The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-10-05
ALLIES PATROL
SEAS OF WORLD
Mightiest of Fighting Vessels
Maintain Closest Blockade
in History.
SCOUT SHIPS EVER ON MOVE
Submarines Of Central Powers Find
Their Most Profitable Hunting
Ground In the Mediterranean
Italy Hit Heavily.

New York.-On the seas Of the world
the fighting vessels of the allied ma
lions maintain the most gigantic and
effective blockade ever enforced since
the triremes of Caesar overran the
Mediterranean in the campaign that
preceded Pompey's humiliation.
IN this sea that has swallowed the
hulks of the navies of Carthage,
Greece and Rome the "~camoufiaged"
units of the mlghtiest engines ever
set afloat by man meet in a constant
test of skill and daring. The Anglo
French reek-Italian fleet maintain
O stringent blockade of every mile of
Mediterranean coastline. Despite the
alertness of the allies in this sea the
here their most profitable hunting
ground. The kingdom of Italy Is suf-
fering the throes of a serious coal
shortage due to the sever losses OF
Italian shipping, supplemented by neu-
trail and British shipping, In these
waters. Indeed. the sinkings are so
numerous and vital that a serious
Italian offensive may be always fore
stalled by the undersea power of the
German empire. Out of one fleet Of
coal ships sailing from Genoa to Liv-
erpool and numbering twelve units.
only five returned TO their home port.
In the eastern Atlantic and the Eng
fish channel there is In effect the most
extensive and impenetrable blockade
Of any. During the day. British and
French scout ships nose their precari-
GUS ways among the shadows In close
proximity to the German coastal wa
tiers watching for a sign of enemy
forces. These waters are thickly
strewn with mines, both nations mining
extensively to suit their programs of
attack or defense. Sporadic raids by
German light units are occasionally
successful, but these are becoming
rarer and rarer. Steel nets are also
being used by the British navy to COM
bat the submersibles. These, in spite
Of oil reports to the contrary, are still
I'M an experimental stage and are Of
doubtful effectiveness. especially since
a submarine has been evolved with
machinery for the destroying of the
most powerful nets now In use by the
admiralty.
Altered at Night.
With the coming of night and dark
ness, the schedule Is altered some
what, and merchant fleets which have
been forming In sheltered ports during
the day are conveyed across the chan
mel in well-defended routes. The con-
voy consists of no capital ships. but Of
destroyers and scout boats, which rush
along I'm devious courses and at ter
rifle speeds. With protecting units In
front, behind and surrounding them,
the fleet usually gains the borders of
Dutch territorial waters In safety.
Here the naval squadron stops short
and the merchants go safely or into
their ports of destination. Shortly aft
erward a returning convoy which has
been formed energies, and, under the
protection furnished to Ii, takes its
way westward. Occasionally a stray
gles is torpedoed, and mine victims are
at intervals found.
Holland, though a neutral, has her
place In the blockade of the worlds
waters. Eliminating Dutch waters Of
floating mines and anchored mines
which have lost their anchorage forces
the Netherlands to maintain an extern
sive force Of trawlers. Her neutrality
would be frequently violated by either
side of the warning nations should she
enforce in any lax manner the marine
law Of the three-mile limit.
In the western Atlantic the repub-
lies of the United States and Brazil
patrol with light vessels practically
the entire American continent. Cana
dian cruisers have their part In this
work. Due to the naval policy of the
United States every merchant vessel
In United States registry forms a por-
ton of the naval forces In so far as
blockade and defense against the un-
dersea boats are concerned. These
vessels are armed by the United States
navy and naval gunners sail on every
ship.
The principal forces In the Pacific
are Japanese cruisers and destroyers.
They have taken over the former Ger
man islands Of the Marshall and Mari
anne groups and the east and west
Caroline archipelagoes. The capture
Of Tsingtau was assured through the
Japanese naval strategy. They lost
by a mine the cruiser Takachido before
this fortress. Valuable service was
rendered to the British and Australian
cruisers operating In this part of the
world in the shape Of coal and NUM-
tons. 1t is a signal fact that Of Japan's
8,O39 miles Of coast no foreign enemy
has succeeded In forcing an entry since
the Peary incident In 1853 and before
that since the attempted Mongol In
vasion In 1881 under Kubiai Khan.
The most recent entrant IN this strug-
gle is the kingdom Of Siam. The kings
yacht and several antiQuated motor
boats form their navy" which block