The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-20
lEOP tlIne lEtDRUeeE
AND 0sTElD As
COMMERCE PORTS
~ RoBERr wEI14Es RICHIE.

nv ROBERT " EAAAEAS kSAA1ns1.
| London. July 1s.-The Belgian
ports OF zeehruege and oesend nave
ineen opened. with appropriate cere.
monies. to the w,rld's commerce. Ana
new. since Antwerp has been re-
.ssored to shipping for several mcnths.
these reorenings Of war ports COM
piese the Belgian aspiration 10 oe
once more In touch with the worlds
iccmmerce-
Behind the announcement OF the
re-estA hlsshment OF commercial facftf-
tics at ZcebrugEe and Ostcnd Hes a
wonderful story OF patient toll ana
sunremstting efyors on the part OF the
British Admiralty salvage depart
merit under command OF Commodore
If w rouns. r. n n. Fer to him
and the men working under him nave
fallen tasks OF naval engineering al
rnoss staggering In their magnitude.
In q word. theirs was the Job to clear
out these two fairways OF all the
wreckare and deash-deaiing rsantrAps
which the Germans crafty laid before
their retreat from the Belgian coast
last October as we'll as to remove the
ihul,s Of ships which the British sunk
there in their EFFORTS TO. block of Ger
man submarines using Bruges as
base
When the enemy retreated from
the Belgian coast, he did his utmost
TO bottle up its sea gates so that they
would he OF no use for long PERIOD,
and. in addition he inflicted extensive
damage on the canals which CONNECT
these places with Rruges.
The first thing Commodore Young
did was to make temporary channel
into Ostend harbor and partially clear
holNv
task. For doing IL. the largest sal
We sc plant ever assembled was sent
10 the Belgian coast by the Admiralty
The Royal Marine Engineers. under
Sir Valentine Gibbs. were also set to
work there in repairing bridges.
wharyes. etc.
Many BOBBY Traps.
Owing to the number of BOBBY
traps and sunken mines which the
enemy had laid. the r. NJ. Els and the
salvage people too. had to work
warily At the begiWing their JOB
was as fun OF dangers Is OF dlfncui-
ties But from the first they made
excellent progress with II.
Opposite the Vindictive the enemy
had sunk n dredger, with other heavy
craft on top of il, in such position
that the entrance to Ostend harbor
s was fbfHDitLSls ssdith Up N~oA'A'AN
dorp Young first cut temporary
passag &c through these distractions so
that the Belgian mail steamers ana
relief ships could enter at high tide.
Then other enemy -sunken wreckage
was hauled aside, and so a way into
the basins and the canal was made.
All sorts OF distractions had to be
fshed out OF the basins before ship
ping could use them
Even now there remain several craft
to be picked mp from the water at
! 0stend, as we'll as bridges to be re-
paired But the channels have been
so UNLOCKED that a combined boat
tsumed. and that means a great boon
for the whole of Belgium.
| At ZeehrurgA, where most of the
salvage plant is now operating, a larg,
number OF cranes. RAILWAY wagons
anc sunkcn vessels have had to he
Ihaulea mp from .be water alongside
the Mole. More remain TO he lifted
hut eroueh space has been nroyidef
10 give berths TO merchant shnpinr
After this r,art of tho Fnh Is com Melted
tthe u.or,- RI lif.i,r Tho Pruseels Can.
Hat, rr~ett's .~hir. will herin Their
1.-The hioctsh',e ard much other wreck
sre raust 40 ,,aced on no beach
Afte~ british mi,n-e weenere have
Ife',er ~, f~n~n tho Zeehr,,~~e- P~uges
Canal the many rninn~ which the on
Il fnav sowed ir - the Pclgfars will
'e1ear tho canal ~ wreckare and like
wise "clcan Nm" Rruges dock IN which
lGermans have sunk all sorts OF craft
from drcdces to destrovers
As for the vindictive no attempt
has vet been made to lift her She
th-olSe asunder in recent storm. and
AL hone OF preserving her seems tf
have gone. She Is no impeachment te
navigation where she lies so that the
work of removing her shot riddiet
hull can he lest to the last