Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-17
HOW BRITISH navy ]
FARES IN ARCTIC
Side of World War From Which
Many Interesting In :
cidents Come.
LIFE UP IN ARCHANGEL
correspondence Of the Associated Press.

Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
LONDON, March 7.-One side OF ~
world war that is little heard of. and
yet which has furnished some stirring
Incidents is the life Of the British
navy in the arctic. A graphic descfpr
ton is contained in an official account ~
experiences of naval men stationed -
or near Archangel 1t says:
s"The long winter night Of feNf
months is drawing to a close. The
moon, which each month has goae
round in a circle for five days at time
without setting, no longer absorbs oof
attention. The rosy MONDAY light has
each day frightened and whitened per
ceptibly. and now each twenty-fesf
hours we see for a short period the sum
low down over the southern hills.
with the thaw come the summarizes
and it is not long before the U-boafS
have laid their quota Of explosive sess
OF the entrance of the port Men-
chantmen arrive with their sides ba1>
tered from shellfire and tales OF ga4r
LIANT actions and hair-breadth es-
capes when the kaiser-fish passed
beneath their bottoms. Some do not
arrive at all-then the trawlers search
the face of the ocean and bring ina
remnant of starved and frost-oftten
crews who have been exposed Tor Gays
in open boats to the fury OF the arcoc
springtime. Sometimes they are NOT
found and sometimes the U-boat her
self meets the fate she has prepares
for others. -
One Misses Prey, Is Victim. y
.In the arctic ice was found the teee-
phone buoy of one who had missed her
prey, and. coming too close. herself b.
came the victim. The buoy is only let
go as a last resource. when subma>
rine is sunk and is unable to rise. 1t
has a water-tight telephone upon IL
connected with the hull of the sunken
submarine. and by which communities
ton can be established from the sur
face with the imprisoned occupants. -
bears a large brass plate, upon whicn
is inscribed the legend in German:
.Cndersea boat the - is sunk here Do
not touch, but telegraph at once TO
the commandant of the C-boats' base
at KEEL
another submarine was equally un-
fortunate, though in different way
The submarine rose to the surface to
shell a munition ship which she had
torpedoed. but the submarines dfs1
shell exploded the ships cargo of muni-
tions. a large motor-lorry on the up-
per deck Of the vessel pitched over
board and landed on the upper deck OF
the submarine. sinking her instantly.
The ships boats were already SO crowd
ed that it was humanity impossible to
take another soul into them, and a. is
was their crews spent four days in
them with very scanty provisions De-
fore reaching land.
"Other submarines hid themselves
among the ice foes farther north. and
many were the exciting games OF hide
and seek played in those still waters
with only the seals and grampus for
witnesses.
Fogs Described as Terrible ThingS.s
"Fogs, both in summer and winter.
are very terrible thing in these Arctic
waters The cold wind blowing on TIE
warmer water raises an impenetrahle
mist. and probably causes as many
losses as the enemys best efforts.
Summer. that short six weeks. would
be a delightful season but for the mos
quitoes Literally one eats, drinks and
breathes mosquitoes.
with the end of August come the
gales again. to be followed very soen
by snow. and the whole country b6s
comes bare and black and barren in .
single night. Boarding becomes stren4-
Gus work, and the convoy trawlers, q
they sweep vessels through the mind
areas, have no easy time Of it,
IN nOWHnS tnfee-Qay gaze dig
Russian ship which had struck mine
was brought safely into harbor by four
trawlers, two ahead and two asteYn.
and each with 600 fathoms of sweep
wire out. Very perilous work it was.
but safely accomplished, though to soc
her come into harbor before the great
breakers, with her forecastle undar
water and her stern in the air, it ap.
peared almost impossible. Then night
and day work for every one for a wee6
while her cargo is transferred. and she
is conducted safely to Archangel. One
trawler struck mine and foundered In
ten seconds, only one Of her crew being
saved with the sea at freezing point
And as the dark winter drags in the
days become shorter and shorter. until
the sun no longer rises. The last shin
has left Archangel, homeward bound,
but the arctic squadron goes farther
west and north to the ice-free waters
of the Kola inlet
strange to say, insomnia is very
prevalent, many men having to be
treated by the doctor for it, The dark 4
ness and lack of news and interest.
with. no possibility of exercise, make
every ones nerves Jingle"