The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-06-21


the United States from Mexico to
Canadian waters danger zone, and
will warn neutral shipping, says dis
patch to the Exchange Telegraph from
Amsterdam, quoting reports received
from Berlin.
Washington-In view of what has
been happening during the past few
weeks, officials here were inclined to
regard as bit of grim humor the re-
port from Berlin, via Holland, that the
German government is about to de-
clare the Eastern American coast a
LANCER zone and to warn neutral ship
ling of its purposes.
Raiding submarines have already
erved warning of the danger in more
forceful terms than Berlin could for
mulate in diplomatic communication.
Several of the eighteen vessels sunk
by the raiders were neutrals, carrying
no war supplies. Neutral governments
are not likely to have overlooked that
fact, warning or no warning.
1t is recognized, however, that the
forthcoming warning may prove to be
a formal announcement OF zone in
American waters where ruthless sink
ing of all ships is to be the order Of
the day, forecasting continuing men
ace off Atlantic ports through regular
submarine patrols.
Officials here have been fully awake
to the fact that such patrols could be
maintained if the German authorities
thought the results obtainable justified
divering a large number of boats from
operations off the French and British
coasts. 1t has been. figured out that
by starting a new raider or fotilla of
raiders every five days, one link in
the endless chain of U-boats always
would be on duty in American waters.
Such operations would mean that
for every boat actively engaged on
this side, there would be several on
The way over and several more on the
way back to Germany, none of which
would have any substantial value
while en- route in either direction. On
this account, Navy officials generally
have discounted the patrol idea, be-
lieving that much better results from
the German viewpoint would be OBJ
tainable by using the same number OF
boats where they are now used, in the
North Sea or adjacent waters.
1t is not regarded as impossible
that either by using mother ships or
through the establishment of land
base, no sign of which has yet been
discovered, the Germans have hit upon
a way of maintaing a U-boat fotilla for
an indefinite time on this side. Since
there is no evidence as yet of any ex-
tension of the zone of raiding opera
tons, however, and since nothing has
come to indicate an increased number
of raiders at work, these possibilities
also are purely matters of speculation.
So far as Allied and American ships
are concerned, the warning" can
make 10 difference The raiders,
while treating passengers and crews
of the ships they way-laid with con-
sideration that is worthy Of note only
because it is a departure from the
ruthlessness of accepted German prac-
tice elsewhere, have conducted cruiser
warfare under strictly German in
depreciation of what that means. I'm
armed merchant craft of no military
value have been summary dealt with.
The only armed craft sunk was tor
pedoed without warning.
1t is assumed that any announce
chiefly to intimidate neutral shipping.
Even then, the urgent demand at home
for supplies procurabie only in the
United States and the glittering
freight rates obtainable probably
would overcome any anxiety neutral
ship owners might experience as re-
suit of warning"
Perhaps the German Admiralty
hopes to stimulate home readers in
Germany with the idea that steps have
been taken to stop the flow of Ameri-
can troops to Europe. Actual enforce
ment of U-boat blockade, however, is
the only thing that would in fact serve
to interfere with that flow.