THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAXD, JTILT 4, 1920
I. - y - " 'JS ' tr--f
ftTl- - 4 tor
BT JEAN SEIVWRIGHT.
E'
i NGLAKD has just discovered
new tennis prodigy a demure.
bashful, unassuming schoolgirl
of 17 summers. Her name is Eliza
beth Colyer, but her school chums
call her "Shyboots." Tennis experts,
after watching her play, bestowed
still another name on her.- They
christened her "The Demoness of the
Tennis Courts."
After her recent remarkable bat
ting streak at Hurlingham they be
gan preparations for an American
tour for this newest English marvel
with the intention of matching her
against some of the best tennis
players in this country. In case the
arrangements for the tour are carried
out as originally planned some of us
may have an opportunity to see how
a sedate little English schoolgirl
earned the title "Demoness" by her
extraordinary leaps and contortions
and frantio mid-air plays which are
declared to be very much of an in
novation to the game of tennis as
played in England.
She began by beating Miss Evere.
the English champion on the hard
courts. Tennis critics immediately
sat up and took notice. Wild specu
lation ran rife about this wizard of
the racquet. Was this the looked
for champion that would vanquish
Mile. Lenglen? Could she beat this
famous French player who had
triumphed over the English at their
own game?
Playing at "Demon Speed.
Discussion was still going strong
when the 17-year-old girl gained new
laurels. She won a set from Mrs.
Wightman at the Hurlingham courts.
After the first set, however, her luck
ET ADMIRAL WILLIAM SOWDEN
SIMS. v
IT WAS in the summer of 1918 that
the Germans made their only at
tempt at what might be called
an offensive against their American
enemies. Between the beginning of
May and the end of October, 1918.
five German submarines crossed the
Atlantic and torpedoed a few ships
on our coast. That submarines could
make this long Journey had long been
known.. Singularly enough, however,
the Impression still prevails in this
country that the German U-boats were
the first to accomplish the feat. Jn -
the early fall of 1918 the U-63, com- I
manded by that submarine officer, '
Hans Rose, who has been previously
mentioned tn these articles, crossed
the Atlantic, dropped In for a call at
NewRort, R. L, and on the way back
sank a few merchant vessels off Nan
tucket. A few months previously the
eo-called merchant submarine
Deutschland had made its . trip to
Newport News. The uerman press, and
even some pro-German sympathizers
In this country hailed these achieve
ments as marking a glorious page in
the record of the German navy.
Doubtless the real purpose was to
show the American people how easily
these destructive vessels could cross
the Atlantic; and -to Impress upon
their minds the fate which awaited
them In case they maintained their
rights against the Prussian bully. A
a matter of fact, It had been proved
long before the Deutschland or the
U-53 had made their voyages that
submarines could cross the Atlantic.
In 1915 not one. but ten, submarines
had gone from North America to Eu
rope under their own power. Admiral
Sir John Fisher tells about this ex
pedition in his recently published me
moirs. In 191 the British admiralty
had contracted for submarines with
Charles M. Schwab, president of the
Bethlehem Steel company. As Inter
national law prohibited the construe
tion of war vessels by a neutral in
wartime for the use of a belligerent
with which it was at peace, the parts
of ten submarines were sent to Can
ada, where they were put together,
These submarines then crossed the
Atlantic under their own power and
were ent from British ports to the
Hoa; the 'Agile Contortions of a Demure Lit'
tie School Girl Hqve Been 'Astounding the
European Experts Who Pre'
&';
seemed to desert her and Mr. Wight
man again scored.
But her marvelous'playing set all
England a-talking. Will she really
develop into a tennis champion?
That's the question that's agitating
all tennis enthusiasts. They are
wildly excited. And Miss Colyer?
Well, she has a charming personality
and the twinkle in her smiling blue
eyes Invites all sorts of speculation
about her play. Is she treating It all
as a joke or is she going to be a
really big player one of these days?
Chances at the present are uncertain.
Her speed is demoniacal as she
leaps fully three feet high to meet a
ball. Agile as a young fawn, she
twists, turns, dodges, darts forward
but her racquet always strikes the
ball. Overhand, underhand she
serves or returns with equal skill,
and so swiftly that her wrists seem
to be made of elastic.
But despite this dazzling play, she
has not yet acquired the cleverly
calculated strokes of Molla Bjurstedt.
whose mental play is as fascinating
as her physical prowess. When this
player hits a ball you know she'll
send It to the very point where her
opponent least expects it.
Not so Elizabeth Colyer. according
to some experts who have watched
and studied her "playing. Quick ac
tion minus calculating thought Is re
vealed in her methods. Of course
she's very young and full of "pep"
and apparently never thinks of using
her head to weary her opponent's feet,
as she dashes from one end of the
court to the other. She revels in the
many different ways in which she
can return the ball and seemingly
doesn't worry about her rival's game.
Dardanelles, where they succeeded In i
driving Turkish and German shipping
out of the Sea of Marmora. Thus a
crossing of the Atlantic by American
submarines had been accomplished be
fore the Germans made their voyages.
It was therefore not necessary for the
two German submarines to cross the
Atlantic to prove that the thing could
be done; but the Germans doubtless
believed that this demonstration of
their ability to operate on the Amer
ican coast would serve as a warning
to the American people.
Wiat They Wonld Have Meant.
We were never at all deceived as to
what would be the purpose of such a
visit after our entrance into the war.
In the early part, of 1917 the allies
believed that the German U-boats
might assail our coast, and I so In
formed the navy department at Wash
ington. My cables and letters of 1917
explained fully the reasons why Ger
many might Indulge In auch a ges
ture. Strategically, as these dispatches
make clear, such attacks would have
no great military value. To have sent
a sufficient number of submarines to
do any considerable damage on the
American "coast would have been a
great mistake. Germany's one chance
of winning the war with the subma
rine weapon was to destroy shipping
to such an extent that the communi
cations of the allies with the outside
world, and especially with the United
States, would be cut. The only places
where the submarine warfare could
be conducted with . some chance of
success were the ocean passage routes
which lead p European ports, espe
cially in that area south and south
east of Ireland, In which were focused
the trade routes for ships sailing from
all parts of the world and destined
(or British and French ports. With
the number of submarines available
the Germans could keep enough Of
their U-boats at work in these areas
to destroy a large number of mer
chant ships. Germany thus needed to
concentrate all of her available sub
marines at these points; she had an
inadequate number for her purposes;
to send any considerable force 3000
miles across the Atlantic would sim
ply weaken her efforts in the real
scene of warfare and would make her
submarine campaign a failure. The
diet Championship Honors
and an American Touri
Youthful Expert Wins New
Laurels in Every Match in
Which
lZr3j 2ZJ. Sjrrt
fa Meet t?e?Je7ncncsr
But in spite of her somewhat
erratic play which makes the critics
hesitate as to whether they'll christen
her the "new champion." or merely a
"freak." they are already looking up
her schoolday triumphs. On one
thing they are all agreed, however,
and that Is that she possesses a de
lightful personality. Her blue eyes
have a look of boyish frankness,
while many of her little mannerisms
suggest a childhood spent with her
brothers. But little sister, always
.c-"ifc:V:w-.
! Which She Contends. i'y f
' I - 1 v . . '1 Leaps nf2?ourdrs-
if-., xv -s , . ' y'l C5
M - Av I
OJt THE LAUNCHING DECK,
The minra moved en little railroad track toward the ten, whence they dropped, at aboat tea-aecoal Interval,
. Into the water. Each mine-laying ahly carried about 500 on an average..
cruises of submarines on the Ameri
can coast would have been very much
longer and would have been a much
more serious strain on the subma
rines than were the shorter cruises in
the inshore waters of Europe. As has
already been explained, the submarine-did
not differ from othej- craft
in its need for constant repairs and
careful upkeep, except that perhaps
It was a more delicate Instrument of
warfare than any other naval craft,
and that it would require longer and
more frequent periods of overhaul.
The Germans had no submarine bases
in American waters and could estab-
i lisa nqnet Possiblj as the aewejaper
She Contends.
The 2e7none3"xrz Acte'Sn I
a good pal In all their sports, has
outstripped them all In the game of
tennis.
She preferred the world a-field to
the world of books. A skilled swim
mer and oarswoman. she reveled In
all outdoor sports. And to their
practice from babyhood she owes her
marvelous physique.
While her father delighted In the
study of dead languages and pre
ferred at all times the bypaths of
the scholar, her mother believed In
writer has pointed out. they might
seize a deserted Island off the coast
of Maine or in the Caribbean, and
cache there a reservoir of fuel and
food; unless, however, they could also
create at these places adequate facili
ties for repairing submarines or sup
plying them with torpedoes and am
munition, such a place would not
serve the purpose of a base at all.
Comparatively few of the German
submarines could have made the
cruise to the American coast and op
erate successfully there so far away
from their bases for any considerable
time.
Anything resembling aa ftUUcklng
1 v ' fi- - pf
1! kinds of outdoor activities. The
-laws of the Romans and the litera
ture of Greece did not greatly appeal
to her. although she decided when
eight years old that Diana, the God
dess of the Chase, was the only one
who Interested her,
Still at school when the war broke,
she. found other means to keep herself
fit when sports had necessarily to be
neglected. During her summer vaca
tions she worked in the fields. Her
manner of pitching hay was char
acteristic and the speed with which
she could load a wagon amazed her
companions. With the world's re-
4t
r - - t-f H-3
'"TRS1.,'.
f f
force on American harbors was there
fore improbable. Yet it seemed from
the first that-the Germans would send
an occasional submarine- into our
waters, as a measure of propaganda
rather than for the direct military
result that would be achieved. Amer
ican destroyers and other vessels were
essential t6 the success of the whole
anti-submarine campaign of the allies.
The sooner they could all be sent into
the critical European waters the
sooner the German scheme of terror
ism would end.- If these destroyers,
or any considerable part of them,
could be kept indefinitely in American
waters, the Germans might wis the
i - trV-1 i jr$
. j v i
js ' J
turn to normal ways her enthusiasm
tor tennis revived and her attain
ments at Hurlingham have now
rought her before the world.
The Clothes of a "Demoness."
Of course the "Demoness" has
some decided opinions, especially in
the matter of clothes. She gives the
Greeks credit for good judgment
about their attire when they played
Olympian games. So she has adopted
a style that is decidedly individual
yet extremely practical. Her loose
white dress somewhat like a modi
fied toga extends to the knees', for
she will not permit anything to inter
fere with her speed. And garbed In
this manner she knows that there's
no possibility of tripping on her
skirt as she bends or leaps forward
to hit a ball. She dispenses entirely
with corsets in fact she has never
worn them. Her muscles are so
splendidly developed that she needs
no artificial support.
When asked if she had any fads In
regard to diet she smiled one of her
disarming smiles, for while she is not
a beauty yet her smile and the ex
irtfttui Hiii ii hihii n h 1 1 tuHntftntntti
UMrarainHmtmtmtwmttmmmmnmmn'tm
GERMAN U-BOATS IN
AMERICAN WATERS
iwuiuttinuffl mn t MUtratfuntntnuniuitnniMitninfli m ntnti tn i unninmtnntnu mtuiw unai win iiTnini tu nntr
war. Any maneuver which would i
have as Its result the keeping of these
American vessels, so Indispensable to
the allies, out of the field of active
warfare would thus be more than jus
tified and. indeed, would indicate the
highest wisdom on the part of the
German navy. The Napoleonic prin--ciple
of dividing your enemy's forces
Is Just as valuable In naval as in land
warfare. For many years Admiral
Mahan had been instructing American
naval officers that -the first rule In
warfare Is not to divide your fight
ing forces, but always to keep them
together, so as to bring the whole
weight at a given moment against
your adversary. Two of. the funda
mental principles of the science of
warfare, on land and sea alike, are
contained In the maxims: Keep your
own forces concentrated, and always
endeavor to divide those of the enemy.
Undoubtedly the best method which
Germany could use to keep our de
stroyers in our own waters was to
make the American people believe
that their lives and property were In
danger; they might accomplish this
by sending a submarine to attack our
shipping off New York and Boston
and other Atlantic seaports, and pos
sibly even to bombard our harbors.
The Germans doubtless believed that
they might create such alarm and
arouse such public clamor tn the
United States that our destroyers and
other anti-submarine craft would be
kept over here by the navy depart
ment, in response to the popular agi
tation to protect our own coast. This
is the reason why American head
quarters n London, and the allied ad
miralties, expected such a visitation.
The Germans obviously endeavored to
create the Impression that auch an
attack was .likely to occur at any
time. This was part of their war
propaganda. The press, was full of
reports that such attacks were about
to be made. German agents were
continually circulating these reports.
Raids (or Moral Effect.
Of course it was clear from .the
first to the heads of the allied navies,
and to all naval authorities who were
informed as to the actual conditions,
that these attacks by German sub
marines on the American coast would
5
I presslon of her face are full of
charm.
"Oh. dear." she said. Tm no au
thority on foods. I haven't studied
calories and I don't know how many
I should eat or for that matter what
any one should eat. I always eat
hat I need and being out-of-doors
so much I always have a splendid
appetite."
And that was all she could say
about food except that she had al
ways been brought, up on simple.
holesome fare.
Regarding the hours she spends is
practice; that also evoked a smile.
hy, I never count them. When
you're doing something you're craiy
about you Just go on whenever you
have the chance. Of course some
people may have to have certain laws
and hours and regulations but I don t
think I come of a very systematic
family. I'm only a perfectly natural
person and never having been inter
viewed before don't know whether
I'm saying what I should or not."
With the exception of the spectac
ular "Demoness" and the old reliable
Kingscote. England seems to have
very little tennis talent on display
Just at the present . time. In fact,
the British were reported to be very
much in the doldrums regarding the
tennis outlook a few weeks ago when
they were called on to face another
American lawn tennis invasion and
another Davis cup competition with
a lot of veterans whose days of ef
fectiveness were over years ago.
Of all the British tennis players
only Kingscote was considered worthy
of being regarded as a serious con
tender in the cup contests. Mies
Colyer's game, while spectacular and
particularly vigorous, and calculated
to wear down a less strenuous oppo
nent, was finally adjudged of scarcely
championship caliber. Still the
"Demoness" in action is worth going
miles to see, if only to study her re
markable antics while making al
most Impossible shots. .
A close rival of Miss Colyer, Zeno
Schmitzu. the Japanese tennis player,
proved the sensation of the world
hard court titular tournament re
cently held in Paris. Schmitzu holds
the championship of Japan and India.
only "be In the nature of raids for
moral effect. It was also quite clear
from the first, as I pointed out in my
dispatches to the navy department,
that the best place to defend our
coast was In the critical subma
rine areas in the eastern Atlantic,
through which the submarines had to
pass in setting out for our coast, and
in which alone they could have any
hope of succeeding in the military
object of the submarine campaign.
It was not necessary to keep our de
stroyers in American waters, patrol
ing the vast expanse of our 3000 miles
of coastline, in a futile effort to find
and destroy such enemy submarines
as might attack the American coast.
So long as these attacks were only
sporadic and carried out by the type
of submarine which used Its guns al
most exclusively in sinking ships, and
wfiich selected for its victims un
armed and unprotected ships, destroy
ers and other anti-submarine . craft
would be of no possible use on the
Atlantic coast. The submarine could
see these craft from a much greater
distance than It could Itself be seen
by them; and by diving and sailing
submerged it could easily avoid them
and sink its victims without ever be
ing sighted or attacked by our own
patrols, however numerous they might
have been. Even in the narrow waters
of the English channel, up to the
very end of ihe war, submarine were
successfully attacking small merchant
craft by gunfire, although the dens
ity of patrol craft In this area was
naturally a thousand times greater
than we could ever have provided for
the vast expanse of our own coast.
Consequently, eo long as the subma
rine attacks on the American coast
were only sporadic, it was absolutely
futile to maintain patrol craft In those
waters, as this could not provide any
adequate defense against such scat
tered demonstrations. If, on the other
hand, the Germans had ever decided
to commit the military mistake of
concentrating a considerable number
of submarines off our Atlantic ports,
we could, always have countered such
a step by sending back from the war
zone an adequate number of craft to
protect convoys in and out of the At
lantic ports, in the same manner that
tCoacuded on Fage