Evening star., 1922-08-27

The naval intelligence listened In"
designated as No. 15s inquired as how
to proceed through the North sea
mine barrage. She received her or
ders from the German naval base and
proceeded on the course designated
for her. She was never heard Of
again, because a FEW hours before
she signaled for her direction an ad-
ditional mine barrage had been laid
by the American Navy. While there
is no disposition on the part of any
Of those who participated in the late
war to belittle any of the work done
by Great Britain or any other Of our
allies, history must record the fact
that IS per cent Of the mines that
were laid in the North sea barrage
were placed there by the United
States. The British navy had been
at work on the barrage for three
years The United States Navy from
May Is to November II, 1918, placed
three times as many mines in posi-
ton. laying them at the rate of one
every II seconds. That is the worlds
record. .-
Numerous attempts were made to
sink all mine layers and other craft
used by the United States Navy dur
ing the war, one particularly inter-
estinE case being the attempt to send
the mine-layer Quintuebang to the
bottom. Shortly before leaving port
enemy agents acting as workmen in
a Brooklyn shipyard had placed un-
der the grating and around the
smokestack a great quantity OF oil
rags which they calculated would be
set on FIRE after the vessel had
reached a point Is or 100 miles from
shore. As this particular craft car
ried 500 mines filled with INT. they
figured that there was enough of this
high explosive on board to demolish
all the other mine layers in the con-
voy. The rags did ignite at sea, caus-
ing a serious fire, and only after
strenuous fight was. it extinguished.
The feelings of the ofiicers and crew
when the fire was discovered is left
to the Imagination of the reader.
There, were numerous attempts
made to smuggle in bombs to the coal
bunkers. of outgoing war vessels or
transports. There were also many
attempts to place explosives. in the
machinery or to place time bombs at
| points where great holes would be
| blown through the bottom Of the YES
sci. These attempts, however, were
| frustrated by the ever watching eye
of the o, N l. One seemingly harm
less package that was about to be
| placed on board an outgoing vessel
was labeled canned goods" but ir
| checking over the stores an ofiicer OF
| the naval intelligence found that this
| particular package was not described
| in the list he had been given, and ar
| examination of the box disclosed two
| bombs filled with enough high ex.
| plosives to have torn hole in the
side of the vessel, big enough to lei
| in sufficient water to send her to the
| bottom. The bombs were connected
| with a timing device which would
| have caused an explosion when the
ship was three or four hundred miles
! out at sea and the Germans no doubt
! had secured information that thii
particular vessel was to take course
| that would carry her out Of reach OF
any. convoy or cruisers SO that she
might have gone to the bottom with
ali hands. aboard before aid could
have been rendered by any friendly
| craft.
1 4 - II ~ y.
IA1UMERoUS German vessels wer'
AN interned in and around New York
and until this government had thu
right. to move them, parts Of 'thssaer
man crews remained on board a