The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-22
MANY DETAILS IF WORK OF NAVY
 GIVEN PUBLIC Assistant Secretary Roose- welt Tells of Operations of
 U. s. Navy Abroad
MINE BARRAGE BUILT
 AGAINST SUBMARINES
Oil Pipe Line Laid Across Scotland and Naval Aviation Stations Es- tablished From Spanish Bor-
 der to English Channel

Washington, October 21.--Construc- tion of the North sea minc barrage against submarines. laying of an oil pipe line across Scotland. the estab- lishment of naval aviation stations from the Spanish border to the Eng fish channel, and other details of the work of the American navy in foreign waters were given to the public today by Assistant Secretary Roosevelt. who recently returned from g visit to Eu- rope
 sgrhe American people seen. to have very little idea of the extent of our naval activities abroad" said Secre- tary Roosevelt The tendency is to think merely of the conveying and ra- trol work our destroyers and other vessels are doing. and the presence of our battleships with the British fleet, But important as this is, 1t Is only a part of our activities and there are dozens of other things of importance of which little has been said"
 BIG UNDERTAKING
 The building of the northern mino barrage was one of the biggest things ever accomplished in ordnance work, MT. Roosevelt said. In turning out material for it. number of plants In this country were kept busy for months. Several American bases were established on the British coast to lay and handle the mines.
 To save haulage of oil the American navy has undertaken to construct pipe line across Scotland.
 All the way from the Spanish Dor der clear around to the English chan nel," said Mir. Roosevelt, i've have es- tablished aviation stations, so spaced tt,a acf tno fo by seaplanes and diriglbles. These stations were built almost entirely by our sailors. At each station there Is an average of from 200 to 300 men. This aviation force and our patrol vessels have been doing such splendid work that for the past six months there have been practically no sink ings within 50 miles of the French coast We hope to extend this patrol zone to 100 miles,
 In northern France in cooperation with the British and Belgians. Secfe- tary Roosevelt said, there had been established what is known tho northern bombing group. composed of number of aviation units. which did much to prevent the Germans from again using zeebrugge and Ostend as, submarine bases.
 AIR SCHOOL IN ITALY
 An American naval 1Orce co-opeTdt- ing with the British at Gibraltar is patrolling the Atlantic in that vicinity and is acting convoy to vessels go- ing to and from Italy, Greece and Egypt. There is flying school with several naval aviation units on duty in Italy. while in the Adriatie is large group of submarine chasers.
 Each naval base has it's hospital" Secretary Roosevelt said, and in Scot land an entire watering place has been taken over by the Americans for use as a hospital
 "Conditions have vastly improved from what they were last year" said the secretary in reference to the suD- marine menace. But we cannot af- ford to let up in our activities for one single second In regard to the respect which U-boats have shown for interna- tional law, you have but to ask any officer or man in our own, or in the British or French navies. They will tell you of. and prove to you, great numbers of actual cases where the Hun has violated every rule and every principle of humanity"