Licking Valley courier., 1918-01-10
for Classificatlor..usss
LOCAL BOARD MORGAN COUNTY
L. A. LYKINs, Chairman.
TO CURB u" BOATS
"Sea Jitneys' Suggested for At
tax on German Bases.
Canadian Naval AirpIane Fighter,
Home to Recover From Shrapnel
Wounds Expresses an opinion.

Theorizing about war conditions has
grown quite as tiresone, no doubt, to
the people who read newspapers as 1t
has TO most Of the people who write
for them. Yet, now and ,then,N you
meet man who theories from the
facts of experience and knowledge and
who points something out that gives
food for thought. Such q case, it
seemed to several of us, when a quiet
little chap, son of Canadian Million
aire, told us his view Of the war in
its present stage. New York corre-
spondent of the Cincinnati Times-Star
writes. Ills brother was killed at the
Marne and he himself is home to re-
cover from shrapnel wounds received
when he was flying a naval airplane
some thousands of feet above a town
on the Belgian coast.
"The outstanding fact, just now,'
he said, 'fs that the German U-boats
are doing pretty nearly as much as
they were expected to do and that we
have no effective defense against them.
The Germans are almost justified in
believing that they are on the way to-
ward starving England into submis-
sion. If we don't find new and sue
cessful way to combat the U-boats the
situation in England will soon be very
critical. OF course, fancy way, will
be found. But il must be something
entirely new In warfare. For my part
| am convinced that success can be
obtained only by the apparently des
perate undertaking Of assaults by sea
upon the U-bOat bases. say 'appar
emily desperate BY any known oil
tried method such assaults would b'
simply useless and suicidal.
"The German harbors are mined
netted from end to end and fortified
with tremendous shore batteries o.
heavy and aircraft guns. How can thu
bases be attacked? Well, of course
that will be settled by some one els
than |, but l have heard Theoretical
plan of attack proposed by one Of on
naval men which made great impres
sion on me. lie said We must built
thousands of small submarlnes-sOme
thing like the sea iitneys' which man
ufacturers have talked about-and g
into the German harbors with swarm
of them, ut the risk of losing ninety
nine out Of every hundred boats an,
crews. Barrage fire and bombing hav
been the new and successful things Il
land fighting.
This officers proposal Is for some
thing like an undersea duplication O
this plan Of attack. Most of the littl
bouts would be lost, no doubt, be- mos
of them would succeed in doing ma
terial; damage with one or two torpt
does. Nets would be blown away, mine
exploded, guard ships sunk and sue
other disorganization of the harbor dc
lenses accomplished as to give the hi
ships a chance to complete the worl
Yes, it's true that man would hardl
need to worry about his return tri
IL he went in on one of these littl
boats. 1t would be work for volun
teers. But the volunteers would b
plentiful enough. That am sure Of
IF such attacks promised to wi
d. the fight against the U-boats, me
would be willing to go. 1t would b
enough for them to know that the
were striking the sea murderers a
their home, and that some of ther
might possibly get back"