Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-07-05
Mine Sweeping on British Coast


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One of the features Of the war is
the extensive minelaying by the Ger
mans.
The, submarines duty is not alone
to entrap vessels and to sink them
through the use of the torpedo. Large
numbers of the German submarines
are used for laying mines in the path
of ships.
1t was due to this phase of the sit
uation that the American war ships
which recently went to Europe were
endangered. 1t was likewise due the
vigilance of the English in mine
sweeping that none of the American.
ships met their doom upon reaching
the European harbor, for Information
Of the sailing of the ships from Am
erican shores had been given the Ger
mans, in a manner moi yet made pub
lie, and submarines laid mines in the
vessels pathway.
The manner of sweeping the har-
bors clear of mines is Indicated in
the following extracts from a descrip-
ton by a newspaper correspondents:
Egg Shaped Mines.
These mines are so constructed that
they can be dropped in the shipping
lanes to a depth of so or 80 feet, where
an ingenious valve arrangement re-
leases the mine from its thousand
pound base and allows it to come
within 10 or IL feet of the surface,
though still anchored by a wire cable,
The newest German mines are egg
shaped, about four feet high and three
feet thick, with four horns SO placed
that contact with them causes an in
slant explosion of ESQ pounds of the
highest explosives. The horns are
made of soft lead, ~inclosing a. glass
tube closely fitted within a horn SO
that a pressure of nine pounds breaks
the glass, releasing a liquid which
sets up an instant electric connection
with the detonator.
Experience has taught the British
mine sweeper that the high tide cur
rents swing the mines lower in the
water. II the mine cable is set for
80 feet, allowing the mine to swing
about 10 feet under the surface, high
tide currents sweep it over until it
rests about 80 feet under the water.
Therefore mine sweeping is least dan
gerous at high tide or slack high tide.
To cruise over a known mine field
during low tide means almost certain
destruction.
None but men who have witnessed
a mine explosion know its horrible
effects. In some cases small drifters
are blown up and shattered to such
small pieces that no visible trace re-
mains on the surface of the sea.
sweepers Go in Pairs.
1t was early in the morning when
1 the correspondent went aboard the
4 flagship Of a mine sweeping fleet and
sailed out of a well protected harbor
into the most dangerous portion Of
the North sea, preceded by a sea
plane scout. A thick mist lay over
the sea. making the work doubly dam
gerous; even il a mine were floating
on the surface it could not be seen
more than six cable lengths away.
AT a designated Hoint the mine
sweepers connected up in pairs with
long, heavy cables. which they kept
at a good depth beneath the surface
by a clever arrangement of heavy
weights SO constructed as continually
Ito bear down heavily on the cable.
Under the most trying conditions the
mine sweepers kept the proper dis
tance from each other and proceeded
Ito sweep up the course, steaming
slowly at not more than four knots.
As the cable tautened under head
way the captain and members OF the
crew adjusted their cork 1ifebelts anx-
iously watching for signs Of any OBJ
stacle. Within Eve minutes the skip
per reported through the tube to the