B. E. C. (Ealing). — Many thanks for the cutting. The 
Australian Government has certainly done its share and done 
itweJl. 
^^■ L. M. (South Shields). — There are plenty of devices for 
oiitainiug accuracy with homb-dropping, but the trouble is 
that when bombs are dropped from any Leight there is alwavs 
the unknown factor of the wind in between the machine and 
the target. The wind blows at different velocities at different 
altitudes, so defiections occur wliich cannot be allowed for 
from great heights. 
,^ J. G. (Edinburgh). — So far as I know the idea you 
euggest is already in active operation. 
V. N. S. P. (London, S.E.). — Very many thanks for your 
•ympathetic letter. I am not at all sure that the person to 
whom you refer resides in an '' Englishman's" home. His 
handwriting certainly ajipears to have been acquired in 
•nother couutrx'. 
B. V. W. (Dublin). — A distinguished technical expert 
wrote last week and gave me a resume of ex|}eriments which 
h« was carrying out with a view to the production of an 
instrument somewhat along the lines which you have since 
fuggested. It may interest you to know that you have inde- 
pendently hit on a similar idea. 
A. R. S. (Newcastle-on-Tyne). — Your view that it is 
" uncommonly like whining to proclaim to the world that the 
fellow you are fighting is mad and (hen complain because he 
bit«s your stomach" is, I think, a level-headed one. Of 
course, to sink ships without warning is piratical: but by 
making too much scream about it, we run the great risk of 
plaj'ing into Germany's hands. 
W. T. H. (Torquay and New York). — Mining the mouth 
of an enemy's harlxtur ia mainly a waste of mines, because 
«t the best it can merely delay the enemy. The Japanese 
wasted endless n\ines off the entrance to Port Arthur. The 
Russians, of course, maintained a regular service of sweepers 
to keep a channel quite clear. It is more tliau probable tiiit 
the German mines around Heligoland, &c., are what is known 
as observation mines, i.e., they are exploded at will from the 
shore, and, therefore, only dangerous to a hostile vessel. 
C. M. — Unfortunately, to discuss most of the m.atters to 
which you refer is tahoo. I am quite satisfied in ray own mind 
tliat the Admiralty is correct in its policy. As for the con- 
flicting rumours, one may be as correct as another. I see and 
fytHpathise with the tantalising situation in which you find 
yourjielf. I am a fellow sufierer. 
H. A. H. (Ilighgate). — Torch was a penslip for Foon. 
P. H. li. (Newbury). — (1) 1 have forwarded the letter 
ai1»out the Jjiifiiiutiia io the editor-. .Your view is, of course, 
cbrr«ct. . (2) Re your quesdon, the Admiralty has withheld 
infermation for strategical reasons which are to our advantage. 
■:■■ ■' X. Y. Z." (Scarborough).— A .scheme like yours was 
experimented with some years ago. I do not know with what 
euccets. 
J. II. (Ashbourne). — See answer to " X. Y. Z." above. 
J. S. (Dundee).- — I have read your communications widi 
great interest. You appear to have covered every possible 
argument. 
R. W. C. (Dunfermline). — It was long ago officially 
requested that no speculations as to future fleet operations 
ithoftld lie made. This was a wi.se step for the following reason. 
Those who write necessarily get to know odds and ends of 
news which have not seen the light, and from these odds and 
ends it is not difficult to prophesy as to probable happenings, 
and so very possibly unintentionally to aid the enemy to 
bridge the gap which exists between the British mind and the 
Gernian one. 
L. M. T. (Wimbledon). — Sorry, but I am not allowed to 
diMCum the matter, 
H. O. M. B. (Landinam). — (1) Many thanks for your 
long and interesting letter. It is the cur.se cf the country 
that the ordinary population living in districts remote from 
danger is totally incapable of realising that we are at war. A 
pmall German raid in one of these places would probably be a 
blessing in disguise. (2) 1 have discussed the underwater 
supply of submarine stores in last week's issue, which coin- 
cided with your letter. (3) Both Philip of Spain, in Eliza- 
bethan days, and Napoleon, at « later era, had designs of 
invasion conducted with flat-bottomed boats; schemes wliich 
never came off. T)>e Germans are reported to harbour similar 
plans, but, though they might be immune from torpedo attack, 
they would certainly not escape shell fire. I fancy that their 
plight would be reminiscent of the Turks on the Suez Canal. 
1 hope you will soon recover and be able to go back. 
M. W. (Bournemouth, ex Belgium). — If you have any- 
tliing of value to give to the British Admiralty, you should 
«ffer it to tltem direct. But if you want to make it a matter 
15 
of tratling information for cash, I have no sp»pathy with you 
whatever. I do not wish to be rude, but we all of us are up 
against a common enemy, and no " iudueements " hhould be 
considered. Pcrhap.s, however, \-o« h.ove not used '* induce- 
ment" in the English seufiC : in which case I apologise for 
the a,bove remarks and refer you back to the first sentence 
of this. 
AV. B. F. (St. Newlyn East).- — Our remote descendants 
may see something along the lines which you suggest, but 
tc-day it would be entirely impracticable. 
GoGo (Birkenhead). ^ — (1) A zig-zag course is the best 
thing because a submarine, when submerged, is slow moving, 
unable to see very well, and compelled to be bows on in order 
to fire its torpedoes. (2) It is, of course, illegal in any cas-a 
whatever to sink merchant ships without warning," and, 
indeed, to sink them at all is only legally j>ermissible when 
there is no reasonable possibility of bri)>ging them into port 
with prize crews. However, Germany has cast aside all ideas 
of international law, and reverted" to the ethics of two 
thousand years ago. 
1). S. H. (London, N.W.). — Your idea for locating mines 
is certainly ingenious, but the whole area could be swept more 
quickly than your " detectors " could be laid down. 
T. C. (Hayward's Heath).— So far only one of the Chilean 
Dreadnoughts has been taken over, the Ahint-ante Lr.torre, 
now the t'uncuhi. The other Chilean ship, the Almirniite 
Coehmuf., is far less advanced, so the question of taking her 
over cannot yet arise. The policy of the British Admiralty 
is to inconvenience as little as may be neutrals who have ships 
building in this country. 
M. J. C. (Glasgow). — (1) Roughly speaking, errors of 
"direction" in modern gunnery do not exist. No matter what 
the range, " direction " is mainly a matter of " hitting the 
haystack." "Elevation," on the other hand, is governed 
by jnany factors, of which a few are correct estimation not 
only of the range but of where ttfe target will be when the 
shell fetches up, variations in powder, the motion of the ship 
firing, and a few other contraptions as well. (2) The article 
to which you refer deals with American naval gunnery, which 
differs from ours in various ways. The Americans think their 
way the best. We think ours is. The Germans have prob- 
ably a third way still! Anyway, you will realise that any 
explanation as to how and why a British shell hits a German 
ship in a tender place is quite inappropriate at (he present 
time. Be content to thank God for the hits, and don't bother 
hew it's done so long as it is done. 
P. G. C. (Potter's Bar). — It is impossible to answer your 
first question. As regards the second, so far as 1 know U16 
managed to get out of Esbjerg within the 24-hour limit. 
According to my iuformatien there was nothing particularly 
wrong with her, but the weather was bad and she took advan- 
tage of International Law to gain much needed rest. There 
is no nation so attached to International Law as Germany — 
when ntjvaniaije is to be ohtaiiifd from it. 
A. Z. (London, N.). — I am afraid that beyond informing 
you that the Quffti Kli:iihfth is already known in the Navy 
as " Black Bess " I cannot give you any information such as 
you desire. But you can " «leep in yonr bed " to ihe extent 
of taking it that Lord Fi.sher will probably know better what 
to do with her than " the majority of the members of your 
club who discussed the matter." It it quite true that I 
u))hold the Admiralty as against civilian opinion which is 
" profoundly dissatisfied "; but what would you have? When 
you order a suit of clothes, do you do the cutting and fitting, 
or do you leave it to your tailor? 
"Patriot" (London, W.). — Your 27 reasons why 
Admiral Jellicoe should have his battle fleet off Heligoland 
form interesting (though terribly lengthy) reading. I sliould, 
however, he raoi-e impressed with your " patriotism " and 
your conviction of our Admiralty's " inconi))etenee or 
treachery" if your letter " s's " were after the English 
instead of the German style. The only thing in your letter 
which I can congratulate you on is "I prefer to anonymous 
be." Here you are undoubtedly wise! 
L. K. (London, S.W.).— The fiag.ship of the Italian 
Admiral Persano at Lissa was the Afoidatoie, the " Dread- 
nought" of her era. He .shifted his flag to her from the 
lie d'ltalia shortly before the battle, and kept her out of the 
line. Had he gone into action, leading the Italians in the 
Afof'dntorf, he would probably have won — the Austrian fleet 
was distinctly inferior in ships. 
J. F. G. (London, S.W.). — Your scheme is ingenious, 
but I am afraid that it would be out of court on account of 
weight, and also on account of the complication ef fitting. 
The ordinary BuUivaut torpedo net is far timplcr and of far 
less weijrht. 
