El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-29
.CRUISERSLIKE
BIC POLICEMEN
Great Britain's Patrol Sys-
tenn in Atlantic Keeps
Trade Routes Open.

Nav York, Aug. 2s.-With hostile
uarsbips prowling about, great Brit
.t- has brought into action carefully
MANNED police patrol OF the Atlantic
- Cruisers are the policemen and
~ vsval bases are the police stations.
SrLa scheme has been tried out IN ma
-7s,1-ers and now many indications
ebovv Il is working almost perfectly.
s1ty mas announced the Atlantic Is safe
= central merchantmen and those
friendly to Great Britain
Ten Cruisers on Duty.
The British plan Gals for 10 first
c1ses cruisers on the main ocean routes
between ports Of America and the
United kingdom. Nine or these are
wick bristol, Good Hope, Drake. Essex,
kbout-ir Furyahus and Lancaster It
Is thought the cruiser Cornwall Is the
tenth.
Naval men who have studied the re-
ports OF sighting British fighting ships
beIieva the cruisers on patrol are
stretched over a course passing north
from the Bahamas to Bermuda. thence
to off Cape Hatteras, thence past New
work TO Nantucket Shoals and thence
to the Grand Banks. and finally the
Have Five Provision Bases.
The naval bases depended upon for
coal and provisions are St Lucia and
Barbados in the West Indies; Der
muda- Halifax and St Johns. New
foundIand- The cruisers range from
5000 to $4,000 tons IN size and at fair
speed can steam two weeks at
The British admiralty weighed care
fully the relative advantages OF con-
voys for merchant craft and trade
patrol before deciding on the latter
In recent unaneuvers the British placed
socalled station ships on trade route
at 500 mile intervals These ships
were directed to be on a specified me-
rIdiau each day. They changed posi-
ton daily. but the exact locality Tor
each day was known 10 all other yes
sells in the patrol by preconcert The
merchant vessels could be passed from
one station ship to another
It is this scheme which now, accord
ing TO the best information IN shipping
circles here, is being carried out. There
were TO be smaller or intermediary
vessels between the larger station
shins but so far the British do not
appear 10 have been able to spare more
than the nine cruisers, which does not
allow for any reserve after assigning
for the New York 20 ireland and the
Bermuda TO West Indies routes
Recalls War OF 1872.
It Is a coincidence. perhaps, that dur
ing the war OF 1912 the first British
naval fleet on the American coast con-
sisted OF five ships OF war, namely, the
shannon, the Africa. the Aeolus, the
Guerrero and the Belvidere- Il was
this force which attempted to overhaul
the Constitution on the New Jersey
coast. The above five British vessels
were patroling on the North American
trade route. using Halifax as base
and were only brought together in con-
sequence OF commodore Rodgers taking
the sea with five American vessels.
namely the President the United
States. the Congress, the Hornet anu
the Argus. IN self defence the Bit
fsh cruisers were compelled to concen-
trate. and in one instance the British
force conveyed a large fleet OF Eng
Iish merchantmen 1000 miles off the
American coast The presence OF the
British fleet off New Jersey, when the
Constitution was trying TO get into
New York. was occa stoned by Broke
the British flag officer, cruising II
search Of Rodgers
wireless Helps Patrol ships
The wireless telegraph renders II
unnecessary for a cruiser 10 actually
run down to a merchant craft So long
as the latter IS in communication with
the station vessel. she has the means
for calling for assistance should the
necessity arise
York is regarded as thoroughly N
keeping with the lessons British cruis-
ers learned in the past, namely tnat
il is more advisable TO lie IN walt Ior
the enemy's merchant craft at the
point Of departure than AZ me SUP
posed point Of arrival SO long as
British cruisers lie off the port OF New
York il will be hazardous work for q
German steamship TO attempt a run
out The fact that such patrol eA-
lists. practically ties up every German
craft now in this harbor until the
eHNH If