The Washington times., 1917-04-22
HUNTERS OF MINES
BATTLE WITH DEATH
British Sweepers Of Seas Cease
less in Work of Clear
ing Lanes.
CONTINUED from First PagsJ

crew adjusted their cork hfepeits'
anxiously watching for signs OF any
obstacle. Wi hin fve minutes the
skipper reported through the tube TO
the captain that he had picked up
mine. 1t was a needless formallty.
| for the captain had already noted the
| signs and betrayed in every line OF
his face that he knew his vessels car
ried between them sudden death Tor
himself and for his men. and that
upon his ability depended all our
lives.
His signal for greater speed had
/ hardly been sent to the opposite
trawler when a shout from the deck
| called out all hands. Two hunnreo
yards of there shot to the surface or
the wa,er a vile black nightmare
monster, its black horns protruding
\ menacingly. Heavy rifles were pass
ed out to the marksmen, and. the
hardest pa. OF the sweeping game
| commenced. After a mine has been
swept to tha surface 1t must be de-
/ stroyed or sunk.
Rine Fire Unsuccessful.
The sharp barking Of the guns
cracked out through the mist A lit
tie spray showing the bullets course
close to the mine and a series Of
dull clanEs gave evidence of direct
hits. Every man hoped one OF the
steel bullets would strike q horn and
cause an explosion, which would nnal-
ly remove the menace, but luck went
against the gunners. They succeeded
only in piercing the monsters heavy
armor and allowing the water to en-
ter. After perhaps a score of steel
bullets had penetrated the mine II
filled and sank beneath the surface,
where II remained for a few minutes
and then sank to its last resting place
on the bottom
The trawlers proceeded on their
course for twenty or thirty minutes.
when another tautening Of the cable
indicated the presence OF mine. We
were now In q field where the Ger
mans had sown death with an extrav-
aEant hand. We knew we rode con-
tinually hand in hand with death. The
members of the crew lined the rails
with drawn faces, for they knew by
experience that only a few seconds re-
mained for escape in case we struck.
The average light vessel sinks within
one minute after being mined.
Again there leaped to the surface a
horned destroyer, and again the
marksmen's guns spat fire until It
sank from view a half mile astern.
Two companion trawlers whistIed a
warning that they had made a catch,
and dimly through the mist could be
seen another black-horned object be-
tween them.
Giant Sea Geyser.
Only few shots had been fred when
the air beat upon our ears and the decks
/ quivered. Then there was a mighty
blast that almost stunned and blinded
US. Between the following trawlers a
great column of water rose steadily
skyward, drawing the ships toward It.
| II seemed as II some unseen hand had
showed up a great section OF the North
sea and kept 1t suspended hundreds OF
feet in the air for the space OF perhaps
thirty seconds.
This spectacle defies description. Its
| terribleness holds one breathless, until
the giant column Of water recedes slow
ly. apparently showing itself back into
Its element and leaving only a wide
space of worried waters.
These sights alone should be enough
to throw fear of mines and their aw-
fulness into the men who daily hunt
them, yet at least half those in the cap
tain's trawler had been engaged in this
work for twenty months with little re-
NpllGs hdllIB ten OF Twelve nOuTS every
day over water that they knew con-
tained a sudden and a frightful end.
In the course OF the next few hours
our feet swept up and destroyed other
mines with the same hardy. unre.enting
courage. until their allotted course was
safe for the passage OF ships. whose
comings and going must not for one
hour be delayed II England is to fight
successfully against an enemy who knows
no rules OF war, whose fiendish ingenuity
knows no limit.
Captains Word Home.
The declining sun saw our little
fleet back in harbor. The captain,
having finished writing a detailed re-
port OF the operations, glanced low
ingly at his wife's picture on the wall
OF his little cabin and took up his
pen to let her know he had come
safely through another day OF peril.
The following morning the CORE
spondent had an opportunity to OBJ
serve from the air just what an in
finitesimal portion Of the North sea
he had sailed over on the previous
day. In powerful seaplane, the
body OF which had been constructed
in America, manned by a pilot and
observer. we rose from the harbor and
ClTCle0 nlRn ABOVE Ine sea e EdLeo
upon a fleet Of tiny craft, scores OF
them, proceeding in pairs.
Looking down upon the entire area
patrolled by vessels from one harbor
gave one the impression that Eng
land was tackling a well nigh impos-
sible task to keep her whole gigantic
coast line cleared OF German imple
ments of destruction, yet the organi-
zatIon does its work thoroughly.
After few minutes flying one of
our two motors broke down and we
began a series Of gyrations which al
most cost us our lives. The seaplane
was so heas !; that IL became com
pIetely unmanageable. The corre-
spondent clung to the little seat be
hind the observer and watched them
work their controls frantically.
saved mt Eleventh Hour.
We shot downward toward some
buildings. The pilot r-gained control
Just in the nick OF time and cleared a
high factory chimney. We circled
again, then side slipped and skinned
over a row of two-story houses.
Then by a supreme effort of both
pilot and observer they swerved the
machine toward the harbor. The ma
chine dipped toward a pier, slashed
on a flagstaff and landed with a
heavy Jolt on the water.
Such incidents are not uncommon