The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-09-02
SHIPPERS TAX
INGENUITY TO
LUREUNWARY
WITHIN RANGE
High Seas Offer as Wide a Field
for New Art of Deception as
Military Operations on Land.
Costly to Allies.

No word born of the bloody
trenches and demolished towns and
hsmlets Of Europe has created greater
interest or excitement in the United
States than has ''csmoufiage"-a
term adapted from a disputed source,
but meaning, in contemporary English
slang, the art OF taking" or persuad-
ing the enemy to believe that things
are just what they seem"
The current issue OF the Scientific
American, under date Of September 1,
contains a most interesting article
on "camouhage" as used by the Ger
man submarines to lure their prey
within stEiking distance Of their dead
II Whitehead torpedoes.
In view OF the fact that the U-boats
OF the Kaiser are quite likely to be
among the decisive factors of the war,
q glance at some excerpts from the
Scientific American article is edifying.
Applied by Both Sides.
"Camouhage-that new art born
on the battlehelds OF Europe-ap-
pears to be more and more a factor
IN the U-boat campaign" says the
author of this absorbing article.
sTrue, IL is not a factor of the first
Importance as SO far developed; but
nevertheless its application by both
ourselves and the enemy is having
an important bearing on the sue
cess Of either side. And 1t is par
ticularly in the future when the
marine branch OF this art will have
been developed to ashigher degree,
hooked to:
Bringing the new art to the high
seas, II appears that much can be
done with camoufage; indeed, this
branch should offer as wide field
for skull and inventiveness as do
operations on land. Aside from the
painting Of surface craft in dead
gray. so as TO be less conspicuous at
q distance-an elemental but crude
form of camoufage, 1t appears that
the Germans were the first to apply
the lessons OF military warfare as
regards the deception Of the enemy.
Deeoys Replace Paint.
'Tn the earlier attempts they ap-
piled various designs to the paint
ing Of the U-boats to make them less
conspicuous, and OF late they have
extended marine camouhage to in
clude decoys Of different kinds.
"a favorite ruse of the U-boats is
10 make use Of neutral vessels as
screens in order to get unsuspecting
prey within ready torpedo range.
Time and again reports have told OF
nefarious acts Of this kind, when
merchantmen have suddenly found
themselves confronted by big
U-boat emerging from behind a neu-
tral ship, the latter being forced to
aid the Germans in their work.
somewhat on a higher plane, as
far as ingenuity is concerned Is ths
method employed by C-boat sew
eral weeks ago. An American
steamer reaching a British port re-
ported having come across a rowboat
which served as a decoy for a Turk
ing submarine.
sThe captain and his officers on
the bridge looked through their
glasses and made out light object
which proved to be ships lifeboat
Of an extra large size, bobbing up
and down on the waves. The liner
eoon overhauled the boat only to learn
that there were no occupants. Just
then, when the liner was some 600
yards away the crew Of the siX-inch
gun aft saw a torpedo pass from port
70 starboard within five feet Of the
rudder.
Some U-BOatE Raise Sails.
Using their wireless mast as sup
ports for sails, German U-boats have
on occasion disguised themselves as
harmless sailing vessels Turing
freighters to their doom. 1t is said
that the sails are so cleyerly ar
ranged that the victim comes within
shell range long before the true ma
ture of the strange craft is dis
covered"