Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-27
ALLIED NAVIES
TO CLEAR SEAS
Britain's Naval Representa-
tive Expects U. S. Aid Will
Remove Menace
FEAR ARMED VESS Ell S
U-Boats Seldom Risk Encounters
With Ships Able to Put
Up Fight
WASHINGTON. April 81

W
admiral Sir Dudley de Chair, Britain's
naval representative in the mission now
here, told a group Of newspaper correspond
ents Of his confidence that the Allies, with
the many devices for combating subma-
rines in use and contemplated. and aided
by American cooperation, will eventually
overcome the German undersea menace.
II is only a question of time, he said,
before the seas will he made safe Aside
from the means which can he used to
destroy them. he believes, growing short
age in Germany of material for building,
and Of men for manning the submarines
must in time have its effect in checking
the feverish activity with which the Ger
mans are turning out their commerce
destroyers
Admiral de Chair believes that arming
merchant ships Is the very best means for
defending shipping. During the last year
he said, the Germans have been avoiding
the armed British shipping and have de-
voted their attention chiefly to the un-
armed neutral vessels.
"a submarine does not like an armed
ship he said
He paid a warm tribute to the American
navy and to the aid which it can render to
the cause
II know the spirit Of the tinted states
navy" he said. II know they want to be
up and doing" Asked about the reported
sinking of a submarine by the Mongolia he
said. We'll, certainly hope the Mongolia
got her
The admiral received tho correspondents
in the music room at the MacNeagh man.
sion, where he, with the other leaders OF
the British mission. is staying.
Admiral dc chair Is d man of slightly
more than fifty. little over medium height
with smooth face and graNt:n hair he was
dressed very simply IN n plain blu" uniform
the severity of its appearance relieved By
several ribbons ddnoting orders an'
decorations on the left breast Of the coat
tis account of his owr experience and %
the work of the British Navy was almos
rlatter.uf-f fact in its simplicity Of manner
ana many of the incidents which he 90
lated gained emphasis through the obvious
| restraint with which tr"y were told.
Admiral de- Chair WIS ca active service
| in the North Sea for twenty-one months
| tle then served seven months as an advise
| in the Foreign Office until the time III
was ,"dhrc6 to accompany the mission.
| He spoke at the beginning with much sat
| isfaction of a previous stay in Washington
| when he was naval attaChe at the British
embassy in 1908 and 1904, and told of hi
| great pleasure over being sent here agai'
| and over the reception which he and tn
other members of the party were given.
All through the work of patrolling tn
| seas. Admiral de Chair said. the British
were compelled to use the utmost caution
| in guarding against ulSgulSeu 'ftillldi idli
| ers, All merchant vessels had to be eX
J amined most carefully to prevent any hos
| tile ships from slipping through to prey ol
commerce. In 1915 alone his fleet examined
| 800 merchant ships.
"Our orders were to be as careful as pos
sible to avoid mountaineering neutral shil
! ming" he said land to he of service q
| them in seeing that they got through safely
| Indeed we often had to act to protect then
| against the submarines, and we aided man,
| of them in getting away.
'"rhe submarine does not like a warshr