Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1917-12-20
KEPT the ORE.
TRAFFIC MOVING
Effective Work of Navy on the
Great Lakes.
MANYpLOTs ARE FRUSTRATED
Wheelsnen, Captured on Great Lakes
Freighter, Identified as German
Navy officers-Two Freiohters Sunk
In Peculiar Manner-commander
McMunn In Command OF Fleet

Hidden away In certain little har.
Dor Of the Great Lakes Is q gunboat.
Its coat Is battle gray; Its guns
peer menacingly from sponsor and
barbette. 1t Is not given to reveal the
exact location Of the ship.
Anyhow, Its captain Ii the dlstlnc.
tive feature Of the craft, for Command.
er W. N. McMunn, N. N. ", Is the man
who has Kept the ore traf1c moving"
And keeping the ore trnfflc moving
with the nation at war has been no
fanclful job. Most Of the iron and
much Of the copper used In the manu-
facture Of armament In this country
Is produced In the lake region and
lreighted In the open navigation sea-
Son In lake vessels to steel mills.
Traffic In metals this season has been
more than double that Of any previous
year, and exact figures not yet hav.
ing been compiled.
Many Plots Frustrated.
Much has been said about the pro-
lection afforded steel mills and NUM-
tiOns factories, but little has been
printed concerning the equally efficient
protection afforded the ore before II
reaches these Industrial plants. This
is the task to which the navy depart.
ment at the opening Of navigation on
the lakes last spring assigned Com
mander McMunn. 1t gave him more
than three-scOre vessels ranging In
size from an Open-speed launch I'd
1,200-ton gunb0ats. Constant vigilance
on the part Of Commander McMun9
and each Of his officers and men has
been the price paid to keep the barn
door locked before somebody stole thG
horse.
Commander McMunn will talk little
Of his experience. Announcement
from Washington, however, from time
to time have limited Of German plots.
ant-American propaganda, l. W. W.
agitation, all suppressed by this quietly
effective arm Of the navy.
There are stories Of wheslmea q
Great Lakes freiahters who have bse4
taken into custody BY naval o@eseo
and who have bsen identified - 81
Gers Of the German navy. 1hscs an
two large lake frslShtsss, sunk h &
most peculiar manner 20 ~ almast q
close to navigation one Of the most IN
portant lake ports. There 70 q report
that certain interests In Duluth sent
word to Commander McMunn that
he ever set foot IN that city he would
be shot and killed, and there Is thu
verified statement that Commando
McMunn replied by going to Duluth and
walking unarmed and unattended ND
and down the thoroughfares' Of that
city. But no attempt was made to do
him violence. 49, -"
Good Fellow and Good Sailor.
OF him one of his fellow officers re,
Gently said: aust shaking hands now
with Commander McMunn gives you
the idea that he is jolly good fel-
low" He Is but other naval officers
tell you that he is also a. jolly good
sailor, a jolly good fighter, and a jolly
good business man, and they will tell
you also about his foresight, hind.
sight, energy, and good oldfashioned
nll-wool-and-a-yari-wide backbone.
Just word of history. about Com.
mander McN!unn who, in. addition to
his other duties, Is assistant command.
ant Of The Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh
naval districts with headquarters ut
the Naval Training station at Great
Lakes which has The task Of turning
thousands Of fresh water plowboys
into saltwater sailors. An engineer
known nation wide, an expert In steel,
he enlisted In the Illinois Naval mllltlG
as an ordinary seamanin 1894. Seryi
Ing through the several grades hi
emerged after the Spanlsh.American
war as an ensign, and since has served
In each grade until he reached the
commanders rank. He holds an unllmt
tied masters license and also chief
engineers license Of unlimited tonnage,
and perhaps Is more familiar with tho
Great Lakes than any other skipper
operating on them.