The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-08-19
Plant MANY Mines
CONTACT EXPLOSIVES ENDANGER
NEUTRAL SHIPS.
ENGLAND GIVES NOTICE
as Kaiser is Unfortunately Plant
Ing Contact Mines Great Britain
Give Warning That it is Forced
to Get Busy Along the Same Line
As a Matter of Defence.

= AS a Matter OF Ue1cnce.
Mining the North Sea as part OF
the plan of the European war not
only may close most of the Northern
European ports to navigation, but
the gold-laden cruiser Tennessee, the
cruiser North Carolina and neutral
passenger vessels bearing Americans
from Europe will be confronted with
new dangers.
The American government was ad-
vised formally Tuesday by the Brit
ish embassy that, inasmuch as Ger
many had been scattering mines in
Discriminatory" Great Britain no
longer could refrain from planting
mines near her own ports.
Secretary Bryan said Americans at
home might rest assured that the
passenger lines plying between
northern European ports would take
no chances that would imperil life.
It is believed that Americans In
northern ports will remain there for
the present or make their way south
and or southeast to such ports as
Marseilles or Lisbon to obtain pas
sage for the United States.
AS both Great Britain and Ger
many have given warning of the dam
gers il the North Sea, it is being
taken for granted that neither the
Tennessee or North Carolina win
venture into those waters. After
touching at Falmouth, England, the
treasure ships probably will land at
some port in France and then head
for the Mediterranean, endeayoring,
it is thought, to reach Americans in
both Germany and Austria from
points in the Atlantic
One diplematist pointed out that
the potts of the four neutral nations,
Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the
Netherlands, as well as one OF the
Observation-Disclosures practi-
cally blockaded through the promis-
cuous planting of mines In the North
Sea.
The Hague convention, which reg
ulates the use of contact mines, stip-
ulates that the belligerents shall un-
dertake to do their utmost ito rem
der the mines harmless within linn
tied time, and should they cease to
be under surveillance, to notify the
danger zones as soon as military
exigencies permit" Naval observers
believe, however, that in view of the
titanic struggle, this article in the
convention will be of little moment.
The formal memorandum present
ed by the British charge d'affaires
was delivered to the. state depart
ment so that ships under neutral
flags might be turned back. Cole
vile Barclay, charge of the British
embassy, presented to Secretary
Bryan the following memorandum:
The Germans are planting con-
tact mines unfortunately about the
North Sea in the open sea, without
regard for consequences to mer-
chantmen. Two days ago two large
merchant ships were observed to
pass within the. mine field which
sank the H. NJ. S Amphion. The
waters Of the North Sea must, there
fore, be regarded as perilous in the
last degree to merchant shipping OF
all nations.
"In view of the methods adopted
by Germany, the British admiralty
must hold themselves fully at liberty
to adopt similar measures in seif-de-
fence which must inevitably increase
the dangers to navigation in the
North Sea. But before doing SO they
think it right to issue this worning
in order that merchant ships under
neutral flags trading with North Sea
ports should turn back before enter
ing the area of such exceptional dam
ger"