The sun., 1917-10-20

do her deadly work that neither the
| at all. Apparently the first warn
ust abreast of the engine room, but
ip.
tunateiy must he faced by tho American
people
There is nothing in the report show
ing that the U-boat menace Is more
serious than anticipated or indicating
that the transport service is In greater
peril now than it has been right along.
Officials say frankly that they have ex-
pected to hear Of successful submarine
attack OF n transport long before this.
As long ago July last Franklin
Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary OF the
Navy. in a speech in New York city
warned the public that 1t must expect to
hear OF transports successfully attacked.
and suggested that the public be pre-
pared in advance for this sort Of un-
welcome news
Both army and navy officers took tho
news calmly. ITS lucky they didn't
get It going the other way" was the
comment Of General STAN officers.
We've been prepared for something
Ike this right along" was the comment
III THE navy.
The only soldiers on board vera re-
| turning to the hospital or on special
assignments. Had the fun complement
or the transport heen aboard the loss
undoubtedly would have been written
! In hundreds. as she was struck in the
most vulnerable spot and went undev
50 swiftly that few could have escaped
Ship Not Heavily Conveyed.
While Nice-Adniral Sims reports that
the Antilles was under convoy OF Amer
lean patrol vessels naval officers hero
do not believe she was heavily convoveh
II would not be sound military policy
they point ont. to assign the most ef-
fecttNe destroyers or any considerable
number Of other craft to protect a home.
ward bound transport In other word,
there was doubtless much more impor.
tart work TO be performed by tiles.
naval vessels. so that only such patru,
ships as could he spared were assigned
to the duty of getting tho Antil,e.
through the submarine zone.
The Antilles presumably dependeA
partly on her own guns az we'll as the
patrol vessels for her protection Frac-
tically all army Transports have beer
armed with the largest calibre gun.
which the navy could provide for IN.
purpose Of keeping or U-hoats, and
these guns are in charge OF naya,
gunnery crews
From tho fact that neither tho mn.
marine nor the perlscope was seen som.
naval officers think that the U-boat may
pened by chance to find herself in a
position where she could take a lucky
shot without being detected, Whenever
the submarine ca rries out her usual plsn
OF attack her periscops |. generally seen
while the C-boat commander Is takinx
his observations 10 get the vessel,
range. speed and course before launch.
ing his torpedo.
Many theories were current az to now
the C-boat crept through the destroyer
screen, did Its work and escaped unchal-
lerTed. A majority Of the officers who
would comment thought the transport
and her conveying patrols had run d.
rectly over a lurking submarine which
saw them coming, calculated the dis
tauce and launched her deadly torpedo
without ever showing moro than her
periscope,
They regard II a. proh.h!e that tho
U-boat commander picked his place Law
IN wait below the surfac. until his
mcrophones told him the patrols had
passed and the transport was upon him
then shot his periSrope above water
only long enough TO sight and n-e before
he ducked hack To safety.
ANY attempt to locate rho submarine
probably was mace impossible by the
necessity or resculng the Survivors Tho
vessel must have been virtually torn IN
half by the explosion to have Sone down
in the time she did.
Probably tho attack was nadc well
out at sea. II took two days for the
news to reach Washington and tN~
despatch shows the time that must have
elapsed before definite word could reach
Admiral Sims.
The report does not state whethe~ the
attack was made at night or IN the
daytime, II II happened at night II
would more than ever bear out the con
lecture that II was chance attack
The C-boats usually take advantage Of
darkness 10 come to the surface to re.
charge their batteries. II ha. happened
In few cases that steamships have been
encountered under these conditions or
that the u-boat, which at night operates
hlndly happened to come to the sur
face within easy striking distance Of a
passing steamship. But these casea II
Is explained. arc few and far between.
Sr6waP1kopf Toruedo r-A