The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-02
SWEEPING FOR
GERMAN Mines
IS DANGEROUS
Contact With Side of Mine
Sweeper Means Destruc-
ton of Boat
(Ry Associated Press.l


Paris, June 2.-Correspondence of
The Associated Press)-Sweeping the
English channel for mines laid by
German submarines is one of the
most exciting and dangerous occupa-
tons 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
leaving port until the return" writes
Jacques Marsillac, from aboard a
mine sweeper on service in the chan
mel.
1.-THE task of group of mine
sweepers, composed of seven sloops
formed in echelons, two by two, con-
nected by steel cables, with the flag
boat leading. is to clear channel
about half a mile wide and fifty
miles long of the mines laid there by
German submarines he adds. These
underwater mine layers carry from
fifteen to twenty-four mines, accord
ing to the type, and they frequently
lay them quite close together, so
close, in fact, that 1t has become an
axiom in the mine hunting craft that
where one is found another is sure
to turn up.
"T'he wireless operator on the flag
boat of the group, who has served on
four mine sweepers that have been
blown up the in service. had scarcely
flashed to the boats of the group that
a mine had been signalled when a
black mass adrift appeared on the
crest of the waves ahead of our boat.
A second later it disappeared. We
steered in it's direction, every man on
Sn&n %N i@e "a
appearance. The few minutes in
which a sighted mine disappears are
full Of infinitely disagreeable tension
on board a mine sweeper
"And if we touch it?" MarSillac
asked of the wireless operator.
Then it is joss" he replied. mean
ing that it would be fatal.
ION this occasion the fates We're
friendly to u.s." wrote Marsillac, for
the mine reappeared nifty yards away
and. for some reason that no one
could explain, remained in sight un-
til the gunners could get action upon
it. Round, black, it shone like
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 zoo
yards under immense diff1culties re-
IEOIl LIlC AOAAAAAS W eAAO ~S~~Sp
Aired fifty shots without touching one
Of the needles. They succeeded how
ever in piercing the mine which filled
with water and sank to the bottom or
the sea.
''The two leading sloops raised red
flag, which means that they have
found a mine. At once began q
manoeuvre intended to cut the cable
holding it; suddenly a steel cable that
connects each couple of sloops and
which is called the sweep struck the
mine. 1t must have come in contact
with one of the deadly needles, and
broke the vial of acid inside which
sets off the discharge, for an Inn
mense volume Of water shot straight
into the air to a height of 100 yards,
masking from each other
the two sloops between which the ex-
plosion occurred. Then the ssloops
went on in search of other mines, and
thus continues every day this dan
gerous and heroic work OF clearing
the path for merchant ships through
the high seas"