The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-05-02
First American Shot in the Great
War Destroys a German
U-Boat.
FIRED BY Liner MONGOLIA
Destruction of Shipping by subma-
rines Now Threatens England
With Food Shortage - Great
Britain Gets Money From
Uncle Sam.
BY EDWARD w, PiCkARD.

Americas first shot in the war with
Germany was fred on April 10. 1t
scored a direct hit and destroyed a
German submarine. The shot was
fired by the gun crew on the American
liner Mongolia when a U-boat attempt
ed to attack that vessel in the Irish sea-
The first shell smashed the periscOpe
and after other shells were sent there
was an explosion and the submarine
did not rise again. Capt. Emery Rice
of the Mongolia told of the incident
on arrival in an English port. 1t is
interesting TO note that the gun that
got the U-bOat had been named Theo-
dore Roosevelt by the gunners.
The destructive work Of the sub
marines is causing increasing anxiety
in Great Britain. The latest weekly
report of the admiralty shows a much
larger number of ships sunk than did
any previous report, and on Wednes-
day Lord Davenport, the British food
controller, solemnly warned the Brit
ish public that severe privations
menaced the nation before the next
the London press to gloomy comment,
the burden of which was that the sub
marine blockade was the most serious
feature of the war now and that If
Great Britain was to be saved from
starvation and possible defeat some
thing must be done mighty soon to
counteract it. This something, OBJ
viously, Is the turning out from the
shipyards of vast and continuous
stream Of tonnage, but though many
ships are being built, -the shortage of
skilled labor renders it impossible to
construct anywhere near the number
required. The great British navy is
powerless to relieve the situation. No
one over there seems able to suggest
any solution of the problem except to
be careful Of the food supply and pre-
pare for the worst.
The food question is serious else
where. 1t was responsible in large
part for the strikes in Germany and
is the chief cause of demonstrations
that are alarming the Swedish gov
eminent. In France meatless dinners
except Sundays and holidays-began
Wednesday, and already in the United
States the hotels and clubs are cut
ting down their menus.
Plans for larger crops and more
farm labor in America were carried
nearer to completion during the past
week. One notable incident was the
departure of 500 students of the agri-
cultural college of the University Of
Illinois to help raise Canada's wheat
crop. They are to be well paid and
the Dominion government will give to
each of them a homestead of $50 acres.
On a moments thought such move
ment as this must win approval, for
bumper crop in Canada will do the
civilized world as much good as one
In the United States, and the Do
minion has been depleted of labor.
Great Britain Gets First Loan.
Speedy work is being done in the
way of supplying the immediate needs
of the allies of the United States. In
the first conferences with the commits
sioners from England and France the
government was told that the most
urgent of these needs were money,
shiDs and food. 1t was agreed that
the first allotment of the $3,000,0O0,OOO
loan would go to Great Britain, and on
Wednesday Secretary of the Treasury
McAdoo handed to the British ambas-
sador a treasury warrant for S200,OOO,-
600. Arrangements for disposing OF
the immense bond issue are practical