Bisbee daily review., 1918-08-20
GOVERNMENT PROBING
FIRST OFFICER OF TANK STEAM ER JENNINGS CLAIMS POSITIVE " HE MET IN NEW YORK OF TIGER OF SUB WHICH SUNK HIS SHIP FEW DAYS BEFORE
CBy Review Leased wlrel

WASHINGTON. Aug. 19-InfOrma- tion furnished by officers of vessels attacked by German submarines along the American coast has strengthened the belief held by many officials that the enemy raiders have had eomnuni- cation with persons on shore and may even have landed members of their crews to secure information. The navy department. officially refused tonight to indorse this belief though admit ting the possibility.
 Positive claim that he met an of ficer from the submarine that sank the oil tank steamer O. B. Jennings in New York saloon is made by the first officer of that vessel. accord ing t0 story reaching the depart ment The recognition between the American and German Is said tO have been instantaneous. the latter making his escape when the American appeal ed to a brother officer accompanying him for confirmation of his belief.
 Other instances have been heard. not so weIl substantiated of the dis covery of evidence that German sub marines have been in close tOuch with the shore. One story along this line was that the captain of a coast wise vessel, being ordered to the submarine with his papers. saw on the command CTS desk New York papers of the same date
 Communication between the raiders and the mainland is possible at scores of places along the Atlantic shore. naval officers believe. because of the irregularity of the American coasts.
 Recently the precautions taken by the authorities to prevent such com municatiOn have been greatly aus mented, both by shore patrol and Oth- CT methods which cannot be discussed. No official report has been made giv- ing any definite evidence of an enemy boat having landed.
 From authoritative sources it was learned there is reason to believe three German submarines have been operating on American coasts at three separate points. Two of these have recently ceased operating" either be- cause their stores have become ex- hausted or as a result of damage re- ceived in contact with the patrol fleets. It is known that the activities of one boat ceased immediately after a destroyer reported having dis charged depth bombs near the spot where the U-boat submerged
 One of the three submarines. it is thought. was equipped as a cable cut ter. This Is held to explain the pars- ing recently of two Atlantic cables. A naval repair ship. escorted by fight ing craft, spliced both.
 Descriptions of the submarines give their length as 300 feet and their armament as two guns of either 5.7 or 5.9 inch caliber Naval experts adduce the craft have a cruising radius of not less than 17.0O0 miles
 The German admiralty now has in commission between 160 and 1SO sub marines while the total number a-- strOyed by the allies has passed the 200 mark. according to the most re- liable information available here. IT correct. these figures would indicate that new German construction has barely held it's own over the period of four years. as at the beginning of the war the Germans are known to have had about 150 submarines. The toll in the last six months has been many times that attained in any previous period and the constantly increasing allied anti-submarine forces. according to naval officials. will put the ratio continually higher as time passes.