Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-02-24
MANY SECRET MINES.
ENGLAND'S COAST STUDDED WITH
THESE DEFENSES.

Their Locality, Approaches and Fir
ing Points Are Mysteries That For
cign Spies Have Often Tried, but
Always In vain. to Solve.
England has the most formidable
iavy in the world. but she does not
ley upon it alone in the event of war
to prevent foreign force from landing
upon her shores. London Tit-Bits. in
IN article on the secret coast defenses
Of Great Britain, says:
i In the event of war no alien army
could approach our shores without i'm
periling it's navy by encountering our
explosive mines, scores of which sur
round our coasts at all places likely to
| be selected for attack by foreign foe.
The Thames is also carefully shielded
by similar secret mines. one of these
being in the vicinity of Blackwell. The
precise locality of these mines is, how
ever. for obvious reasons, kept dark
and inscrutable mystery, and the ap-
proaches to them are 80 cleverly con-
structed and concealed that no one save
an expert would suspect their real
character.
An innocent looking cellar at the
basement of u certain tradesmans shop
is the entrance to one important mine,
but even the tradesman himself is not
aware that the government rents his
cellar, nor docs he ever surmise the true
nature of the operations carried on
| &hcr In, xx,if
explosives of the most potent kind and
admirably connected with the secret
chambers Oh shore by means of electric
wires.
Each mine is controlled by button.
over which are printed particulars re-
lating to the location and character Of
the mine This button is placed in the
wall of the secret chamber and covered
by double door. securely locked, the
outer door so closely resembling the
wall Of the chamber that no one but
those in the secret could detect its pres
ence. The chambers are double locked
and approached by passages protected
in a similar manner.
Every lock and key is specially made
1
other Only few Of the very highest
officials are all wed to use these keys,
and they are so EMMY sworn to preserve
their secret rigidly No persons apart
from those especially empowered may
inspect or visit any Of the secret cham
bers at any time except by express
written permit personally procured
-, s~1, ,H1 al 10
ceedingly difficult to obtain, and in
fact is rarely ever granted.
Prior to such permit being issued
the officials assure themselves that the
possessor of the document bears a
blameless character is British born and
has no Interior reasons for preferring
his request This settled, he is. s",Nn
to secrecy in the most solemn MI. ' IF.
blindfolded and conducted by a circuit
GUS route to the secret chamber, where
he is permitted to use his eyes, but not
his tongue no questions being answer
ed by the attending officials.
Strange stories have been told of at
tempts made by foreign spies to pene
trate the privacy of these mysteriou.
mines.
A yong lieutenant in the navy
whose honorable character won the con
] fidence of his superior officers some
/. years since. was accorded the privilege
of guarding one of these secret mines
and intrusted with certain information
concerning its character.
Soon after his appointment he became
engaged to charming young French
'. lady of whom he was desperately enam
y ored. By some inexpiicable means hi
fancee got to hear Of his appointment
and by alternate threats and persuasion
induced him to take her to sec the Sc
cret mine under his care.
On the evening arranged, after ex
tracing solemn vow OF secrecy from
his ladylove and getting her to don tn
. dress Of a naval officer for the occasion
he was about to set out on his secre
mission when, to his surprise AM
I alarm, he and his companion were NJ
:, rested by detectives. In some mysteriou
4 manner the authorities had been Ell
4 lightened as to the proceedings on foo
:, and were in time to stop them.
!. For "breach OF regulations III
!. young lieutenant was subsequent
court martialed and reduced, while hi
4 charming companion. who proved to b
J! q SPY in the employ of the French gov
\ eminent. was conveyed back to her ow
Z country, with caustic caution.
i On another occasion a German ger
u tleman contrived to locate the entranc
to one of the secret chambers and actr
ally hired a member of the Bill Sikt
fraternity to aid him in negotiating tn
double locks one dark November might
= But so splendidly fitted and fortifie
4 were these appliances both the visitor
were doomed to disappointment. RI
n turning from the rendezvous. both til
plotter and his accomplice were arreste