The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1915-09-08
A FIRST GLIMPSE
OF ENGLAND'S FLEET
Associated Press Correspondent Visits
One OF the Bases OF EngIapd's Navy.

| WIG vi thc baSeS Oh EHSlNDuS Navy.
London, Sept. 4.Delayed in trans
mission) For the first time the veil
OF secrecy over the British naval op-
erations has been lifted. A cores
pondent last week visited the grand
lleet and the naval bases. At one base
he saw dry docks, capable OF docking
the largest dreadnaughts, which had
been built since the war began. Maps
we're shown the correspondent, mark
ing ports where German submarines
Lad been sighted and on which the
results OF the attacks were classified
under "captured", supposed sunk"
and sunk. When bubbles arc OBJ
served rising for a long time at the
same spot in smooth water it is taken
for granted that submarines career
| has been ended
! When an officer was asked "IIow
do you get thcm?' his answer was:
Sometimes by ramm.n ng, sometimes
by gun fire, sometimes by explosions,
and other ways we will not tell Of"
All the officers aboard the battle
ships and armored cruisers are en-
Vions of those engaged in submarine
hunts, which arc regarded as great
sport. The professional opinion was
! expressed that the reason the Ger
mans arc declared to be ready to
! forcgO submarine attacks on liners
Is the want OF submarines and The
personnel to carry on their campaign.
An Extensive Patrol.
| Tho admiral commanding at an i'm
portant naval base told the cor
respondent that England had 2,300
auXiliaries on duty from the British
channel to Iceland and that their
reserve crews had been Jealous in
their important part in overcoming
the kind Of naval warfare which Ger
many wages.
AS the torpedo boat destroyer on
which the correspondent was pas
scngcr turned into the harbor, where
the grand fleet lay at anchor, he saw
a target being towed in the custom
AIRY manner for firing practice. "Wc
Keep at it all the time" an officer
explained
| The practice Of the cruisers finish
ed, they took their place in feet
formation among the immense field
OF gray shapes at anchor in precise
order, which, as the torpedo boat de-
stroycr drew nearer became line al
ter line of drcadnaughts.
The Queen Elizabeth, back from
the Dardanclles, was in the feet.
Every deck was stripped for ac-
ton, steam was up in every ship and
as the destroyer threaded her way
turrcts were seen turning and guns
being elevated and lowered in the
course of drills. Seaplancs had their
home on famous Atlantic liner.
Wild Cat Squadron.
In their places in the battle cruiser
squadron, which is known in the navy
as the cat squadron were the Lion
and the Tiger, which sank the Ger
nan armorcd cruiser Bluechcr in the
North sea battle.
This seems sufficient denial Of
tic German report that the Tiger is
at the bottom Of the sea-" said an
officer.
Looking strange among the
homogeneous types of the tcn-gun
ships which belonged to the regular
British navy was a Turkish dread
naught taken over at the outbreak or
the war
AS the destroyer approached the
| flagship Of the commander in chief,
an officer pointed out Vice Admiral
Sir John Jcllicoc, as one OF two Of
ilccrs promenading the quarter deck.
The vice admiral received his guests
at the gangway. At 81 years he is
the senior of all the list, which in
cludcs vice admirals at the age Of Al.
He is never without 4 telescope under
his arm when he is on deck, and Of
ficers says there is nothing which the
young GERS on watch see that he
does not see.
Admiral Jellicoc escorted his guests
through the ship. He was most in
tcrcstcd in calling attention to the
special machine for practice OF the
gun spoilers in firing, where the re-
| suit OF each shot is diSDlaye1