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Show BARRIER OF NETS 15 VAST PROTECTION TO HARBORJOR U-BOATS Commander of Light Cruiser Squadron in Sight of Home He Has Not Visited in Three Years. "THE FIGHTING FLEETS:9 By RALPH D. FAINS. (Op.rrigM, 191S, by Ralph I. Pain.) t. By ? pi-inl arranAnint Itii Hovi?ti ton Mifflin Co. 1NSTA1 MKNT IS. Aboard a Eritith Submarine. T " ( s rresunici to be a short I p;.i -;-a cruise in a Pritih sub-1 sub-1 marine whU h !ial dookrl for a i r:it. Anolhor boat of the (ltni:t was do'nilfd l- x.o to sra Ht thft SA!i:e time a::.i pla- aroond Uh ht-r while a destroyer cimrned out ahead of tr.eni to make ie game more lu-tTetin. lu-tTetin. It was a harbor crowd rd with many kii'.dfl of fifihune cr :'t, all of ti.rrn a!ert. prepared, iie'd und-T tbs briefest roE5:b!e steanilng noiife. The commander of the 1 i g i : t cruiser squadron could see the roof of hN own home ashore, but he had not slept there for a single night d'.irln; three years. "Whenever the sipnal came, which was at east once in the week, his fas; ships dashed straight for tlie German coast on the chain 9 of Interrupting the enemy, and he had a "wonderful I.nack of finding trouble when he sought it. Barrier cf Nets Protects Harbor. This harbor in w'r.ich he continually continual-ly watched and waited had no quiet moments. Submarines moved stolidly stolid-ly out through the gate In the harrier of nets or wearily returned from ra-trol ra-trol eo mew he re across the Norili sea. Destroyers were forever busy on errands of their own, hastening: at top speed, singly or In divisions. Armed motor launches frisked to and fro. trylne to Impress yoi with the i id. 'a th:it they were the ch;-tps to ch.e submarines if th weai Jut wasn't so confoundedly louuh ouisid. Seaplanes cpt hish o erhe ad and Me.ved af r on their own patrol courses to re Vase t heir cargoes of bomb; w hen ever l hey ca upht a pMrrps'"- of a cnnnin-lowcr or a telltale tell-tale patch of white water. raddle mine swo'pei, once famiilar to thv no:sy excursionists bound for a hod-day hod-day to Maicate or the lle of .Man, were pi ven over to t h clitierii-c winches, th drums of stcI cables and tjlrt r.v-ou; cf ul i rew of the K. N. V. K. , Submarines Clear Entrance of Port. .The two subma r ines p. sed .icar o;" t lie hurl or enira ncc and v n in Hie wide war channel wh! h was drM- ; cenil- swppi clear of mines. This -was fairly safe waier, and he nien-hant steamers were fibr np pnd down it-e coast, v."zue siiaps against a mis:v skyline. The waiting de.tro-er lifttd ; her low hull two miles to the westward west-ward and her radio sent a signal to follow her farther out. where the ea i was clear of otlicr traffic. ! It's rather a nuisance." sa id the j can tain of the submarine in which I had taken passage. "Gun practice is the first number on the bill. There's a nasty bit of a ciion and our merry piinnrs will be washed all about tho dck." They were alreadv clustered on the (Continued on Page T"vro.) BARRIER OF NETS IS GREAT PHEW , (Continued from Page One.) narrow platform ovrr which the sprny showered even at reduced speed. A mint i nit ion whs handed up ! from below, teie.-ope nluhtN l;impd in position, lenses wiped, and ;ill the other g;idgetH carefully (osted. It. makes the opera I ion of n ku,i no easier to have it submerged fat horns dt-ep every little w Idle. Marksmanship of Germans Is Poor. One began to comprehend why the ma rksma nslilp '-of the Germa n " submarine sub-marine guniiTS ha 4 been KO notorious; notori-ous; v poor, why they have fired If I -erwllv hundreds of -hl Im at hlwh-slded - arco steamers before Indicting fa tit I fla rna ge, f j if-iiifl rI(- !U In fact, I ' i a i t be v ha o ben n Id" to fink ho ma n v of 1 hem hy nhell- h i e a ltd h t long ranyea, as an unstable and pre- arious miiiner who must rink rolling overboard uh well as drowning where be stand h Is likely I o be d 1 v e r tr d from the tak In hnnd. A target, wan dropped from I he destroyer de-stroyer and towed a stern, a hhvk hint, of an nb.b-ct that fnnnird In the wake nt a hp-ed of ten knots. Tho pnrne fnifh of tim destroyer that sho would no! bo potted by a wild shot v. as l t'lly iidml ra hie. ''ih. tii'' nkipper won't worrv over hlfle thing like that." 'heeriiy ol-v ol-v i 1 1 if K'ibma line com ma nder, "We tie wr lutve bit him, don't yoi ! now And war Is nin-h a sporting pro.ofdt Inn. Vmi re;illv enn't pla It. saff. Besides. he'n a ft lend of mine. We haw. a round of golf on when we get, a flhor' t onior row. " To be continued. l |