New-York tribune., 1918-06-07

tions off the American coast and sent
broadcast warnings to shipping of the
reported presence Of enemy U-Doats in
American waters. Assistant Secretary
OF the Navy Roosevelt declared TODAY.
1t was the Navy Departments answer
70 criticism made on the floor of the
Senate when Senator Brandegee. of
61,on!,nectlcut, =, read an editorial from a
rhlladelphla newspaper attacking the
navy Tor not issuing sooner warnings
auers,ng anors mariners of the presence of
enemy submarines along the coast.
Mr.. Roosevelt did not divuleo whom
the warnings to merchant Shipping
were sent out. He said, however. the
Wlfeless warnings were sent earlier
'nan last Saturday, when the first news
OF submarine attack came in the IS O S"
call from the steamer Carolina.
Whether the Cardinals wireless op
orators were caught mapping and did
not not receive the warnings, or whether
,he warnings were received and no.
needed is not known at the Navy De-
partment
All ships at sea with wireless should
nave received the danger warnings
"nich were sent from the ARLINGTON
wireless towers and relaycd from shin
and shore stations.
Inc navy's warnings were of no avail
20 lhe scnooners sunk by the German
submarines, however. for these vessels
carry no wireless. If they had left port
pelore the navy's danger signals were
received there was no means of not;fv-
ing tnem OF the submarine peril.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt said
that warnings of the reported presence '
OF enemy submarines in American
waters mad been sent out by the Navv
department several times when in
formation received by the department
indicated the danger of submarines or
the coast. These previous WARNINGS
mad proved to be false alarms" and #
was assumed that the warnings semi
last week, or earlier, might have been
oiSrregarded as another "cry Of wolf"
The fact that the Navy Department
naa warnings of the submarine peril
wa was accepted as an explanation of the
submarines failure to sink a troop
transport or overseas supplies carr;er
curing the eight or ten days thew Law
or the coast before attacking coast
wise shipping. N''''
Inc navy strengthened it's CONVOY
neets as the safest means of com.
batting the U boats, whose presence
,hen was only suspected AS soon as
the f1rst definite news of y boat activi
~ vas received every available vessel
OF the coast fleet and every scouting
sea plane was sent to the chase.
=. Inc Department is running down
tn inc report from Cape May of the de-
struction of submarine by a destrov-
er The report has not been verified
oficlally and there is doubt here con-
ccernlng its accuracy. 1t is believed.
however. that should one of the enemy
vessels be destroyed the Department
would quickly announce the catch.
~ o dhe COVE rnment's intelligence bu-
reaus are on the lookout for possible
spies landed by the submarines. and
nlso for suspicious characters alone
the seaboard, who may be enemy agents
waiting to communicate with one of
the hostile vessels. -
Officials here have not been greatly
impressed by the humanity" so far
a. qeclared to have been observed by the
U-boat commanders in the treatment of
passengers and crews of ships sunk in
American waters.
There is a reason for it," a high of-