The Washington times., 1917-03-07
BRITISH TRAWLERS
TRAP S.U-BOATS
Rowing Mosquito Fleet vlgilant-
Iy Guards England's
Waters.

NEW YORK, March IA mon
ster feet of 500 trawlers from
Grimsby, Hull, Leith, Yarmouth,
Lowestoft, and other North sea fish-
ing ports, aided by fast destroyers
and patrol boats, IL guarding the
mouth OF the English channel and
Irish sea with nets, bombs, and other
devices for catching and destroying
submarines, according to one OF the
nrst-cabin passengers OF the cunarder
Carmania, which arrived here yester-
day from Liverpool. His statement
was confirmed by officers and men OF
the liners crew.
The passenger, who did not wish
his name to be used, said that when
he was at Devonport dock yard on
February 21 one OF the admiralty Of
fcials informed him that the German
navy was credited with having 100
submarines of all sizes, from the old
type OF submersible, 90 feet long,
which operated from Zeebrugge, Bel
gium, to the latest U-boat from Kiel,
ranging from 1876 to 230 feet long.
The result of the defensive move on
the part OF the admiralty was that
the mosquito feet had destroyed or
captured forty-eight between Febru-
ary ! and February 16. which caused
the big decrease in the number OF
vessels torpedoed after that date
Destroyed By Bombs.
Very few Of the submarines were
captured and brought into port, It
was said, as 1t was too much trouble
to raise them A few were taken on
the surface after they had been dis
abled by a bomb from an areplane.
The others were destroyed by bombs
from the travlers, after they had
been entangled In the steel nets.
While he was in Devonport. the
passenger said, he saw three Of the
latest type OF British submarines,
which are built on razor-liks lines
Beam and depth have been sacrificed
to give these undersea craft q length
Of $50 feet and q speed OF twenty-five
knots on the surface. Going at full
speed they scarcely show above the
waters edge, with the exception CT
the coming tower.
The Carmania, which brought sixty
one passengers and 1000 sacks Of mall.
Is the first liner to reach New York
equipped with the smoke screen appa-
ratus invented by the British admir-
atty as a protection against submarine
attack. On each side of the after
bridge, where there Is always an Of
ficer on watch, a big ventilator,
through which dense clouds Of chem
ical smoke belch forth, IL set In opera
tion by the pressure of an electric
button on the bridge or on the for
ward bridge, and will hide the vessel
for a distance OF five miles. In ad-
dition to this device, the Carmania Ii
protected by q new naval six-inch
gun. which has a range Of eight miles
1t is handled by three gunners from
the Royal Navy Reserve, and one OF
them Is always on duty, day and
night, during the voyage.
Heard LaeonIa Call.
The Carmania left the River Mer-
sey on Sunday night, February rs, .
short time before the operator picked
UP the call from the Laconia that she
was sinking 156 miles west of the
Fastnet light. Capt J. w. T. Charles,
who formerly commanded the Maui
did not give out the report
of the disaster until last Friday
night, when the liner was nearing
the American coast
First cabin passengers, among
whom were several New York and
Chicago business men returning from
London and Paris, said the Carmania
went through the North Channel
round the Isle of Man, and they did +.
not sight any submarines. Several
small patrol boats were passed on
February 26, but the Carmania was
not conveyed. l..
Among the passengers was the Rev.
DR.. John Kelmsn. pastor OF St
Georges Presbyterian Church, Edin-
burgh, who has come to visit his SON
in-law, J. d. Hayes, of Princeton uni
yersity, before he leaves for China to
be a missionary, and Francis Darcy
Osborne, secretary to the
British embassy at Washington
The White Star liner Baltic, COM
manded by Capt BERTHE Hayes, who
had had charge of the Olympic since
October, 1914, left Liverpool at the
same time as the Carmania with pas
sengers and mails, and is expected to