Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-24
Seamen in Little Fishing
Boat, Protest There
Is 'Nothing in
Sweeping.
by HuDYARD KIpLING.

Inc trawlcr fleet seems to look on
mines as more or less fair play. Hut
with the torpedo it is otherwise. \
Yarmouth man lay on his hatch with
his gear neatly slowed away below
and told me that another Yarmouth
boat had gone up with ali hands
except one. ,
Twas submarine. Not mine"
said he. They never gave our bows
no chance. Ma! She was "a Yarmouth
boat--we knew 'cm all. They never
gave the boys no chance"
He was submarine hunter. and he
Illustrated. 10y means Of matches placed
at various angles how the blindfold
business is conducted.
And then" he ended. there's al
ways what hell do. You've got to
think that out for yoursclf-while
you're working above him--same as
If twas fish"
should not care to be hunted for
the life in shallow waters by man
VINO knows every bank and pothole OF
them. even If | had not killed his
friends the week before. Being nearly
all fishermen, they discuss their work
IN terms of fish and put In their leisure
fishing oversize. when they sometimes
-.
all want guns. Those who have three
Founders clamor for SKIES: skies for
twelves. and the twelve pound aristo-
cracy dreams of four-inchers on anti
aircraft mountains for the benefit of
rowing Zeppelins.
WILL BE LONG BEFORE THEY
GIVE THEM UP AGAIN
They will all get them in time. and
fancy it will be long and long ere
they give them up. One mate an
nounced that "a gun is a handy thing
TO have aboard always"
But in peace time" said
"Wouldnt 1t be in the way?"
"We'm used TO 'em now" was the
smiling answer. 'Niver go to sea-
again without Eun--I wouldn't
had my way. 1t keeps ali hands
pleased-like."
They talk about men IN the army
who will never willingly go back to
civil life! What OF the fishermen who
have tasted something kccner than salt
water, and what of the young third
and fourth mates who have held in
dependent commands for nine months
past? One of them said to me quite
irrevlevantly: IL used TO be the animal
on baggage days in the old-Castlc,"
and he mimickcd their requests for
the large brown trunk" or the black
dress basket II freed soul might
scoff at his old life in the ncsh
My sponsor and chaueron in this
E!izabethan world OF eight teen-century
scamcn was \. B. who had gone
down In the I.andrail assisted at the
Helgoland fight. seen the Blucher sink
and the bombs dropped on our boats
when we tried to save the drowning
whereby" as he said. these Germans
died Gottstratin' their own country be.
cause we didn't wait to he stra fed
and has now found more peaceful days
an Office ashore.
He led me across ,hany decks from
craft 10 craft to study the various ap-
plianccs that they specialize in. AL
most our last was what a north coun-
try trawlcr called a common sweeper
that Is to say, Il mine sweeper. She
was at tea in her shirt sleeves. and he
protested loudly that there was moth
inis in sweeping.
SWEEP TILL WIRE; ROPE
FOULS SUBMERGED NINE
see that wire rope?" he said. Well,
swccpin' with. She makes her end fast
and YOU make yours. Then YOU sweep
together at whichever depth you've
agreed upon between you by means OF
that arrangement there which regu-
lates the depth. They give YOU glass
sort o thing for kcepin' your distance
from the other ship, but that's not
wanted if you know each other. Well.
then you sweep. as the sayin' is
There's nothin' in il. You sweep till
hs wire rope fouls the bloomin' mines
Then YOU go on till they appear on the
surface. so Ia say. and then YOU en-
plodc them by means Of nriu' at 'cm
with that rifle in the gallery there
There's nothin' in swccpin' more than
that"
And if YOU hit mine:" asked
You go up-but YOU hadn't ought
10 hit EN-, if you're careful. The thing
is to get hold Of the first mill all
right and then YOU go Oh to the next,
and on. in way o. Speakin'."
And you can fish, too. tween times
said Il voice from the next boat Al
man leaned over and returned a bor-
rowcd mug. They talked about fish
ing-notable that once they caught
some red mullet. which the common
sweeper" and his ncighbor both agreed
was mot natural in those watcrs."i
But as for sweeping, 1t bored them pro-
foundly to talk about il.
| only learned later, as part OF the
history of mines, that If you rake the
trinitro-toluol (Which is rather like
cocoa dusty by hand out of n German
poisoning. But, on the authority OF
two experts, there is nothing in sweep
ing. Nothing whatever.
Now imagine. not n pistol shot from
these crowded quays, little Office hung
round with charts that are pencillcd
and noted over various shoals and
soundings. There is a movable list
OF tho boats at work with quaint and
domestic names.
outside the window lies the packed
harbor-outside that again the line of
mine you develop eruptions and skim
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