The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-05-09

CUT the cdpie tnat holdS 1t. So the
fleldS are swept only at high tide.
There must be at least line and a
nan feet OF water during the opera.
tlons OF the sweepers. Fortunately
no special ship is necessary for the
work. Any old, light fighting smack
thdt draws only a few feet of water
VIII suffice. If you could see the old
Uttered fleet upon whose laeshin 7
went TO sea the other day, you would
NOT guess that it, and like fleets scat.
tered along thousands of mines of
coast line, are playing such an i'm.
poftant part in the world war. They
are old tub boats that the government
has Communicated from fishermen
Their timbers are oily and thew reek
ana smell with the catch of many sea
sons.
Their special equipment is what
they call a kite" fastened to the
s'ern with q cable. At the end of
about fifty yards of cable is attached
the kite. 1t is a triangle-shaped piece
oi iron so weighted and adjusted that
II draSs through the water with its
side bars or arms, spreading out be
yond either side of the boat. Along
these side bars are hooks.
The boat passes directly over the
mine, % drawing enough water to
-trike il. The cable attached 10 the
mine strikes a side bar of the kite
and slips along its side until a hook
catches it. The pull loosens the ma
chlnery OF huge pairs of steel scissors
attached to the bar. The scissors Il
the cable as if it was a thread and
the mine floats.
While there is great danger it is
reduced to the minimum. The boat
is sure TO 90 over the mine and the
kite is sure to 80 under it. The dan
ger is that the cable that attaches
the kite TO the boat will strike the
mines and explode it so close to the
boat as to destroy it. With the mine
bobbing around on the water the rest
is easy, The boat pulls away to a
safe distance and opens fire on The
glass tubes. AS soon as one of them
is hit the mine explodes. Occasional
holes in the mines when fill with
water and sink. The place of sink
ing is always carefully noted, and
some day divers must go down and
complete arrangements for their final
destruction.
The trip l made with the fleet was
a short n An airplane had located
a mine twelve miles out. We waited
for the tide and after an hours man
euvering the crews got the old tubs
out of the harbor and we put to sea.
A lotilla of roy boats would have
looked as formidable.
A second look, however, and you
would have discovered a gun on every
boat, sufficiently large to sink a sub
marine. and a few hours with the of
ficers and crew and you would know
that the courage and daring of these
few hundred men could not be sur
passed. In fact, this fleet has the sink
ing Of one sub to its credit. | was
on board the Goodbye, Good-Luck,
God Bless Ye.' We made about three
knots an hour. We went out beyond
the point where the mine was located.
dropped the kites and started back.
Every mar put on a life preserver.
Two sky pilots directed our move
ments. The exact spot Of the n
mine was known, but it was possible
there was a field of them. Presently
we were in the immediate vicinity.
Not a word was spoken and every
eye was strained.
wondered if anybody but myself
was scared. wondered just what
the chances of a cable striking n
of the glass tubes We're, and regret
ted | hadn't figured out the percent
age. | felt like | imagine a gambler
feels when he's got a lot of money in
the pot and is drawing it to a four
flush, or something like that. | Won
dered why We didn't all get behind
something. | felt sorry for Skull
and Scissors" and kite" and the
rest of them, because l know they
must be frightened. l wondered how
many of us would be killed outright
when the mine did explode. and how
many would have to fight it out in the
sea. Then | stole a hasty glance at
the stern, set faces about me and /
was afraid of the unfavorable opinion
of these brave men than / was of the
mine. In those few tense moments I
learned what it is that makes men
brave.
l saw the damned thing first, that
is, l think l did. At any rate I yelled
at the same time a lot of other fell