The sun., 1898-06-26
HE SUN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE SUNDAY. JUNE 26 1898

I gunbOat takes the countermining boat in
tow and ssteams rapidly up the channel.
AT the proper point rope attached to
the first buoy is pulled and the mines
begin to fall into the water.
These countermnes are usually laid
side by side, and two sets OF six mines
each may be carried by a good-sized
countermining boat. This would clear a
passage 240 feet wide and more than 700
long. Countermining is not directed to-
ward the exploding all the mines, but to
blast a way through for fleet.
The suIest and best way OF dealing
with mines fired from the shore is bv
graphing in small boats for the wires.
The wires are caught and brought to the
surface and either cut, which renders the
mine useless, or if there is time the wire
is connected with a battery and the mine
exploded.
Graphing is usually carried on at
night. TO undertake to grapple for wires
in the daytime, while exposed to sharp
fire, is work that no life Insurance COM
pany would countenance. Though this
may be done by brave men, as was shown
by our sailors, who did practically the
same thing when they grappled for cable
off Cienfuegos.
For graphing under fire steam launch
should be used rather than gig, and the
explosive grapnel used. The ordinary
grapneI, 3-p"onged graphing hook on
the end OF a rope, merely catches the
cable, which must be lifted TO the sur
face before it can be destroyed. The ex-
plosive grapnel contains a charge of gun
cotton lashed within the hooks and con-
nected to battery in the boat by an in.
sulated wire running along the grapne
rope. 1T is dragged along the bottom,
usually in the shallow waters near the
shore, and when there is "bite,' that
is a tug indicating that something is
hooked, the boat backs off to safe dis
tance and the charge is fired. If cable
is caught the explosion will probably
sever it.
Grapnels are the sllrest and Loost high.
ly recommended means of destroying e
usefulness of mines But they are '.Sr-
less on rocky bottom. The Cuban llar-
bors and the harbor of San Juan are
lined with mud.
OF course, the only truly effective and
cocksure way of destroying submarine
explosives is to capture the keyboards
on shore. This is the first move that
an admira! about to attack port would
consider, for all methods of mine de-
stroying by water are very uncertain, as
we'll as probably the most dangerous
enterprises of war. If an attack must
be made and it is decided to take desper-
ate risks and advance over mine fields
before the shore batteries are silenced,
fleet advance, as Dewey's ships did at
Manila, in single file.
1t is better that the lighter draft ships
go in first, as they may avoid contact
mines. The water of the channel is
swept by fire of small guns for the pur-
pose OF exploding mines that may be
floating on the surface, and every ship
uses Its anchor chains as a drag, and
puts out explosive grapnels for the pro.
lection OF the vessels behind. Otherwise,
it is a matter OF trusting to luck that the
sma ! vessels ahead will bear the brunt
of the mine explosives and the large
ships get through safely.
Perhaps the difficulties of DESTROYING
mines under fire may be overcome by the
dynamite cruiser. Many of our officers
believe that the Vesuvius can destroy all
the mines in Havana harbor. She can
lie out OF the range of the guns of the
forts and drop dynamite into the bay
with sufficient accuracy to explode all
the mines in the channel; or she could
go past MORO Castle under the protec-
ton of the other ships and clear IL way
for them.
The Nesuvius is in no condition to
use in an open sea fight, for her guns
display an inaccuracv that is quite Span
ish, but she will do her duty by her
country if she solves the question of
countermining, and If she does not it
will probably remain unsolved during
this war.