Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-03
FISHING FOR MINES
IN ENGLISH CHANNEL
Men Who Sweep the Seas for
Floaters Left by Germans
Take Their Lives in "
Their Hands.

Correspondence of The Associated Press.
Paris, May 20.-Sweeping the Eng
lish channel for mines laid by Ger
man submarines is one of the most
exciting and dangerous occupations
of the war, according TO the stories
told by men participating in that
work.
Mine sweepers doubtless are the
only vessels of the navy on which life
belts are worn from the time OF leav-
ing port until the return" writes
Jacques Marsillac, from abroad
mine sweeper on service in the chan
mel.
The task Of group OF mine sweep
ers, composed OF seven sloops formed
in echelorS, two by two, connected
by steel cables, with the flag boat
leading, is to clear channel about
half mile wide and fifty miles long
of the mines laid there by German
submarines TLese underwater mine
layers carry from fifteen to twenty
four mines, according to the type, and
they frequently lay them quite close
together, so close, in fact, that it has
become an axiom in the mine hunting
craft that where one is found another
is sure to turn UP.
Minutes Of Tension.
THE wireless operator on the flag
boat of the group, who has served
Lon four mine sweepers that have
blown up in-the service, had scarcely
flashed to the boats Of the group that
a mine had been signailed when a
black. mass adrift. appeared on the
Iierest of the waves ahead of our boat
a second later it disappeared. We
Iisteered in its direction, every man
ION deck searching intently for its re-
Ilappeatanee. The few minutes in
which sighted mine disappears are
OF Infinitely disagreeablc tension on
board a mine sweeper. .N
sand il we touch it% Marsillac
asked of the wireless operator.
Then il is joss" he replied mean
ing that 1t would be fatal
"On this occasion the fates were
friendly to u.s." wrote Marsillac, ''for
the mine reappeared fifty yards away
and, for some reason that no one
could explain, remained in sight un-
til the gunners could get action upon
it.
Like a Seals Back. s.,
Round, black, the mine shone like
a seals back, showing from time to
time its four mortal needles contact
with which means destruction. The
boat sheered off and the gunners.
using a special rifle ball at about 200
yards under immense difficulties re-
sulting from the rolling OF the boat,
fred fifty shots without touching one
of the fatal needles. They succeeded,
however, IN piercing the mine which
filled with water and sank to the
bottom Of the sea.
THE two leading sloops raised a
half red flag, which means that they
have found mine. At once began
a maneuver intended to cut the cable
holding it; suddenly steel cable that
connects each couple OF sloops and
which is called the sweep struck
the mine. 1t must have come in con-
tract with one of the deadly needles,
and broke the vial of acid inside which
sets off the discharge, for an i'm
mense column Of water shot straight
into the air to a height Of 100 yards,
completely masking from each other
the two sloops between which the
explosion occurred. Then the sloops
went on in search of other mines,
and thus continues every day this
dangerous and heroic work of clear
ing the path for merchant ships
through the high seas