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Show WAVY DEPARTMENT DESCRIBES MINES Three Types in Use in Warfare, War-fare, Are Generally Alike in Principle By Internat onal News Service WASHINGTON Aug 1 The various mines used In warfa e are described in an official statement Issued by the navy department today Accord ng to warn lng given to United States by both Eng land and Germany the North sea and the Eng lsh channel are both sown with these mines The navy department state ment n as fol ows There are three types of mines In use F b the anchored contact m ne w 1 h Is a m ne Anchored In a defl n te oca t usua y a channel way where shlpB must pass through o attack These m nes explode when any vensel strikes one and therefore must be accurate y charted n order t at sh ps may be pi o ed in a d out of a port without danger Snjch mines a e he d at a depth of fifteen or twen ty feet from the surface of the wa ter by a certa n amount of reserve buoyancy They are charged with vary ng amounts of high explos ve depending upon their s ze and may contain as much as 300 pounds Second anchored control ed mines These mines are genera ly slml ar to the contact mines except that they do not explode on contact but are exploded by means of e ectric wires from fort fled control stations on shore They are usua ly arranged In groups so that several are exp oded at the same t me Since these mines are exp oded only at the wl 1 of the operator on shore innocent sh pb can pass over them without danger These m ns cen be planted long ln advance of hostilities The anchored mines must become Ineffective if they by accident come adrift from their moorings Third floating mines Floating mines are genera ly of much smaller size and are sown In the probable path of the enemy Inasmuch as they are a Ike harmful to friend and foe they are made to sink at the end of one hour in accordance with the terms of The Hague convention. M nes are generally alike In ptind pie a though different nations may have different ways of accompl sh lng the same result |