| OCR Text |
Show I DEUTSCHE I NICKER CARGO H (B7 Carl W. Ackerman.') H The German merchant submarine H Deutschland, the 700-ton U-boat which, M as it sailed into Bremen, looked like H a duck with two poles In its back M swimming up the Weser river, was M built by the Krupp interests to bring M war supplies from the United States. H German munition plants last year had H to stop making, temporarily, 42-centi- B meter guns and other cannon which M .require nickel steel, because several H of tho valuable minerals and ores H needed could be obtained in Europe. H Either Krupp had to stop manufac- H turlng nickel steel war munitions H cannon, armor plate and armored au- H tomobiles or the materials had to be H ' brought from America. H Nearly two years ago a draftAian H in the Kiel offices of Krupp designed H a merchant submarine and submitted H the plans to the directors. They wqre H pigeonholed atthe time because these H materials were not desperately needed H and because the government would H not aid Krupp in constructing un- H armed U-boats. But last year Krupp H needed nickel, rare ores and minerals H which could be bought only in tho H United States or South America. So H the Deutschland ,vas designed, built, H financed, launched and dirocted by the H Krupp interests to solve the distress- H ing military problem of a shortage H of special ores and rubber. H About this time the German navy H was having difficulty in obtaining re- H ports from the German agents in the H United Ctates. Before Captain Boy-Ed H was sent back spy reports arrived H in Berlin regularly. Sometimes infor- H mation about events here reached the H German navy before the' were known H at the American embassy. But tho H blockade of spies was becoming H Crew Selected by Navy. H The German navy, which has been H stirring up anti-American feeling H wherever it could, selected tho crew H for the Deutschland and placed tem- H porarily discharged naval intelligence H officers aboard to collect and bring H back information from the United H States regarding- preparedness, public H , opinion and to make soundings and Hj investigations In American waters H wherever the submarines went. H The best evidence that Germany has H reached the maximum manufacturing H point of heavy artillery is tho Deutsch- H land's cargoes. They show that Ger- H many has reached the height of her H military efficiency, that certain raw H materials are lacking which are need- H ed in gun construction. But this does fl . not mean that Germany is ready to H crumble within a few weoks or H months. Germany has plenty of Iron H and copper and sufficient coal to run h I her ammunition and war material H factories for years. But to make the H big 38.5 centimeter ship guns, armor H plate and the new type German H "tank," the finest quality of nickel H steel is needed. H The Krupp process of making nickel B steel is a secret one, but during a H visit to Krupps last year I saw these H1 ship cannon moulded. One of the of- H ficers In charge explained that some H forty materials were used. After the Hl navy battle off the coast of Jutland H the navy department needed more H thirty-eights and more armor plate. H I Orders were sent to Krupp, but the 1 1 naval qfficers who are in charge of H this work at Essen reported that H nickel and other ores were lacking, i and that unless they were procured H outside of Europe construction could H not begin. |
