The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-06-03
FOUR THOUSAND
MILE VOYAGE
II German Submarines Came From
Home, They Travelled
More Than That
Distance.

limited Press Leased Wire Service. ]
NEW YORK, 3.-The sinhngs pc
gan at 4 D. M, yesterday, when the
schooner Cole was destroyed by
, bombs off the Jersey coast A Can
adian Pacific liner received wireless
SOS calls from two tank steamers
which were torpedoed $50 miles OH
Sandy Hook, between and O'CLOCK
last night
was reported to have list OF ABOUT
fifteen vessels attacked or DESTROYED
by raiders. The list was reported
being held until it had been checked
over with the navy department ana
this afternoon officials of the ex-
change refused to admit they nad
such a list
The distance from the nearest sub
marine bases in Belgium and Ger
many to the Jersey coast is about 4
600 miles, air line. but the course
across u boat would have to take
would be not less than 5000 miles.
At an average surface speed OF
fifteen miles an hour, submarine
would require over two weeks for
such voyage.
Odicial reports recently have de-
scribed the new German cruiser
submarine" which had been encount-
cred great distances from German
bases. These new U boats are sup
posed to DC heavily armed. Descrlp-
tons of the u boats off the Jersey
coast said they carried large guns
forward and aft and small gun
amidships This would Indicate
the visitors are of the cruiser SUD
marine" type.
Captain Hart of the steamer Bristol,
which picked up the members OF the
crew of the schooner Cole after sne
had been sunk, said he heard seven
distinct bombardments before seeing
the castaways in their life boats.
After he had picked up the men, he
said, a submarine approached his
ship, its coming tower plainly visible,
but it turned aside without attacking.
He attributed this to the fact that
large awning forward on his ship
gave it the appearance OF carrying
heavy guns.
Two submarines were definitely
sighted by the crew of the Cole.
Reports from New England coast
cities were rather vague, but indicat-
ed that there were other submarines.
1t was estimated this afternoon
that the q boat fleet probably con-
sisted of from four to six submersi-
bles. They were reported seventy-hve
miles off Jersey at p. M, yesterday.
$50 miles off the coast at p. m. and
at the same time were reported oper-
ating in the vicinity of Nantucket.
The range of u boat operations
along the coast, estimated from the
various reports is at $50 to 400 miles.
Reports accumulated today show Off
cials had warning of possible q boat
attacks. Early today Secretary Dan
iels in an interview at Washington.
said increased precautions were being
taken against submarines in Ameri-
can waters. Passengers arriving here
on steamer from Bermuda today de-
clared that its departure was held up
twenty-four hours, and that women
and children booked as passengers
were not allowed to sail.
The first news of the attack came
with the arrival here of the captain
and crew OF the schooner Edward H.
cole aboard the steamer Bristol
Thereafter reports came thick and
fast from ports along the coast from
Atlantic City to Boston. The navy de
partment acted quickly, the depart
ure of all ships being held up Subma
ripe chasers were rushed out from
various bases to reinforce those al
~ady patrolling nearby waters
The nreseut operation is the fourth
visit of German submarines to Amer
car waters but the first since the
limited states entered the war
The merchant submarine Deutsch
land made two trips to American ports
landing at Baltimore and New Lon
don The U-5S, war submarine. ap
neared off the Rhode Island coast IL
october 1915 and sank six merchan'
ships