Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-01

N VERY energy of the United
In States Navy and the British and
French admiralties is being de-
q voted to means of solving the
Prussian submarine menace, the ruth
less campaign of outlawry at sea,
which, although it cannot win the war,
can prolong 1t and force hardships and
privations upon the allied nations.
Today the submarine campaign is the
important feature of the war. Germany
is sending to the bottom foodstuffs needed
for the armies fighting on the western
front and for the civilian populations at
home.
For the present. at least, the situation
on the western front Is satisfactory
The British. French, Belgian and other
allied forces. with vast superiority
of men and ammunition. are carrying
out their work of killing Germans
Germany knows the situation on the
western front: her soldiers are in terror
of the awful artillery fire that Is keep
ing up night and day and the infantry
drives that follow il up in the cam
paign to destroy the German army.
Realizing that a German offensive is
hopeless. her new tactics are to con-
serve what she can of her armies while
the submarines flying the Prussian nag
wage war on merchant ships. in the
hope of wearing down the allies and
forcing them, because of hunger and
lack of war materials.
There are being received at the Navy
Department every week no less than
1000 letters, some of them containing
blue prints. presenting plans for COM
batting the submarine menace. Most Of
these are coming from cranks, persons
who have no idea of what the sub
marines are capable Of doing and the
exact problems that are up for solu-
ton. But here and there is practical
suggestion-a fact that compels the
naval strategists to look over every let
ter or card in the hope that something
feasible will be found. To expedite the
work the Navy Department has opened
an office in Chicago to receive sugges-
tons
But the real, effective method of
Kidding the sea of submarines probably
will come from naval officers them
selves, men whose lives have been de-
voted to war problems at sea. men who
know the power of the newest type OF
submarines, whose ideas center around
the effectiveness of six-inch guns and
who are alert to every feature of the
problem as it actually exists. The best
brains Of the navy are en- the job. both
in Washington and in London. On the
other side of the Atlantic there is Vice
Admiral Sims u. s. N, who Is regarded
as one Of the keenest officers in the
service Around him is a group of
younger officers. men who have passed
years in submarine work and who know
what the submarines can do.
These officers in Washington and in
London have worked out a program for
fighting the submarine evil. The tao
tics are simple-in fact, they are iden-
teal with those being used by the al
ha Gfarp q
only one way to overcome the sub
Marines" the officers say in unison,
"and that is to destroy the submarines.
In consequence. every means possible
is being employed to rid the seas of the
craft. All available destroyers. under
the American, British and French flags,
are being used in the service; they are
assisted by all available converted
Yachts and motor vessels big enough to
carry effective guns: steamers plying
the submarine zone are equipped with
guns, far as 1t is possible: hydro
aeroplanes are being used effectively
against the Germans.
How effective all these weapons are
the authorities will not say. The war
submarines Is one of the closest
guarded secrets of the British admiral
ity, and the American navy. upon the
advice of the British. has determined to
follow the same policy. Mention the
anti-submarine campaign TO n British
naval officer and he will throw up his
hands in horror.
"Do you want me to reveal naval
secretS2" he viii ask. IF we told any
thing the Germans would hear it:
methods of destroying submarines
that have been successful once will
be successful again. The Germans
who have succeeded in obtaining the
story are not able to tell it when they
were caught--that is our own secret"
But naval officers agree. and 1t Is not
a betrayal of naval information to say,
that the most effective means of de-
stroying a submarine is by gun fire.
Six and eight inch shells. and smaller
ones. too, penetrate the hulls OF the
submarines. which necessarily are
light, and soon send the craft to the
bottom. 1t is commonly known among
naval officers who have gone to sea
aboard ships heavily armed that sub