Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights

olicy of Germany-Starvation of Nations the Goal-Ho

g to mind the wonderful "underseas" boat which has made infamous Germany famous. The truth is that, in so far as America is concerned, the conflict was prec

she might gain her point and perpetuate the Hohenzollern dynasty. It was not so much that her submarines wrought havoc-for death and disaster stalk always with war-but the methods by which Germany

he coast of Ireland, went to the bottom of the ocean, carrying to death more than 1150 persons, many of them prominent Americans. With an audaciousness which has no counterpart in the history of civilized

sed through a zone of the seas which the Teuton war lords declared blockaded, they sent a torpedo from an underseas boat into her bowels. The horrors of that event

S OF WAR

rmany. The Hohenzollern dynasty was above rules and regulations. International law and the rights of non-combatants at sea were as nothing. That all nations had a

deep sorrow on one hand and on the other shouted with glee. America protested vigorously, quoting the laws and demanding that Germa

rning. For almost a year her underseas crafts had been preying upon the small British coasting vessels, and sunk hundreds of fishing boats, trawlers and

and then without warning the campaign against all vessels was renewed. A dozen were sunk on which were American seamen or non-combatant passengers, none of whom was given warning

STRESS AND

Wilson in a note on the submarine warfare. "This Government cannot admit the adoption of such measures or such a warning of danger as in any degree an abbreviation of the rights of American shipmasters or American citizens

employing submarines in the destruction of commerce without disregarding those rules o

hts in taking their ships and traveling wherever the

can possibly be accepted as an excuse or palliation for that act,

ny word or any act necessary to the performance of its sacred duty or the inalienable rights

ESTRUCTION

pted to cross or sailed into a zone which she established along the English coast and around English and French ports. America's further protests availed not; her citizens, many of them, went to the bottom of the seas, and some of t

ium did not escape the torpedo from the submarine. English hospital ships were attacked, and men unable to protect themselves were subjected

to week. Food and supplies for the Allied forces were destroyed

the work of t

d if it would ever be possible for man to create such a marvelous underseas craft as that which the famous French writer described. Today the im

such an effect upon the warfare and upon the methods of waging it as the diabolical submarine, which, like an assassin in the night,

'S DEAD

bmarine, and speeding under the drive of a propeller at the stern steers its way into the side of the battleship or great steamship. The torpedo plunges into the bowe

iscover that it is the "eye" of a submarine-the periscope-which is protruding above the surface. Then he may turn his larger vessel and ram the submarine, or change the course of his craft so that the torpedo launched by the subma

Y OF THE

ed by Germany's underseas craft of the U-boat type. Incidentally, the name U-boat as applied to submarines developed because Germany, instead of naming these slinking boats, as is the custom with surface-cruising vessels, painted upon the conning tower or nose of the craft the let

han half of the vessels sunk belonged to England. Norway and France were the next greatest sufferers from the submarine warfare. In one week after Germany announc

as very largely ignored by naval men, although it was conceded that when properly developed it would prove a wonderful agency of destruction. The proud commanders of the great battle

ern submarine, died of a broken heart. His type was necessarily an experimental one. He built five boats before he was able to sell one to the United States Government, and this latter one, afte

OF THE S

ting bottle. An empty bottle, as every one knows, will float on the surface, but submerges as soon as it is filled with water. The submarine has, a

are manipulated at various angles so the bow points either upward or downward, and

shape of a cigar with the butt end to the fore, the inside filled with machinery and compactness the order of the day, might be regarded as a fair description from a physical sta

rated underwater by electric motors, and the steering, pumping, handling, loading and firing of the torpedoes is done pneumatically and electrically. The interior of the submarine is a marvel of mechanical complexity and scientific detail. There are gauges to show the

AN ANOMALY

it can never win the mastery of the seas, in the same breath they will admit that it may easily prevent the olde

rd of which were some of the leading lights of literature and some of the world's wealthy men, was sent to the bottom without the least warning. Neu

February, 1917, and the crew of nineteen men, together with the captain and other officers, with the exception of the first mate and Axel Moeller, the first engineer, perished in the bitter cold sea. No

utocrat demanded, with the balloon, flag and bunting displayed at each of the mastheads, together with other marks of identi

STRUCK

In this latter case the mine would have struck her nearer the bow. The ship was near the mouth of the English

he engineer, and because of the fact that the lifeboat was not clear it was dragged under. The men succeeded in cutting the ropes, however, and the lifeboat came to the surface

f free, and then, climbing upon the boat, reached out and caught the man by the hand. Then began a slow struggle to get him aboard, but the men were unequal to the task,

upon the boat, where they lay sprawled across its bottom. Four

e others, held to the gunwales with stiffened fingers. Within the hour one of the sailo

AGONIZING

hat their cries were most pitiful. The cabin boy was the next victim. He cried pitifully for a time, but finally b

le, and the other, in an effort to combat the cold, pulled the clothes from his dead body and wrapped them about himself. The boat settled a little, and finally both were co

he third mate started to get a sort of bluish black from the cold, and with a gasping cry he attempted to sit up straight. Then reason left him, and fo

seemed to return to him

said. "Give my l

e on his lips he died. When Moeller returned to his home he found that it was impossible to deliv

USED AS

hem about his head to attract attention. As the engineer made every effort to attract the attention of those aboard the steamship, he saw a sneaking submarine slowly edging toward her. This made him shout all the louder, thinkin

attracted the attention of the captain of the submarine, and it was this boat to which his cold-sti

shut out from before his eyes a horrible sight. He told Moeller afterwards that the most horrible sight he had ever seen was the overturned boat with the two corpses laying

hich Moeller had been engineer, and from his intimate knowledge of the sinkin

TOWS RUS

owever, when he came below and told Moeller that he had sighted a French destroyer, and that he would have to make his escape. He gave the engineer his choice of staying on the submarine, in which ca

ned overcoat. It turned out, however, that the captain had taken this clothing from the stores of the Russian steamer before sink

, and submerged. The drifters were picked up by the destroyer, which steamed for France. The captain of the U-boat had promised Moeller that he

nt men in Berlin, had been taken to the hearts of some of the leaders, became a factor in pro-German activities

e many of the inner secrets of the German Government, and these were given to the officials in Was

we will call the man Johan

TYPE OF S

U-boat type of submersible. These are the terrors of the sea which have succeeded in crossi

to the effect that Germany had a building capacity for ten submarines a week. The ability to produce these boats with such rapidity is due to the process of stan

is merely a matter of assembling them at points to which the various parts have been shipped. The Diesel oil engine, which is regarded as the ideal power-producing engine for submarines, has been de

nd it is said that the aim is to produce 1000 of these craft, to absolutely d

BMARIN

to which they can return and secure torpedoes. In operation each group consists of four submarines, traveling along in a diamond-shaped formation, one in front, one on either flank and one in rear. Eigh

m informed as to the doomed ship's progress, and submerges at the last moment. She carries the extra crews for the fighting pair. The U-boats are fairly well protected against the onslaught of the light torp

r, a Von Tirpitz council presented this answer: Attacking submarines were equipped with explosive mines containing 300 to 400 pounds of nitroglycerin or guncotton. To the top of this mine was fastened a fake periscope. This devilish device was

ON OF A P

are arranged reflectors. The reflector in the upper end catches the object which comes within the range of vision, and reflects the image down the tube to the mirror at the lower elbow, where the pilot sees it. Th

r like a "Y" lying on its side, the wide part in front. These skim through the waves and converge the image upon the low periscope's lens, which shoots the light down the tube to the

aeroplane mounting the air. The submarine fleet boasts also of "mother boats." They lie on the bottom of the ocean, in designated places, and ri

r mine laying. The mine layers work from the undersea boats without fear of disturbance, the divers walkin

REMARKABL

its of the U-boats. In one case three undersea boats appeared simultaneously alongside the ship, one being a

ate disguise of a fishing boat. This submarine ca

from open boats by passing ships, only to suffer a repetition of disaster w

was a member of the crew of a

an encounter with a submarine eight miles away. Apprehending that our turn would come next, we prepared a

ater were picked up by a British steamer. We had only a brief stay on the British boat, as she was to

n from a Danish s

IP ABA

shots into the hull of the ship, sinking her. We tried to speak with the submarine commander, but he to

ve men got ashore safe, although both lifeboats were b

the manner in which his

, and smashing our wireless. She pursued us for an hour. We did not use our gun. Finally a British patrol boat appeared. The submarine subm

erican sailing ship

observations, or on hearing the approach of merchant craft, which often can be identified readily by the sound of the engines. By thus conserving f

arine gave us a sharp signal to halt, with a shell from a distance of two miles. It was good marksmanship. The shot hit the ship squarely, but caused no casualties. We stopped and to

submarine. We all took to the Norwegian's boats. The submarine commander declined to look at the Norwegian captain