The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-08-03
WORK
ON PLANS FOR
LIBERALIZATION
Will Be Bigger Job To Get
Men Out Of Army Than
Into It, Opinion
fBv Associated Press.)

London, Aug. 3.-AtnouSn LEoop
ships that bring over American SOL
diers are so we'll protected tnat tne
submarine menace is virtually negu-
gibIe, submarines throughout the
trip are probably the chief subject
of conversation. Usually the refer
ences to the undersea terror are joe
ular, but it is apparent that much
serious thought is given to U-boats
and that they loom large in imaglna-
ton. This applies to officers as well
as to the men. All say frankly they
have no desire for a brush with the
Sinking, enemy craft.
The reason for this was neatly put
by a major of infantry who recently
landed in England. Fighting sub
marines" he said, isn't our game.
In that pithy explanation he summed
up the soldiers attitude exactly.
Fighting the submarines isn't the
army's game, and soldiers can't play
it because they don't how. If their
ship is attacked there is nothing for
them to do except march on deck
and prepare to take to the llfeboats.
Defensive measures rest with the
transports naval guns and with the
escorting destroyers. They, as the
soldier sees it, have all the fun, while
the soldier must stand by, eager to
fight, but helpless to take a hand.
The army officers feel keenly their
responsibility in such an unfamiliar
situation. It devolves upon them to
clear the ship of every man and get
them into their proper boats.
In order to do this with the great
est possible celebrity and precision,
the commanding military officer and
his assistants carefully work out
their plans before the ship sails. On
q large vessel carrying several
thousand troops it is necessary to
quarter the men on all decks, some
far down in the vessel. The task
then, is to get them all up on the
boat deck with the least delay and
without confusion.
Boat drills begin soon after the
ship leaves port. Each man is as
signed to a particular boat, and it is
highly important that when the
troops, in response to the alarm
signal, are moving up from the lower
decks that there be no interference
and congestion on the stairways.
The problem presents a number OF
difficulties, each of which is studied
with care. So perfect was the sys'
tenn employed on one big transport
that the 5000 troops on board could
be brought from all parts Of the ship
to their stations on the upper deck
within less than five minutes.
When a transport approaches the
submarine zone, precautions are in
creased. All officers and men must
wear their life preservers constantly,
end when the ship has got well into
the zone, orders are issued for the
men to sleep in their clothes.
No lights, of course, are shown. To
guard against the inadvertent strik-
ing of q match whose flare might re-
veal the vessels presence to a lurk-
ing submarine, no one is permitted
on deck after dark with the eXcep-
ton of the ships crew. Sentries are
posted to see that this order is
strictly obeyed.
An amusing incident occurred on a
huge British transport, which was
carrying q particularly large number
Of American soldiers. ~
About o'clock one evening, while
full speed was being made through
the heart Of the zone, a sentry no.
ticed ray of light playing in a small
circle on a distant part of tho deck
which he was guarding. He called
another sentry and together they
crept toward the point where the
light momentarily had appeared The
night was very dark and at first the
sentries could see nothing. Then
they made out the figure OF man
bending over the deck They imme-
diately seized him and told him he
was under arrest.
"But I'm the watch officer in com
mand Of the ship" the, prisoner ex-'
claimed. II have to use a flashlight
for the work I'm doing here.
However, the sentries had their
orders. They were to arrest any
body that showed light on deck.
So their captive protested in vain.
The soldiers called their officer OF
the day. He decided to turn the
prisoner over to the ships captain.
Up to the bridge the watch officer
was taken and when the captain saw
him and heard the details, he almost
choked with laughter
1t will be a long time before that
officer Is permitted to forget his ar
rest on his own ship by American
soldiers.
BOWLING GETS LIFE TERM.