Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-10-21 | Page 5 | U-Boats Sewed up in String of Mines Laid by Bold Yank Sailors

U-Boats Sewed Up in String of Mines Laid By Bold Yank Sailors By Harold E. Bechtol European Mansgsr ef the Newspaper Enterprise Aseeeistien. SOMEWHERE IN THE WATERS OF NORTHERN EUROPE, Oct. The American and tha British navies have just completed tha greatest mine lay In job in history hundred times over. America did about three -fourths of tha work, Britain one-fourth. A mammoth belt of minee of tha newest and deadliest type, many ml lea lone; and many rows wide, has been added to tha mine fields which ham tha Germans closer and closer to their own shores. It is far and away tha greatest naval feat of all tha war, and when tha whole story Is told It will comprise ona of the proudest pagee In tha history of the American navy. When proposed tha project sounded dreamy. It was a dream, for nothing Ilka It had, avar been accomplished, but the American navy was far from stumped. Assigned the luik of, tha work, it got busy In .characteristic fashion and did It. First of all, a new mtns a mine that was a mine was needed. Tha old mines might go off and they might not. Bo a aura flrer wsa perfected. ! It la the deadtieat proposition avar dropped Into the sea. How It' was I devised and turned out, tttatisanda I upon thousands, is a story of accomplishment accom-plishment Ilka few in tha history of j the war. i Next, mine carriers had to be found to carry them across the Atlantic. Old coast trade boats, soma an .liquated easels, dona ewes im s ameer-. ' were provided. 8ome Hudson river j pleasure boata that used to be dance balls, ringing with Jass music, were i loaded down with enough exploatvea to rip up tha whole Hudson River valley. a4 While tha thousands of mines wera being brought across, other ahlpa wera prepared for planting them Mora unheard of methods wera devised, which may not be now described, but spd wm tha watchword. Tha deadly .contraptions war shot from tue ships to tracks- out and down, with new apparatus almost automatically placing them just so, at required distances, The Yankee boys all hoped that tha borhea would I attempt Interference, j j but tha bochea didn't. i I Now thousands upon thousands of American devised. American made. ! 1 American transported, American j 1 planted mines hang In the water, a broad belt loaded with concentrated ! ewsddeei death, at trt hah trigger fasti" Ion to go off on contact and aura to I do 1L ; Tha German a are surer than avar penned In.