The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-02-22
U-BOAT DANGER
STIRS ENGLAND
Carson Tells Commons 1t Has
Become "Gravc and
Serious"

LONDON, Feb. 2i.--Slr Edward Carson.
First Lord of the Admiralty. told the
House of Commons to-day that the sub
marine menace recently had grown until
its extent had become grave and serious
The menace had not yet been solved hut
measures which had been adopted. he
said. would mitigate It by degrees
Sir Edward informed the House that
an anti-subnarine department., composed
or the most experienced and capable
men in the navy. had been established
In the Admiralty. and that the number
OF armed merchant ships had been in
creased AIS per cent. in the last two
months.
As to the losses due 70 the German
submarine campaign. including smaller
vessels. said Sir Edward. the ships lost.
both Allied and neutral, during the first
eighteen days of December. the first
eighteen days OF January and the first
eighteen days OF February, with their
tonnages, were as follows
Ships. Tonnage.
DeCemoeT '''...'''. IIS .sSSVW
january ........... VI lWS ,sVO
February ."........ 134 3OlOOO
The total number of vessels plying TO
and from United Kingdom ports during
the first eighteen days of February
was II. 9i9. the number of arrivals
being 6.o76 and Of departures 6,S13.
The estimated number Of ships In the
so-called danger zone at any one time
was 5000.
80 a,.l cot al
showed that IS per cent. Of armed ves-
sells escaped after submarine attack.
while only - per cent of unarmed ves-
sells escaped. He said he believed tho
problem of the submarine menace could
be solved. but il could only be solved IL
the nation acted in the way he indicated
in conjunction with the navy. That it
would be solved. however, he was GER
tain.
Fought Forty Submarines.
In announcing that he had received
reports of forty encounters with sub
marines in the first eighteen days of
February, Sir Edward said. THE fact
that we got to grips with them more
than forty times in eighteen days was
an enormous achievement
Sir Edward quoted from some OF these
reports dealing with the various en-
counters to show the varying degrees of
certainty or uncertainty as 10 the fate
of the submarines. As an instance in
which the result positively was known he
cited the capture by a destroyer Of Il
submarine and her crew Two other
cases from which he quoted disclosed
some OF the methods adopted for fighting
the submarines. In one of these he re-
ferred to reports from an airshp which
had dropped bombs where n submarine
had submerged A similar report came
from seaplane which had used the same
method against another submarine.
The First Lords showing how subma =
rines are being fought by destroyers, sea-
planes and other means and with what
apparent success, together with his prom
.sc OF further publicity in the future.
proved the most attractive feature OF his
speech.
He said that few days ago British
destroyers attacked an enemy submarine,
which was hit the Captain being killed.
The submarine iived, but was so injured
II was obliged to rise again. and was
captured and its crew taken prisoners.
Another submarine was sunk by trans
port In still another instance two patrol
boats reported the sinking of two enemy
submarines without themselves suffering
any casualties. The fun report appeared
, t. establish that one OF these had been
actually sunk. but there was doubt about
the second.