The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-01-17
WEST V|RG|NIAN
TELLS IF j. {.
MINING stunt.
sy CHARLES BROOKS SMITH.


WASHINGTON. Jau. !S.-L.y'ng at
anchor in tn" Hampton Roads. at: Ni"
Point Comfort is IL" United states
mining cruiser squadron. whose con-
nanderS and crews performed what IS
now termed b. naT"' authorities the
world over as tho ''yr"at"*t :;tTal "!t"n-
Sivc OF tho war.
The fear which ;hcS. ur"n achieved
was tn" mining OF ta'' cntranc" /" the
North Sea, troiu Scotland - the coast "I
Norway a diS;auc, ~ @fh miles. II
was an undertaking. unprecedented IA
naval history.
II WIS A.nrrica's solution &C tn Ger
man submarine problem. 4 solution :"
thorough and effective tha; i rendered
tho German submarines almost lrrpo'-
tent.
TIN, British previously had mined III"
English charlnci. hul the s-l"'uf SGnn'A
rincs came cut from tho bases At oSten"
and ZebruCcn and into TIA" North Sea.
there TO work their h;tvo:.
Invite Yankee Aid.
The British naval auth"r!;'"S. r"a!I:-
ing. late III 1at;. tht: tn" N"rtn So
: would have To be hlHcN"". inNit'H t't
American naval authorities I" attempt
10 Law the barrier. The American navy.
! having lust at thai tim: completed.
with success, cXctrirr"nts on mining 9p-
narat,Is far moro dangerous. delicate ara
; POWERFUL than any heretofore used. eooH
} up the task
For tina, purpose. N" mining cruiser
4: squadron was organized III '''or:
1o1- This SQUADRON is madc up OF
! TON vessels and - under the command
!. Of Captain r. r. E"tknap. |. ) " nc
s. leading ships arc the old san trAnc'Sc"
. and the Baltimore. which are the oo'E
original lighting craft in the sQHaor""'
, The EaItir,orc having performed fam
!. ously at Manila bay in 1898. me "'n',f
eight vessels are tho Shawruut. Canaan
daic,,a. IIousatonic. TuinuchauE ana
= Saranac. These formerly were mer-
chant vessels and were specially fitted
: up by the navy for ,arninS.
Story Of Exploit
There WAS a gallant young West VIZ
.inian who for many months houFF
and daily -iskad his life for his country
in this most hazardous enterprise. IL
may be th;,, there were other West VIZ
rinians engaged in X. too. bat tn'sI
Pharmacists MAJ DICK fdrten' OF
parkezshu-S. w. VA. was most certainly
one of ''oUr boys" WI" was thSrs' ~"
told OF his life WIKI and among the
1,;,.r 70 questioning frirods here to-
day. II. has hneu !Ion" 10 visit his
fothe- Charles ". i:d'l"u. his brothers
and sisters, ard x on his way pack
70 his ship. IN" I!o,;sa;an!c.
tIe told Il graphic hUt hr;"f story
told II ruud.stiy ARD rather matter OF
~acr. we th~ughi-'f ~" desperately
daneerous Job u which hS ard MS
mates We're assigned
Nav men row call i. The greatest
offensive Of the war II" said. -
solved the submarine problem and It
micht have h"en II" agency Ter ihH c.
s,ruction of the German Eavy sooner or
later had not the war ended when II
aid We mind almost directly across
from Bergen. on the coast Of Norway
~ Tho cons; OF Scotland. The length ~
+be min, field was 40 miles. ana We
made X Twenty-Five miles VIC" Il "aS
50 corlp!ct" that no ship COULD pass
other over or under It without apS"tulE
destruction
..wc have record o; about t%cn'E
submarines that wc know were &C.
s,royed and often in running narAii''
with the field We came upon inc '"'o'
OF dead German sailors. 50 7C"eao'F
,,,,,1 ,nore than We actually figured On
were destroyed.
COW men in fact the entire fleet.
faced a constant danger Of being blown
off the face q! ,hs seas. for Tc carrlHH
on the ships enhn. hGn pounds OF T. y. L.
which is the rrpSt powerful explosive
known. Ore little slip at any man
hands might have started It. ana tneH
all would have been lost. t.;,'A ''''''s
We put 70 ssa we "NCcct"d never u
como back, and tho soldiers IN the nos
pitfalls along the coaS; u: Scotland usea
TO make bets with each other OK ton
to one that We would be DESTROYED "a d
certain length Of time.
Exposed to Germans.
Despite all this. We kept at INC TASK,
and at the end OF about ti:c months mad
completed it. We stayed constantly
. inside of the. dcld, thai is. on the sioc
nearest Germany. We left only Il mar
row passageway. near Pentland Firth
between the Orkney Islands and Scot
land, for our own passage out
Our most dangerous task. strangely
! WAS DOT the laying Of the mines a.
! dangerous as that was. The most dan
rerous one cc-ne after the mine feIc
, had been completed. II WIS an atteTnp'
: 10 draw the German feet out INTO the
North Sea. where "" were 10 engage IL
so that the British fleet could get IN De
. hind the enemy - destroy by gurare OF
drive il into the mine field.
German Fleet