The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-06-07
British FIotiIIa Clears Lanes OF
Germany's CrueIest Often
sive Weapon.
IS FRAUGHT WITH Peril
TrawIers Scour Ocean In Pairs With
Cables Seeking Explosives-Ger-
mans Use Submarines to Lay
Mines-U. S. Co-Opera-
tion Needed.


ton Needed.
London.-Quietly, but with unparal-
leled courage, England's mine sweep
ing fiotilla is daily clearing her coasts
of Germany's cruelest and most insid-
ious offensive weapon. Since the early
days of 1915 these mine sweepers have
fished up from the sea thousands Of
tons of the highest explosives and
kept the channels clear for a myriad
of ships that the British people might
be amply clothed and fed.
Through special arrangements with
the admiralty the correspondent of the
New York Sun was granted permission
to inspect this branch of the naval
service. He was the first American to
90 forth with the mine sweepers since
the beginning of Germany's unrestricr-
ed submarine campaign and watch
them rip death from the bottom Of the
sea.
There are few Englishmen outside
Of naval circles, and possibly hand
full of Americans, who realize how in
tenSely Germany has concentrated her
efforts on mine laying in the attempt 10
wipe out the worlds shipping. AmbaS-
sador Gerard stated the case perfectly
when he told q Boston audience re-
Gently that Germany intended pushing
her submarine and mining campaign
across the Atlantic, and then making
America pay for it.
U. S. Cooperation Needed.
1t is as plain as day to every British
seaman who goes into the mine field
that Germany's desperate efforts, if
successful here, will open way to the
Atlantic coast of the United States,
and that the United States and Great
Britain through cooperation must stop
the menace on this side or both will
suffer dire consequences.
1t will be divulging no naval secrets
to describe some of the technical de-
tails of Germany's mine-laying CAM
paign. In the early months of the war
the Huns adapted the submarine to
the purpose of laying mines. They
have rapidly developed their undersea
craft until today they are capable Of
carrying as many e2 SO mines, though
the greater number carry II or Is.
These weapons are so constructed
that they can be dropped in the ship
ping lanes to a depth of so or 80 feet,
where an ingenious valve arrangement
releases the mine from it's thousand
pound base and allows 1t to come to
within ten or twelve feet of the sur
face, though still anchored by a wire
cable.
$50 Pounds of Explosives.
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 $50 pounds of the
highest explosives. The horns are
made of soft lead, inclosing a glass
tube closely fitted within the horn so
that pressure of nine pounds breaks
the glass, releasing liquid which sets
up an instant electric connection with
the detOnatOr.
Experience has taught the British
mine sweepers that the high tide cur
rents swing the mines lower in the wa
ter. If the mine cable is set for 30
feet, allowing the mine to swing about
ten feet under the surface, high tide
currents sweep it over until it rests
about % feet under the surface.
Therefore mine sweeping is least dam
gerous at high tide or slack high tide.
To cruise over known mine field dur
81, oSf foir n
struction.
None but men who have witnessed
mine explosion know its horrible eff
fectS.
1t was early in the morning when
the correspondent went aboard the
flagship of mine-sweeping fleet and
sailed out Of well protected harbor
into the most dangerous portion of the
North sea, preceded by seaplane
scout. A thick mist lay over the sea,
making the work doubly dangerous;
even if a mine were floating on the
surface it could not be seen more than
six cable-lengths away.
Travel at Low Speed.
AT a designated point the mine
sweepers were connected up in pairs
by long, heavy cables. which they kept
at good depth beneath the surface by
a clever arrangement of heavy weights
so constructed as continually to bear
down heavily on the cable. Under the
most trying conditions the mine sweep
ers kept the proper distance from each
other and proceeded to 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 lifebelts anx-
iously watching for signs of any obsta-
Gle. Within five minutes the skipper
reported through the tube to the cap
tain that he had picked up mine. 1t
was a needless formality, for the cap
tain had already noted the signs and
betrayed in every line of his face that
he knew his vessels carried between
them sudden death for himself and for