Arizona republican., 1918-01-31
COMMANDER TELLS
 IF PURSUIT PART ? OF UNITED STATES
rRepublican A. p. Leased Wirel

NEW YORK, Jan. 30.-How secretly the United States dispatched the first fotilla of torpedo boat destroyers last April to join the British navy in the hunt for German submarines, was told Flor the first time publicly tonight by Commander J. K. TaussiG, U. $. N., who took them across the Atlantic. The narrative was related before an audience which thronged Carnegie hall 10 celebrate the opening of a war saving stamp campaign in this city. Commander Taussigs story of the work accomplished by the navys grey hounds far from home was wildly cheered.
 "SO anxious was the navy depart ment that the outside world in geneal should know nothing of the movement of the ships" Commander Tausig said, "that not even I, who was in command of the expedition, was informed of our destination.
 My orders were to proceed to a point 30 miles east of Cape Cod, and then open my sealed instructions. Un- til I got to that point, at midnight of the first night out, I did not know that our first port of call was to be Queenstown, Ireland.
 Tt is natural that the few in au-
 
 watched with anxiety for news of our crossing. It was the first time that vessels of this type had ever made so long a continuous passage without re- fuelling or without the company of larger vessels.
 We were ten days in making the trip, due mostly to a southeast gale, which accompanied us for seven of the ten days. So rough was the sea that for seven days We did not see our mess tables. We ate off our laps. On the ninth day we were pleased to be met by a little British destroyer named the Mary Rose. She picked us up early one morning and came along flying the international signal welcome to the American colors.
 They were very glad to see us. Things were looking black. In the three previous weeks the submarines had sunk 152 British ships. We i'm mediately had depth bombs installed so as to fight the submarines. The night before we entered the harbor at Queenstown, a German submarine planted F mines right in the chan mel. Fortunately for us, they were swept up by the ever-vigilant British mine sWeepers before we arrived
 We escorted many ships and we saved many lives. 1 cannot say we sunk any submarines. The subma. fine, l found, was a very difficult bird to catch. He always sees you first Only once did my vessel, in sever months, succeed in actually firing at a submarine. He then went down after the fifth shot was fired. At that he was five miles away. But what they are afraid of are the depth bombs While l cannot say positively that sanl any submarines, l saw results or several occasions which led me to be lieve that l had at least damaged ont or two.
 "The patrol duty was trying, as thu ocean was streWn with wreckage for { distance of 300 miles off shore. It wa: hard to tell 8 periscope when we saw one. We fired at fish, floating spar and other objects because we could no afford to take a chance. The subma rines grew less active, or did less dam age as the summer wore on.
 The night patrol work was danger ous. There were frequent collisions and we had to use our judgment as t, whether we should turn on the light and avoid danger of collision, and talk, the risk of a submarine seeing us, O. keep our lights out and take ou chances. We have to remember tha
  if a submarine sees us she only sink one ship. A serious collision migh sink two ships, so it is a matter o judgment.
 The question is can we beat tn submarine? l am sure We can, if tn people will do their part
 Commander Taussg said there i complete cooperation between tn American and British navies on foreigl waters
 Elihu Root also spoke. He said tha only by greater saving can enough fooc clothing and raw material for arms ammunition and transportation be ob tained to assure success for America arms in France. He pointed out tha the war savings stamps were the me dium through which every man an woman, and even children could hel in the conflict.