Show J iNE INE SWEEPERS FISH DEATH u fROM THE BOTTOM OF SEA 11 British I 1 I Flotilla Clears Lanes of ofu of OT u Germanys Germany's Cruelest Offensive Offensive Offen Offen- sive live Weapon t t lR S. S FRAUGHT WITH PERIL Bi Scour Ocean in Pairs With rt cables Seeking Explosives Ger Ger- Ger mans Use Submarines to LayL Lay LaX t 01 r L Mines U. Nines U. U VS 8 S. S Co CoOperation Opera Co-Opera- Opera f tion Needed W rondo Quietly but with o nl l ed d courage England's mine sweep- sweep t i flotilla Is daily dally clearing her coasts Germanys Germany's s cruelest crudest and most t l I us offensive e weapon weapon Since the early i l' l ays ys is of 1915 these mine sweepers have 1 1 shed bed up from the sea thousands of s ns of the highest explosives and andI I fit t the channels clear for a myriad d ships that the British people might Ij clothed and fed i Through special arrangements with Jt admiralty the correspondent of the thew Tt w York Sun was granted permission i iI Inspect this branch of the naval I He was the first American to toe e aR forth forth w wIth the mIne sweepers since he beginning of Germanys Germany's submarine campaign and watch watchem jem h em m rip death from the bottom of the area s1 There are few Englishmen outside l circles and possibly a hand- hand 1 tOt of Americans who realize how In- In ensely Germany has concentrated her tr on mine laying In the attempt lo to lope it st pe out the worlds world's shipping Ambas- Ambas dbr dor Gerard stated the case perfectly Mien tien l en he told a Boston audience rei re- re i that Germ Germany ny Intended pushing bi er submarine and mining campaign cross the Atlantic and then making 1 erica pay for It ItA 1 A t U. U S. S operation Co-operation Needed f It Is as plain as day to ever every BrI British tish tishea ea eaman nan who goes into the mine field it Germanys Germany's desperate efforts if here re will open a way to the coast of the United States I lid ml id that the United States and Great Greut th through operation co-operation must stop he ii menace on this side or both will wUl Suffer dire consequences lilt It t will be divulging no naval secrets describe some of the technical deIts deUs de- de Us Its of German Germanys Germany's s la mine laying ing camj cam- cam l j In the early months of the war ware tt it e H Huns uns adapted the submarine to abe purpose of la laying mines They faye ve e rapidly developed their undersea raft ft until today they are capable of Carrying as many as 30 36 mines though i the b greater number carry 12 or 15 Those se weapons are so constructed c jat at t they can be dropped in the ship- ship 1 ling t ling ing lanes to a n depth of 80 or 00 DO feet f lere an Ingenious valve arrangement Releases the mine from Its thousand- thousand 1 nd base and allows It to come to ten or r twelve feet of the surce sur- sur Ilce ce though still anchored by a wire able 1 Pounds of Explosives 5 t The newest German mines are egg egg- taped ped ped bout about four feet high and three Bet et thick with four horns so placed place at at t contact with them causes an In- In giant nt explosion of pounds of the ghost explosives The horns are Fade lade of soft lead Inclosing a glassI glass a I jibe be e closely fitted within the horn so soa it a pressure of nine pounds breaks breaks' woe Je i glass releasing a liquid which sets rp EPan l an nn instant elec electric connection with ij e detonator f Experience has taught the British t i lne te sweepers that the high tide cur- cur swing the mines lower In the waIf waIt wa- wa p If It the mine cable Is set for 00 JO t. t allowing the mine to swing about 1 en feet under the surface high tide sweep It Jt over u until Ul It rests i bent put pat 22 feet under the surface tt mine sweeping Is least danI dan dan- I emus at fit high tid or of slack high tide o cruise over a known mine field dur dur- 1 sig g low tide means almost certain de- de d but men who have witnessed a Une explosion know Its horrible cf cf- is t j It f was early In the morning when m aboard Jo to corr correspondent went aboard the of a n mine sweeping mine sweeping fleet and f filled out of a n well protected harbor i o i lo to the most dangerous portion of the son sea s a. a prec preceded by a seaplane out ut A thick ml mist t lay luy over the thel sea l eking Baking the work doubly dangerous lea n if a n mine were floating on the It could not be s seen en more than 1 lengths cable lengths cable away a Travel at Low Speed lII At t a n designated point the mine were connected up In pairs 3 t long heavy cables which they I kept ept d i n n e good od dePth beneath the surface by fi clover arrangement of heavy weights constructed as continually ly to heir bear heirn t. t ft 2 on n heavily on the cable Under the thet ost t trying conditions the mine sweep sweep- i kept kept the Pr proper Per distance from each 0 W J. J 1 her and proceeded led to sweep up the thew I w urse uree steaming slowly at not more ic an n four our knots f tAs As the thc cable tautened under head l s y the captain and members of the ew adjusted their cork corle ant anz- I d watching for si signs of any vie J. J Within five minutes the skipper I iv P t through the tubo tube to the ca cap cap- i Gin n that he had picked eked up a mine It Ita C s a n needless needle s formality for the CUll cap h n had hind already noted the signs and In every line of his face that b o f knew mew his ves vessels els carried earned between a Gem sudden death for himself nn and for I IK his men and that upon his ability depended de- de de nil all our lives His signal for greater speed had hud hardly harly been sent to the opposite trawler trawl trawl- er when a shout from the deck called out all nIl hands Two hundred yards oft off there shot to the surface of the water a vile black nightmare monster Its black horns borns protruding menacingly Heavy rifles were passed out to the marksmen and the hardest part of the sweeping game commenced After a amine amine amine mine has hus been swept to the surface It must be destroyed or r sunk Rifle Fire Unsuccessful The sharp barking of the guns cracked ed out through the mist A little spray showing the bullets bullet's course close to the mine and a n series of dull clangs gave guve evidence of direct hits hUs Every Everyman Everyman Everyman man hoped one of the steel bullets would strike a horn and cause an ex ex- explosion which would finally remove the menace but hut luck went against the gunners They hey succeeded only In piercing the monsters monster's heavy armor and allowing the water to enter After perhaps a score of steel stoel bullets had penetrated the mine It tilled and sank beneath the surface where It remained for a few minutes and then sank to Its last resting place on the bottom The trawlers proceeded on their course for 20 or 30 minutes when another another another an an- other tautening of the cable indicated the presence of a mine We Ve were now In a field where the Germans had hind sown death with an extravagant hand We i knew we rode continually hand han in hand with death The members of the crew lined the rails with drawn faces for they knew by experience that only a afew afew afew few seconds remained for escape in incase incase case we struck The average light vessel sinks within one minute after being mined Again there leaped to the surface a horned destroyer and again th the marksmen's marksmen's marksmen's marks marks- mens men's guns spat fire and it sank from view a half mile astern Two com companion corn corn- panion trawlers whistled a n warning that they had made a catch and dimly through the mist could be seen another black horned object between them Giant Sea Geyser Only a few shots had been fired when the air beat upon our ears and the decks quivered Then there was wasa a mighty might blast that almost stunned and blinded us Between the following trawlers a gre great t column of water rose ros steadily skyward yard drawing the ships toward it It seemed as If some un unseen unseen unseen un- un seen hand had shoved a great section of the North sea and and- kept and kept it suspend suspended ed hundreds of feet in the air for th the space of perhaps 30 seconds The sp spectacle defies description Its terribleness holds one breathless until unU the giant column of water recedes re- re recedes recedes re re- cedes slowly apparently shoving Itself Itsel back Into its clement element and leaving only l a wide space of worried miters These sights alone should he enough nou t. t to throw a u fear fem of mines and anti their theil a II v i v- v s Into the men who dall dally hint hrit them yet et at least half halt those In the cap cuji- trawler had been heen engaged In n l this work for 20 months mouths with little rest respite te sailing 10 or 12 hours ever every day overwater ov over overwater water that they knew contained a sudden sudden sud sud- den and a frightful end In the course of the next few hours our fleet swept up and destroyed de other mines with the same hard hardy unrelenting courage until their allotted course was safe for tor the passage pass passage age of ships whose comings and goIngs goIngs goings go- go Ings must not for one hour be delayed if England is to fight successfully against an enemy who knows no rules rule of war whose fiendish Ingenuity knows no limits Captains Captain's Word Woid Home The declining sun saw sw our little fleet back In harbor The captain having finished writing a n detailed report of the operations glanced lovingly at nt hl his wife's picture on the wall of his little cabin and took up his l pets pen to let her know he had come safely through another another another an an- other day clay of peril The following morning the corns corro had an opportunity to ob observe observe serve from the air Just what an infinitesimal infinitesimal Infinitesimal infinite Infinite- portion of the North sea he ha had sailed over on the previous day lo lu t tt powerful seaplane the bod of which had been constructed In America manned by a pilot and observer v tv w wrose rose from the harbor and circled i high above the sea We gazed upon a fleet of tiny craft scores of them proceeding proceed proceed- ing in pairs Looking down upon the entire are are patrolled by vessels from one harbor gave one the impression that England was tackling a well-nigh well impossible task to keep her whole gigantic coa coast coastline coastline line Une cleared of German implements c fit cd destruction yet the organization does docs its work thoroughly After a few minutes flying one of ot our two motors broke down and wo we began a series of gyrations which h al almost almost almost al- al most cost us our lives Saved vat at at Eleventh Hour We shot downward toward some som buildings The pilot regained control Just In the nick of time and cleared a n high factory chimney We circled again then side slipped and skimmed over a row of two-story two houses Then by a supreme effort of both pilot and observer they swerved the machine toward toward toward to to- ward the harbor The machine dipped toward a n pier slashed off a flagstaff and landed with a heavy Jolt on the tho water Such incidents are are not uncommon for flying men By iron nerve and perfect perfect perfect per per- composure they save themselves dally daily from sudden death Like every other branch of the naval service they hope that Americas America's entry into the war will be wholehearted that her ships of every description especially light vessels capable of ot sweeping mines her airplanes and her skilled men will be thrown Into the tha fight against this greatest greate t of menaces |