Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-18
U-BOAT MISSES TARGET
Continued from Page One)

from Berlin. some American OInClalS
were disinclined to credit the report
but the Entente diplomatic corps here
believed in it, and predicted that Ger
many would soon carry the submarine
campaign to this side of the Atlantic,
principally for the purpose of soaring
neutral shipping away from American
ships which are moving food and sup
plies to Americas allies on the Euro
pean battle fronts.
Some officials are inclined to believe
that the lack of declaration of q
prohibited zone in American waters
may be due to the crippled condition
of communication with Germany sirce
the United States entered the war
Without such a declaration. they
pointed out. Germany will incur great
claims of damages to neutrals and will
carry on new campaign without the
color of legal authority which she con-
tends the declaration of barred zone
lends to it.
BY declaring prohibited zone
around any of the American ports and
limiting it to those waters, Germany
would escape the necessity of declar-
ing and maintaining a general block
aQG OF tno AllantlC coast HE.
Possibility of Bases
With submarine war brought close
to the door of America, the possibility
that German U-boats may have bases
on this side of the Atlantic is again
revived. The raid of the U-53 and the
two trips of the Deutschland demon
strated that it was possible for Ger
III, tn
cordons in the North Sea and make
their way to America. Whether sub
mersible could mako such trip and
return without having supply base
somewhere on this side OF the Atlantic
is gravely doubted. Many officials here
always have believed that the C-o3
had a mother ship somewhere down
on the horizon. The possibility that
merchant submarines Of the Deutsch-
land type, now converted to carriers
of fuel oil and supplies, might accom-
pany flotillas of the war boats on their
transatlantic raids, is recognized as
being ever present. The possibility OF
bases having been planted by the Ger
man raiders recently at large in the
South Atlantic is one OF the foremost
problems.
1t even has been suspected that
parts of submarines had been shipped
to Mexico and assembled there, but
by many we'll informed officials that is
doubted The possibility of German
submarine base in the Gulf of Mexico,
however, has long been recognized,
and many officials have been conVin-
oed that when the raiding began-as
they were sure it would soon after the
declaration of war-the raiders would
come from that quarter. There also
have been many reports OF secret Ger
man bases established on the rocky
and inaccessible coasts of Maine and
northern Canada, from which German
U-boats could be supplied to raid the
train of troops and supplies going
from Canada to the Continent. Inas-
much as there has been no evidence of
the use of such bases in more than
two years of war, it is considered UNI
likely that, even if they exist, they
can now be brought into use in Ger
manys warfare against the United
States.
Government Confident
The navy has taken all the measures
it now has at hand against the sub
marine menace and is taking more as
they become available. Naval officers
are confident Of ability to deal with
the submarine menace SO far as is
possible at this time. y
Expert opinion is that some ship
ping is bound to be lost if the raiding
is extensive, but that submarines OPP
Grating 5000 miles away from home
have most of the disadvantages to
contend with.