The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-12
TRAPPING 4 U-BOAT
ON THE SEA BOTTOM
Trswiers Wrap Wire Hawsers Around
Submarine as She Lies at
Depth.

One of the methods OF fighting the
U-boat is thus graphically described
BY j. :. MarRerison In the Liverpool
Jeurnel of Commerce of February IL:
"A seaplane spotted a U-boat lying
on the-seabed and sent a wireless sig
raj Ten miles away a long. lean de-
stroyer and four squat trawlers de-
tached themselves from a pack OF
hounds working a covert and hasten
ed to the kill
Meanwhile the seaplane circled
round. but when the surface ships ar
rived her instructions, delivered hy
wireless, were curt and precise. Act
ing upon them, the traw1ers station
ed themselves at the four corners OF
wet quadrangle. while the destroyer
kept her guns ready to talk to Fritz
should he appear above the surface.
The trawlers at the corners or the
wet quadrangle got out their sweeps
'ong wire hawsers Of an incredthIe
s{outness, with heavy kite in the
center to keep their blghts down on
the seabed-and commenced TO steam
toward each other
As the pairs Of vessels met their
wires simultaneously engaged them
selves under the U-hoats bow and
stern, and commenced to work their
sinuous way between her hull and the
sea bottom.
1t was then that the strange thing
happened. Two round, black objects
seemed to detach themselves from her
hun and oat surfaceward, 20 hover
Ia second, and then TO commence bob
ping down the ttde~bobbinE down to-
ward lane much freQuented by those
ships which brought food, munitions
OF war, and hundreds of other things
to Engiand's shore.
Mine layer, eh?" called the sea-
planes observer. That's II. lad"
came the teiephoned answer But her
eggs can wait for a minute" The
ira wiers' still steaming towards each
other, now crossed and their depen-
dent cables held the u~boat in a kind
OF wire cat's-cradle.
She seemed suddenly to wake to her
danger. for. with a bound. she tried
to dtsertangle herself from the rneshes
which held her. But 1t was no use
the trawiers had been too long at the
game to leave any loopholes. and the
submarine was doomed. Got him"
signaied the seaDlane. Thanks" re-
Piled the destroyer wen give him
i've minutes TO come up and breath
bot no longer"
The time passed. and still Fritz made
no further move, At a dagger signal
from the destroyer the port foremost
trawler and the starboard after one
clipped a small red tin of high explos-
i've to the bar-taut wire, and allowed
II TO slide downwards ELL 1t touched
the U-boat's hull. 1t was the sea-
planes turn to flag. and Immediately
there followed the crashing of two
fists upon two firing keys, the upris-
ing of two gray mounds OF water, and
a rumbling, muffled explosion. The
wires snapped in the middle, and the
trawlers' crews few to coil them
down.
The seaplane circles twice above the
patch of rising oil, ascertained that
Fritz had been destroyed, and notified
the destroyer OF the fact. Then, with
her observer slipping a drum of cart
ridges into his machine gun, she sped
Off after those objects bobhing down
tide.
A burst OF rapid firing and the nrst
of the DEVILS eggs its huoyancy cham
Der punctured, sank with a gurgle
the second gave a better show, for 1t
exploded grand1y--and harmlessly--as
the bullets reached him.