Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-31
international News Bureau.1

In combating tho most sinister and
deadly peril which threatened not only
this country but the whole cause OF
the allies during the war, the authorj-
tics. as they several times pointed
out. had not been able. after three
years OF struggle. TO count upon what
Lord Lytton described as one sovereign
remedy.
Sir Joseph Maclay. when Interview ID
by French journalist, expressed the
opinion that miraculous panaccu
against submarines might perhaps be
discovered some day. but at the time
he spoke no such complete and es-
fective antldote had been found. and
the Admiralty had. therefore. TO con-
fine their energies ITO applying and
strictly co-ordinatinE tho existing Of.
fonsive and defensive measures at
their disposal"
Thus tho methods and appliances
pressed into the war against> the
C-b"a,s covered a wide range The
principle upon which they were all
adopted was that or eliminating grad
uailr the various phases of submarine
activity-of tackling the problem
pIecemeal as II wcte--as the only sure
means Of ultimately curbing the
Il I.
II one was asked TO name however
the class of weapon which had con-
tributed as much as any towards the
discontinue Of the submarine the an
swcr could easily be given. How much
more successful would the enemy's
effort have been but for the excellent
use made OF aircraft by the allies.
Airsnips and airplanes. scaplanes and
kite balloons. have between them
formed one OF the principal palliatives
OF the problem.
REAL TROUBLE IN HUNTING
SUBMARINES Is TO FIND THEM
The real trouble IL TO spot" the
submarine. In regard 10 this, the com
mon spectacle Of Gulls lowering over
a shoal OF fish or Of the osprey and
kinrhsher spying out their prey be-
meath tho surface and descending
swiftly upon it in shallow waters. arc
examples OF what nature has TO teach
rs III the immemorial warfare of the
bird against the fish.
Now ider the question in an
other aspect The submarine can only
be caugh. and destroyed by the cxer-
else OF three out of the i've senses
VIZ. sight. touch and hearing Sub
marine sound signaling had taught US
much before the war in regard to the
last named. but the rnicrophone and
similar Instruments have obviousl; not
been a complete success. Nor have
appliances with the object of feeling
Tor submarines had any more decisive
erect. Among such may be classcd
the instruments designed to record
the carnations from vessel using
electric motors. such al those on which
C-boats have to rely when running
under water
There remains the best sense of all
-sight-and experience has SHOWN
that what II is impossible to discern
from the deck. or even the masthead
OF any cruiser or other surface vessel
can be seen easily from a machine nv
ing AT good distance above the
water. Thus the necessity OF making
the utmost use of aircraft as the only
promising means OF locating sub
merged submarines soon became mani
fest
The extent TO which such a policy
succeeded was entirely a question Of
material both as regards quantity and
quality. For long time the allies
had TO meet very heavy calls upon
their productive capacity of aircraft
in other directions, so that the ou,put
Tor work against submarines was
limited. But if the time ever comes
"hen every channel is watched by air.
when every ship Of Importance has