Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-04-19
SUBMARINE FIRES
At j. 5. WARSHIP
OFF NEW YORK
Destroyer Smith Reports Attack
by German U-BOat.
BLOCKADE OF COAST SEEN
Presence of Enemy Divers in Ameri-
can Waters Indicates Campaign
Against Atlantic Ports Has
Begun = Torpedo Missed
Vessel by Thirty
Yards.

Washington, April 18.-American pa
troll ships are sweeping the north At
lantic coast Of the United States in
an effort to locate and destroy the Ger
man submarine which fired a torpedo
at the United States destroyer Smith.
The presence of enemy submersibles
in American waters indicates that the
threatened German submarine block
ade of American Atlantic ports has
begun.
Torpedo Misses by Thirty Yards.
This announcement was made at the
navy department:
Reported from Fire Island Iightship
to the naval stations at Boston and
New York at 3 80 a. M, on the 18th,
an enemy submarine was sighted by
the U. S. S. Smith, running apparently
submerged. Submarine fired torpedo
at the U. S. S. Smith, which missed
her by 30 yards. The wake of the
torpedo was plainly seen crossing the
bow. Submarine disappeared"
First information of the encounter
came to the navy department in a
roundabout way from the Boston navy
yard, which picked up the Smiths
report, saying it had been fired upon
by German "U' boat
The navy department, after cOmmu-
nicating with Fire island, Boston. New
York and some other points on the At
lantic coast, announced that the report
of the Smiths encounter had been sub
stantiated by official investigation.
No further details are available
here.
Whether the presence of the Ger
man submarine merely fOreshadows a
sporadic raid, such as the U-53 con
Quoted off the New England coast, or
is the signal for the beginning of a
general submarine blockade of the At
lantic coast is not known.
First Recognition of War.
The attack by the gu" boat is Ger
many's first recognition of the state OF
war declared by the United States. It
was stated in Germany soon after the
action of congress that no aggressive
steps would be taken against the Unit
ed States.
Virtually no American officials be-
lieved this statement, however, and
steps to meet aggressive acts were at
once taken. The probability of sub
marine attack on unprotected seaboard
cities and towns, raids on shipping
within sight of American shores and a
submarine blockade of the principal
Atlantic ports with the purpose of ter
rorizing shipping and people were eS-
pected.
Last week word came to Washington
in a roundabout way that Germany
was about to declare q prohibited sub
marine zone about the harbOrs at BOs-
ton, New York, the Delaware capes,
Chesapeake bay, Charleston and Sa-
vannah. This would have included all
the important ports on the Atlantic
SeabOard.
No Prohibited Zona Proclaimed.
1t WAS said then that an official
warming to neutraIs as to the prohibit
ed zone would be issued from Berlin.
Some American o11'ials were disin-
CiIllSu 10 circuit lIN~.bDOGI, out the en-
tente diplomatic corps here believed in
it and predicted that Germany would
soon carry the submarine campaign to
this side of the Atlantic, principally
for the purpose Of soaring neutral
shipping away from American harbOrs
and to raid the great sQuaGrOns of
merchant ships which are moving food
and supplies to Americas allies on the
European battle fronts.
Some officials are inclined to believe
that the lack of a declaration of a
prohibited zone in American waters
may be due to the crippled condition
of communications with Germany
since the United States entered the
war. Without such a declaration, they
point out, Germany will incur great
claims of damages to neutrals and will
carry on a new campaign without the
color of legal authority which she con.
tends the declaration of a barred zone
lends to it.