Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-22

IS, 1t likely to be discovered suddenly
But 1 believe the hazard will be grad
ually mitigated.
Full mate to the U-boat IN deadly
destructfveness is the German mine, for
which there Is only one remedy-the
old fashioned mine sweeper As with
the submarine. the Germans have V1o-
lated every honorable tradition of naval
warfare by scattering mines indiscrirl-
inately and by refusing to Indicate the
legitimate mine fields. as is dictated
by the rules of war.
Great as is the peril of the srbnna-
rine, it is child's play alongside the
hazard of the floating mine In a tor
pedo attack you will have some chance
for your life. When you strike NINE
1t is all over but the drowning. Most
Americans have the idea tnat the der
man activity in mine-planttng is con-
fined to the area about Great britain.
and more especially the North sea.
They are much mistaken. They may De
surprised to know the Germans nave
laid mines as far out as the Cape OF
Good Hope. in the Gulf of Alden and
at Colombo.
No heroes of this war perform a
richer and yet more unrequited serV-
ice than the men who man the mine
sweepers. To a degree greater then
their colleagues of the patrol feet they
face k1deous, and instant death at an
hours of the day and night. They battle
with the elements as well as with the
enemy, facing dangers overhead and
dangers undersea. Most of them are
recruited from the merchant marine.
Stout, doughty sea-dogs they are. VINO
have no thought of the thrills and who
do their bit" with the sole idea that
1t is part Of the days work-and die in
the days work if necessary.
l have run the gauntlet of the dan
ger zone from the Bay of Biscay far up
to the frozen regions of the north
After much contact you become indif-
ferent to the hazard-tt develops mo a
habit But when l ran the mine felds
of the North sea. on my way to Norway
/ felt, for the first time with all my ad-
yenturing with death. that l was IN
the presence of the dread thing. IL
seemed nearer at hand than when lay
under screaming shot and shell in the
irst line trenches in France. Every
square foot of those bleak waters bris-
ties with destruction. 1t is here that
the German has taken deadly toll OF
neutral and belligerent alike.
How long can allied shipping WITH
stand the hideous submarine sap at its
tonnage? This is the question on the
answer to which hinges the very 1ate
of world freedom. Let us look at the
submarine campaign. Vice Admiral Ca
pelle announced that 100000 tons
month would bring England to mel
knees. 1t is generally conceded that, III
the past ten weeks. the suonarine u; na :
done it's worst becauseNthe subme ie
fleet has been increased by the addiuon
of the supersubmarine Yet the aver.
age loss per month has never exceeded
100000 tons Of British shipping. and II
was John Bulls boats the Germans
: have set out to eliminate.
Up to the first Of June. Great Britai
, had lost approximately per cent OF
l her ocean-going tonnage of ships OF
1000 tons and over. On May l. ac-
, cording to Lord CurZon. she had more
, than 100000 tons Of shipping IN
> vessels of this unit and over. She
could afford to lose 100000 tons pc?
, month for the next six months anc
! still have 100000 tons left II she die
not build q single new ship in the
= meantime.
3 Looking at 1t from another angle. II
8 Germany persists in her ruthless SUB
4 marine warfare at the highest rate OF
l destruction that has been registered
4 since February 1, 1t would take lec
: weeks or more than three years &c
Y wipe out British shipping. again or
the assumption that her shipyards
: would be idle all that time.
. But England can easily build-ano
: Is building-5O0.000 tons "a year. She
8 can gain million additional tons by
. altering tho so-called load limo OF mel
ships. Likewise. she can further
t supplement this tonnage by converting
= her passenger liners into cargo YES
= sels,
This program, it must be remen1-
? bered. does not take into oonsidera-