Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-06
CONFIDENT U-BOAT
PROBLEM IS ENDED
Navy Consulting Board Says
Plan Is Based on Success
full Experiments.
MAY ATTACK KEEL CANAL

By the Associated Presa
NEW YORK. May 5.-The naval con-
sulting board has forwarded to WASH
ington planE which It believes will 60
far toward driving German submarines
from the seas. The announcement to
this effect was made today by w. L.
the chairman Of the board.
Mr.. Saunders. in making the an
said that. although no
definite claim could be made that the
U-boat problem had been solved until
the submarines were destroyed. nu-
Atlantic coast had been SO successful
that the members Of the board believed
that their object had been attained.
Mr.. Saunders in talking to a group
of newspaper men emphasized that in
asmuch IS he was not disclosing de-
tails of the naval boards recommends
tions to the government, the state
ments he made were not military in
formation and would be OF no informa-
tive value to the German government
Allies Must Take Offensive.
1t is the boards opinion that to cope
lem. Mr.. Saunders said, aggressive
warfare must be carried on in the en-
emys territory. This included. In the
boards belief. he declared, naval oper-
atoms in the North sea with destroy
ers. submarine chasers. atrplanes. nets
and mines, co-ordfnated with devices
to destroy submarines which the board
has experimental with and approved.
For several months about thtrty-fve
inventions day have reached the
board, and fifteen committees have ex-
amined them. Those not considered
worth while were at once eliminated.
Some were selected and tested at ex-
perimental stations along 1.-THE ATTAIN
tic coast. few survived, and these
are the ones, Mr.. Saunders said, which
will be employed against the subma-
rines.
Mr.. Saunders said the plan suggested
to the government involved the posi-.
bility Of land operations Without com
point. the scheme he indicated included
a military offensive against the KEEL
canal, which would call for the trans
portation and landing Of an army
against this important German water
way. German naval concentration
points generally would be objective
points in this suggested joint method OK
naval and land operations.
Based Upon Actual Tests.
The plan submitted to the govern
ment, Mr.. Saunders asserted, was not
based upon theory. sketches or de.
signs" but upon actual tests. which
have proved encouraging"
The use of electricity is involved ims
portantly in the whole idea OF an OF.
fensive.
The naval operations would under the
plan be directed toward bottling up the
North sea as effectively as Great Britain
has blocked the English channel
Mr. Saunders alluded to the north
gateway Of the North sea as Germany's
shornets' nest or rat hole for sub
marines and said this nest" must be
blockaded and penetrated and its
U-boat inmates destroyed. and Ger
man naval bases also dealt with
The naval consulting board believed
sufficientiy in what had been discovered
and planned. he said. TO feel justified In
notifying the people that the sub sui.
project now before the government
could be carried out within a rea-
sonably short time" he said.
Department withholds Judgment.
The report Of the naval consulting
board on devices to overcome German
submarines had not reached Secretary
Daniels last night. and while ofiicials
here hoped the problem had been
solved, 1t was made clear that the
withheld until there was successful
demonstration Of the inventions in action.
Although making no predictions. ma.
val officers expressed great confidence
in the ability OF the board which. aided
in some instances by naval experts. has
been following up every hint as to
ways and means Of checking the un-
dersea peril. The members include
men Of International renown as in
ventors and scientists. Since the sub
marine is an American invention, hope
has been high that America will find
an answer to 1t through mobilization
Of the nations inventive genius.
Mr. Saunders Is known to have been
following personally an investigation
Of the submarine question. Other board
members also have been at work on
other plans in addition to reviewing
the great mass Of data. referred to the
board, by Individual inventors and by
the department.
Look Into Every Suggestion.
Navy experts. both in Washington
and at every navy yard or station. have
overlooked no suggestion that might
lead to a successful anti-submarine cam
paign.
No hint of the devices suggested by
the board will be made public when
the report Is received. Secretary
Daniels yesterday deprecated specula-
ton as to ways and means to be em-
ployed against submarines on the
ground that information of what was
planned might reach Germany.
AS to Mr.. Saunders suggestion Of
offensive naval operations against sub.
marines, navy officials were silent. Any
projects which have been discussed
with British and French navy officers
or suggested even as remote POSSIBLE
tiles are regarded as strictest military
secrets.
Bloodhound Lured by Fugitive.
CHARLESTON, W. Va, May 5.-A