London, Feb. 19.
Yesterday was "The Day," other words, the inauguration of the German submarine campaign agaist our mercantile marine, an idea which they admit they boriowed from a story published some time 1go by Conan Doyle vatitled "The In that story the small navy of the State of "Norland reduced the naval might of Great Britain to nothing by cutting off all our trade. It is not blockade, as rome of the papers have incorrectly designated it. The Germans claim that they have never used the word since a blockade cannot be made effective. All that Germaay sets itself out to do is to conduct an energetic war against all our mercantile vessels, and for that reason it has warned all neutral ships to keep out of the war zone. This zone, I may remark, seems to be all the waters round our coasts.
The shipowners of this country are not in the least perturbed by the Geman proclamation which seems to have exasperated more especial:
all the neutral nations, which saw themselves faced with the possibility that their vessels would be sunk at sight without inquiry as to their country of origin. The little neutral nations have of course raised a chorus of indignation, but what can they dot Holland sees its trade vitally imperilled, and its: ships are therefore painting their names in letters which stand as high as a hayrick, and each of which is several feet wide. Tu fact, it seems as if there will not be enough ship on which to paint the names.
The Scandina countries are equally exasperated, but there again they feel their inability to do thing save protest. There only mains the United States, which is a position to do something if it wishes, although may be not much. With respect to American vesselr the situation changes from day to day, but summed up concisely it id appear that Germany in a Note to the Washington Authorities intimated that no concessions would be made and that merchantmen unless convoyed by warships would venture into the war zone at their own peril. At the same time, she is believed to have given secret American merchantmen.
Disguises Useless, No doubt the armies of Germs spies which still exist in this com try are hovering round the water side in our chief ports trying w note ju advance any disguises on vessels may be assuming. Thr will not find much to work on. The majority of vessels will not bother about concealing their _identits, though each of them has Admiralty sanction to use any flag it like for the purpose of escaping capture As most of the submarines make their attacks by night, it ie safe say that the majority of vessels wil not see the usefulness of disguise, while it is equally certain that there will be neutral victims. If we are to believe the German reports, the waters will be soon thick with Ger man mines laid by submarines though whether this work can carried out successfully is another matter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.