Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12
SUBMARINE, S|R!"
YELLS SIGNAL BOY
Then Things Become Lively for
Solitary Guest on Brit
ish Destroyer.
BUT U-BOAT GETS AWAY
BY E. PERCY NOEL.

(6pecfal Correspondence of The star
and Chicago Daily Newso
Copyright. 1917, by the Chicago Daily News
Compsny.)
A BRITISH EAST COAST PORT. July
15.-Sunlnler and winter. spring and fall.
officers and men who operate torpedo
boat destroyers OF the British navy work
twenty-six consecutive days every montn.
During the first twenty-one days or this
period there IS no shore leave for officers
or men They nay not set foot on land
even when II is only a few yards from the
time In harbor, but even then must be
ready to steam away on not more than
ten minutes notice. For FIVE days they
are standby duty, which is SOME
times more onerouS than the daily grind.
The remaining days OF the month there IS
boiler cleaning and shore leave
Travels on British Destroyer.
I have Just been at sea on British
destroyer which was at work upon its
day and night task of conveying troop
ships and ambulance transports
across the English channel From
personal experience 1 learned the risks
that the navy runs as matter OF daily
routine OF service that is lighter al
this time of the year compared TO the
hardships Of winter. but serious enough
to try the nacttle Of brave men.
The first half of the days work was
an ordeal. That the swift craft might
ut any IEcinent ram mine which would
send Officers. crew and press CORE
spondent into kingdom come was for
hours my predominant thought. The
strain passed because the young cap
tain was SO impertur oa BILE. willing to
Hive or die. as fate decided he should
do; the first officer. who had been
picked up out of the water when his
ship was destroyed in a JutlaEd fight
50 CHEEKY: the chief engineer. who had
Ct hfTr1 red *
away blown up a few days before, SO
perfectly compiacent and content. With
these willing helpers unconsciousls
coaching me / got through the TRIAL
successfully. fell into the spirit of il
all. even found myself enjoying II be-
fore We steamed back INTO the base
port at the close Of the day
Invisible German Mines.
The torpedo of the U-boat used to
be the greatest menace to shipping.
Now 1t is the U-boat-laid mine. To
eliminate this hidden danger certain
secret courses are swept several times
q day on different days. But not all
the mines are picked up, despite the
excellence of the system and the cour-
age of the officers and crews of the
sweepers. who risk their lives to save
others. Huns eggs as they are
called in the navy. lie anchored To the
bottom. with the explosive cylinder
Visible, they are far more dangerous
than the periscope of a submarine or
an oncoming torpedo, which II is often
possible 10 avoid.
The second officer of the destroyer
upon which L endeavored to enjoy the
questionable privilege of being observer
seemed to have been very much i'm
pressed by the loss of another ship of
the Same type and REQUIRED to the sub
5ect with persistency. / do not mean
that the sight of his friends being
blown to pieces had weakened his nerve
or inspired anything akin TO fear.
1T vas ours by right. that mine" he
would say The reason that W. come
Rack from . jolt one astcrp of the
UP THE egg. But We got by il some
how, although we We're leading. and
the x. asterp. found il There was
a great explosion. \ column of water
shot up, then FIRE as her Oil fuel
caught All the officers lost only q
few of the crew saved
We were on our way from one French
in the wake of a sister destroyer, just
as the ship Re referred to had been
few days bcfore-as a 5irecauti5n.
There said the second officer.
where you see that wreck buoy, just
over there, is where the Y went
down"
There was little said when we passed
through the gates of the home port.
past the submarine barrage nets Ia
1.-the ship was throbbing her way 10
ward another English port. TO meet
other destroyers and 10 pick up our
convoy, which consisted of four fast
transports loaded with troops on their
way TO fight