The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1922-10-27
FLOATING MINES
INPERIL SHIPS
Death-Dealing Explosives
Yet Afloat In Baltic
Trade Routes
BY Harry L. Rogers.

. washington, ID. c., Oct. Elk
cept for the taxes, the war is over FOL
most of the people of America anC
Europe. For the crews of ship,
plying in the Baltic Sea. however, II
might almost as well be in full blast
In some respects. indeed, these
sailors would be better off If the al
lied armies were still at grips with
the Germans on the western front,
for in those days they received fat
bonuses for Drawing the dangers of
torpedoes and floating mines To-
day they drive their ships thru fields
of drifting mines and are glad of
the opportunity to get a berth even
at ordinary wages.
Treaty Not Fulfilled.
The Treaty of Versailles contrain-
cd lengthy and complicated provi-
sions for Kidding the seas of the
thousands of floating mines planted
during the war. and to a certain ex-
tent these provisions lave be IN car
ried out. Reports Just received here
from American consular representa-
tiyes in the great ports of Northern
Europe indicate, however. that in
some localities, particularly the
smaller bodies of watcr ID the rorth !
the danger from mines is practically !
as great as at any time during the
war. In certain parts of the Baltic, |
for example. no attempt whatever
has been made to remove them
Reporting from Hamburg, Consul
Maurice walk quotes the Hansa-
C@rmary's best-known naut'ca! pub
liC9tiuE:
Even during the war i; was
recognized that long after its cessa-
ton TIE danger frOE. 2liGes would
continue for many years" says the
periodical. "This Las turned out to
be the case at least so far as con-
Germs the Baltic and the Bay Of Fin
and. In these frequently naglgaIed
waters large fields OF mines are still
wing untouched; mines have been
.oru. lose from their anchors and are
constant menace to shipping.
Some Fields Cleared.
1.-THE work of clearing IN these
mines has been pursued industrious
Z along the coast OF Finland. hut
.nly the northern part of the Bay of d
finland up to HIGHLAND may ne cen
idered free of mines. Mine-sweep- :
ng also has been undertaken in the II
IuIf of Bothania, and the Einnish II
cast is practically free. The wo:x u
ill be continued in the Gulf OF
othuia. between the coasts of Fin
nd and Sweden, this fall"
If Finland has done excellent work
eliminating the mine danger. how 81
,er. the states bordering the south "
n part of the Gulf of FINLAND and "
lie eastern and northern parts of o.
lie Baltic have done practically no Is
on a large scale. Just W
est of the important port of Reval, al
Esthouia, for example. lies great e
inc field entirely untouched. This al
ED extends northwest into the ter al
.orial waters of Finland and in
ssterly direction to the Baltic. AS vi
e. path, two or three miles wide
Dng the cost of Estifonia, is too
ngerous. it is not used by Finnish
ms, which keep to the north and "e
st. in the waters Of Finland and az
5eden. A large German mine ma
eeping fleet is occupied in clear an
: this field at the present time. r'
The Soviet government, with its
cam of developing a great foreign 'iid
lde. is much disturbed over this sei
oblem. In the near future con- PR
.ence will assemble in Petrograd eri
discuss ways and means of CLEAR 1t
A., IT,. from, tho ;pnar mart of sht
> Gulf of Finland. The Bolshevist wa
.eign trade authorities are eager
establish an unimpeded route TO cat
trograd as quickly as possible, so COZ
Il ships may come and go without SOL
niger. This action, they believe, "h
Il do much ~ aid in the revival OF cu'
a