New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-26
Phantom U-Boats
Some Reasons for Doubling a Repoo
That Norway Is Bent on Suic;d.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: On April 10 "The New Yort -,
can" made the following statements:
1.-The single shipbuilding yard OF n r
Dahl. Of Christiania, Norway. has b,;,,
delivered to Germany 495 submarine, IT,.
is Mr.. Dahl's statement, in a private ~
to his son-in-law, DR.. Andrew I, Cb,;,,;s-
a physician living in Boston. the let,s, h.;,r,
dated February 10: AT my shipyard "a t.''ts
built and delivered since October 1a,a -,
marines to this number: In 1914 az. !.
1915, 1873; in 1916, 226, and this year Al
week. standardized output. They ara in a.,
classes-5OO, 60 and 7O4 feet long. We -.
tinue to build up to May I, but GERMANY a.,
not given any orders to build submaris,,
after May !. This means TO US that s,A.,
she has enough boats or that the war I'm
terminate some time this summer
eve assume that the figures 30 q v..g
are an error Of the pen, and should 10 a..
week-the average OF 1916. With ~,
Norwegian yard building submarines Of a.
largest type at the rate Of four week il
addition to what German yards build-s,5
other Swedish and Norwegian shipyards ,oo
for all we know-we begin 70 get some eo,'
rect conception of Germanys undersea as,,
and. too, see the reason for the Germ,
STATS supreme confidence in the ability a.
that fleet to blow England's commerce a
the seas
Norwsy's Neutrality
Now. while I am most ardent and s,speh
supporter of universal military service, and
am al the present time even endeavOring 70
raise a regiment composed Of former seandi.
navians to fight for our adopted land, can.
not possibly conceive why "The New York
American" should throw slur on the rood
faith and neutrality Of Norway in this war
am engaged in the shipping business,
have represented Norwegian ship owners n
most parts of the globe, and am in TIA.
capacity quite familiar with Norwegian slip.
building activities. | unhesitatingly stan,
the above statements as deliberate false.
hoods. 1t is utterly inconceivable that .,
intelligent man for an instant really belisEsi
such nonsense.
Does the editor realize how much harm h
would be doing TO Norway, friendly eoun.
try. if the British and American govern
ments actually believed these statements
particularly at the present time. when some
unjust backwoods Congressman are trying to
get a bill passed by Congress placing an en-
barge on the expectation of necessities to
Scandinavia, a procedure which, il carried
through, would entail untold suffering pos
sibly complete starvation, on countries
friendly to America, and from which Amer.
lea has received some of her best, most ensr.
getic and loyal citizens?
Such a policy would at the same tine
hardly be compatible with the criticisms
heaped upon England for controlling impO,.
tations from the United States to Scsrdi.
navia. when America had no war with Ger.
many Why such tender pity in the one To-
stance and ruthless harshness" in the pres.
ent case?
The Second Fleet ip the World
Norway, small country, of two and halt
million population, has to-day. nevertheless,
the second ocean-gong merchant feet in the
world. She is building for her account pne.
tically half of the tonnage now under con-
struction in American yards; she was he
first to order ships by the score in Great
Lakes yards Cat the time hungry for work.;
she revived, stimulated and almost capital
lied new and old yards on the Pacific Coast;
yes, say without hesitation that, if America
to-day is so we'll prepared to meet "Prussaa
ruthless submarine warfare thanks are
greatly due TO Norwegian energy and enter
prise in the United States. Norway has
bought an enormous feet of ships, formerly
under the American flag, among them hall
a dozen of the magnificent American-Hawai
an liners, considered the finest type y
freighters in the world.
But although Norway has bought up ships
from Greece, Spain. Holland and elsewhefa
she has proportionately suffered more i'oo
ruthless" submarine warfare than any
other nation in the world-even Great Brit
ain-up TO date. to my knowledge, over s~r
900 gross register tons sunk, and 400 SAIL
ors' lives lost.
There can be no doubt where NorssyI
sympathies lie, outside Of few irresponnos
cranks. Norway is whole-heartedly wa
Great Britain, France and America, aaa
above all. with democracy liberty, hunihN
and civilization.
Does "The New York American" really "
lieve that the Norwegian government
view of the wholesale slaughter OF NoisV
gian sailors, destruction of Norwegian SEP,
and capital prevention of getting the mos,
necessary supplies through from England 1n9
America. and general interruption OF CON-
merce, for one moment would eountensns
Norwegian subject supplying Germany
with the very engines Of destruction!
The worst Of all is that there is no "
Dahl having any shipbuilding yard IN 0n''r
tiania.
A Technical ImpOssibility
And now, as to the technical possIolli'l'
of performing this marvellous feat. is "s
editor really so ignorant technically
presume that it is physically possible iOr -,
yard to build 400 submarines OF the s'aa'
dimensions described, with their very lh.
cate machinery, in twentyeight mon'n',
If all the yards on the Atlantic seaOO-
of America had been enlisted for tnss 80
of work during the same period douo' ~.
such a miracle could have been perform.
Besides. if Norway delivered any sa0na,l.S
in 1914. the orders must have been pa.
long before war was ever seriously e0"''
plated, or rather expected. -
Does it not strike the learned cow IA
"The American" that dimensions OF ifO~
to 704 feet are rather outrageousy o.. GU,
proportion for submarines? why oNI
such a profound ignorance, and sun
sumo to enlighten the American puone
Moraovar nouv that England and Alhe'",