The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-14
wou.n pay No Attention to Boom o.
Guns of Shore While
They Play In the
surf.
MINES ARE DESTROYED
o,,,. 81 Motors, High In the Darkness.
Reveal the Fact That Yep
pei,n !. Hovsr'ns
Overhead.
rited Press CORRESPONDENCE.

nJnited Press Correspondent
SOMEWHERE ON THE BRITISH
soJJTHEAST COAST. Oct. 9.-(By
mail.)-"B-r.roo-m-m!" A distant roar
mat echoes fainter and fainter.
"Boo.m!" A sharp, distinct. explo-
sion.
aB.rroo-m-m!" Another roar that
gradually dies and blends into the
whispering of the surf. "B-r-roo-m-m!"
Fainter this time and longer drawn.
Il is not battle on the English
coast, but it's battle, bloody and de-
sructive, within earshot Of where the
North sea waves wash in on yellow
sandy beach upon women in startling
one.piece bathing suits, splashing
about in the fast chilling autumn wat.
ers; where children are building
castles In the sand and babies In
charge of nurses are out for their
morning sea-air bath.
Ask one Of these sea bathers about
the noises in the far distance and
you'll learn that British warships are
bombarding Ostend. And the teller
will be extremely bored while telling
because she'll think you ought to
know that. Everybody knows It along
this coast. Forty miles away over
the blue water there Is war. Every
I boom means death.
If you hear sharp, distinct explo-
I sion, just of the coast, and see huge
geyser Of white shoot into the air,
you may ask what about that. oh.
that's simply another mine being de-
stroyed by the trawlers, patrol boats
and destroyers that guard the main
steamship channel to London. These
craft catch from one to Ave mines a
day and promptly blow them up. No
one seems to worry; no one comments
on 1t. It's an every day occurrence.
I These British southeast coasters are
accustomed to such scenes. Newcom-
ers are impressed, for couple Of
/ days.
Then the newcomer drifts into the
blase attitude Of the towns folk. For
weeks, while the wind has carried
south toward England, these summer
resort folk have heard their windows
faintly rattle to the dull, distant roar
Of artillery in Flanders.
/ Zeppelins often pass in the night.
Aeroplanes hostile and friendly, drone
away somewhere above after daylight
goes. So long as no bombs are drop
ped these sounds are commonplace,
too. To the visitor it's thrilling.
One night Zeppelin and one Of
the British aeroplanes had an argu-
ment Just over the center OF one of
these sleepy coast towns Machine
guns roared far above and the ma
lives went out to have a look. The
battle was brief and the Zeppelin es-
capped. But the battle was the talk
Of the town. for day or two-no
longer.
The purr Of motors high in the
darkness will have no meaning again
until another air battle sends down
the rattle Of machine gun fire. Then
mey'll look and remember-for a day
or two.
One morning in this town the odor
" gasolene was In the air. Inquiry
elcited: Another oil ship torpedoed
curing the night" That ended the
conversation. OIL ships have been
SUNK on this coast before. The towns
oik are accustomed to the smell. Any
caiid can tell you what the smell
means.
.,, soldiers guard the tall white Nhalk
.i'ns along the coast. There are barb
" wire entanglements to resist Ger
man invasion.
AZ each end OF the main bathing
s uescn stands soldier with flxed bayo-
Nv NV between him and his comrade
,n fashionable onepiece bathing
S Su,s risk in the surf. the children
M u,u sand castles: the nurses tend
h %s,r babies and the men continue to
Oa.he or bask.
wiz, nut LOT the soldiers. the barbed
,n ne ana the distant sounds Of guns
~ aircraft there is no sign Of war
.w rneir philosophy on the coast Is:
why worry?"