The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-29

sloop and had reported at the enemy headquarters. For month or more past they had been fishing for Holsters. But they had caught more than lob stegs Their catch lay on the table in the commanders tent in the form of charts, with soundings and range lines in distances. They were maps of the mine fields.
 Asasoon as the fog began these men went aboard mine sweeper. It steamed eastward, followed by the oth- CTS The sweepers had more than the cables and grapples that make mine Bveeper's outfit Set in rows on the after deck of each vessel were bulging mines, filed with 300 pounds of tFini- Erotol. ITrinitrotol. now being used in Europe, largely for under water work, is one of the most violently acting ex> plosives known today.1
 The fog became so thick that it was hard to say if it were daylight still or night. Night could only make it more. black. It could not increase the ob- scurity.
 Tn the coast defenses of Long Island sound and Narragansett bay every man was straining eyes and ears and nerves. Every gun company was at its weapon. Every gun was loaded. Tall pTojectiIes stood ready, with the chains and grapples of the hoists pre- pared. Men stood waiting in the pow der magazines under the batteries.
 Nothing to see or hear at Fort Wright, on Fishers island. Nothing at l Fort Michie, on Gull island Nothing at Fort Terry, on Plum island On all 1 the shrouded, swift tideways that led
 
 ing.
 There was nothing in front of the 1 Narragansett defenses that eyes could see or ears could hear Nothing and then, farsout it was as if sea monster had arisen in dying torment and lashed l and spouted and screamed. Before the riven column of water could fall there came muf1ed, laundering explosions under the wateEone, two, three! The defenses split the fog with fire. Their mine protecting batteries had been trained over the fields long since. There was no need for aim. Instantly 1 they swept the hidden sea with shells that would clear twenty acres of wa ter.
 Again there was silence and bind ness-the unearthly silence of the At- lantic sea fog. Itlay for half an hour. | as if there were no such thing as war ] in the world.
 I Then once more came the roar and the crash, followed by it's submarine echoes. Once more the land guns rav- ed, firing blind.
 The enemy was countermining In stead of sweeping, his vessels were dropping mines of their own in the fields, and then, backing off to avoid fFaa fra z could, they exploded them by electric contact to blow up the American mines with the shock.
 Not all the mine sweepers escaped mines or guns. But there were yes I sels to spare and lives to spare All night the countermining went on, and I all night the guns fired into the vapol and the darkness
 The sun arose invisibly. But it climb T ed, and when it had lifted all it's dish ] above the rim of sea it showed through the mist as q pale illumination. It was Turning off the fog
 Tt will be clear enough in an hour, said the executive officer of a battle ship under Block island. The vessels wireless began to speak.
 On one of the mother ships me1 brought out and assembled an armoreC biplane. Its two diers slowed rang, finding appara tus, aerial telegraph aneroids and charts in it. There wer, signal flags and light, brightly sflvere, balls. Meh brought receptacles tha contained bombs and adjusted then carefully in place. The f1iers waited
 watching the fog.
 Il It lessened- It tore away in rifts All around the ships became visible Seven battleships swung around an, put on speed and rushed in echelon to
 ward the coast They steered strafgh for the mouth of Narra gansett bay
 turned just outside of the zone of fir
 of its defenses, slowed down am
 steamed across the mouth The biplane's engine burst into life The machine lifted and followed them It flew high over them and into tn bay, climbing.
 They're over it!'' said an officer ol 8 ship, looking at the machine throug
 his glasses.