fires on L. $. Warship
Off East Coast.
Torpedo Misses Destroyer and
Submarine Disappears.
MEANS GERMAN BLOCKADE?
Believe Act Opens U-BOat
RuthIessness Campaign.
Navy Gives Out Official Re-
ceived From Ship Attacked.

Washington. April 17.-Germany
fired the first shot of the war against
America today-and it missed
A German submarine fired a tor
pedo at the destroyer Smith about 100
miles south of New York.
The presence of enemy submarines
in American waters indicates that the
threatened German submarine block
ade OF American Atlantic ports has
begun.
This announcement was made al the
navy department;
Reported from Fire Island light
ship to the naval stations at Boston
and New York at $3.50 a. m. on the
nth, an enemy submarine was sighted
by the L. ). 5. Smith, running appar-
emily submerged. Submarine fired a
torpedo at the y. 5. :. Smith, which
missed her by thirty yards The wake
of the torpedo was plainly seen cross
ing the bow. Submarine disappeared
Sends Report by Wireless.
First information of the encounter
came to the navy department in i
roundabout way from the Boston navy
yard, which picked up the Smith
report saying she had been fired upon
by a German J-bCat. The navy de-
partment. after communicating with
Fire Island, Boston, New York and
some other points on the Atlantic
coast, announced that the report or
the Smiths encounter had been sub
stantiated by official investigation. AT
noon no further details We're available
here.
whether the presence of the Ger
man submarine merely foreshadows
sporadic raid such as the U-53 con-
Quoted off the New England coast or
whether it is the signal for the be-
ginning of a general submarine block
Al a.tNr
speculative.
The attitude by the U-boat is Ger
many's first recognition of the state
of war declared by the United States.
1t was stated in Germany soon after
the action of congress that no aggres-
sive steps would be taken against the
United States. Practically no Ameri-
can officials believed this statement,
however, and steps to meet aggres-
sive action were at once taken. The
probabi of submarine attack on un-
protected seaboard cities and towns,
raids on shipping within sight of
American shores, and a submarine
blockade of the principal Atlantic
ports with the purpose of terrorizing
shipping and people were expected.
Last week word came to Washing
ton in a roundabout way that Ger
many was about to declare a prOhibi-
tive submarine zone about the harbors
at Boston New York, the Delaware
capes, Chesa peake bay, Charleston and
Savannah. This would include all the
important ports on the Atlantic sea-
board.
Rumor Blockade Notice.
It was said that an official warning
to neutrals of the prohibited zone
would be issued from Berlin. Some
American officials were disinclined to
credit the report but the entonte de-
partment corps believed in it and pre-
q nv
the submarine campaign to this side of
the Atlantic principally for the pur-
pose of soaring neutral shipping away
from American harbors and to raid the
great squadron of merchant ships
which are moving food and supplies to
10 Ameria's allies on the foreign battle
front Some officials are inclined to
believe that the lack of a declaration
of a prohibited zone in American wat
ers may be due to the crippled con-
dition of communications with Ger
Yranv since the United States entered
the war Without such a declaration
thew point out Germany will incur
great claims of damages to neutral
and will carry on new campaign
without the color of legal authority
which she contends the declaration or
q. barred zone lends to it.
Rv declaring a prohibited zone
around any of the American ports and
limiting it to those waters, Germany
would escape the necessity OF declar-
ing and maintaining general block
ade of the Atlantic coast line. When
the task of the union navy during the
Civil war in maintaining an effective
blockade of the southern ports IS re-
called, the difficulties of a submarine
blockade of the vast coast line may be
estimated.
C-boat Pase On This Side
with subms ne war brought close
to the doors America the possibil-
(Conti. i.aed on Page Two.)