THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
Rqhiinq ilie Deadly Sea
mie and I
miamw:
Human
ingenuity has
been taxed the limit in
developing these instru
ments of destruction
and finding means
to overcome
them
0?l mnny months nftcr tho out
break of tlio wnr obroad tho sub
marine mine mus n close second to
tlio torpedo In achieving tho do
Htructlon of alt kinds of shipping.
Thereafter tho mine fell Honiowhnt
behind, not bccauHO It lacked
power to do hnrm, but for two
4 other rensons first, tho wholcsomo
dread Inspired by tho prescribed mined areas and
next bocauso of tho various expedients adopted
by tho belligerents to neutralize thofio subaqueous
weapons. Even so, the mine Is playing u big part
in marine warfare, and wo shall havo to count
with It and against It now thnt wo have Joined
forces with tho entente allies.
It Is a mnttor of record that tho Germans got
tho Jump on tho British by their prompt and oven
daring employment of tho submarino mine. With
in n very short tlmo nfter tho declaration of war
Teuton mlno planters were operating on tho Eng
lish and Scottish coasts nnd were busily engaged
In sowing theso weapons at tho very entrance of
enemy ports nnd rivers.
For this purposo It was rather easy then to
hnvo recourse to North sea Ashing crafi that had
nil tho outward complexion of Tnnoconco; Indeed,
for weeks theso boats went about their work well
nigh unsuspected. It was only when British battlo
craft wero mysteriously damnged and sunk that
tho British authorities nwokened to their peril.
Even ttyen tho belief prevailed that the damago
was mqre or less a matter of sheer chance '
chanco In tho nnturo of n friendly defense mlno
that had got adrift. Then tho next explanation
was that n particularly daring U-boat commnndor
had managed to got within striking distance, nnd
finally It dawned upon tho British const patrol
that enemy mines wero being freely planted right
under their vory nosos.
Every fishing boat was then an object of sus
picion, nnd prompt Investigation proved In n great
many cases thnt thero was nmplo warrant for this
attitude. Neutral trawlers became moro nnd moro
infrequent In certain of tho waters contiguous
to tho north nnd east coasts of Scotland and Eng
land, nnd for a tlmo tho mlno mouaco was held
pretty well In hand. '
Tho resourceful Teutons, howovor, wero not
checkmated, nnd It was only n question of tlmo be
fore they dovoloped n method with which to offset
tho vtgilnnco of tho British constal patrol. Then
tho Gorman submnrlno mlno layers got to work,
How many of theso tho kaiser's experts havo built
nnd sent to their fields of scrvlco iu tho wntcrs of
tho North oca especially, Is not known. It Is safo
to. say too many of them hnvo boon built nnd dis
patched upon their missions nnd tho general char
acter of them nil is probably much akin to that
of tho U-O-5, which was cuptured and taken Into
a British port.
By chance n British destroyer discovered tho
U-O-fi on tho Burfnco nnd In distress at soma point
along tho east const. When summoned by mega
phone to surrender tho crew of tho submarine
mustered on deck nnd held up their hands In
token of submission, but curiously beforo n relief
boat could bo sent to them they Jumped ovcrbonrd.
f Tho couso of their action was soon explained.
Another member of tho submarine's complement
suddenly appeared upon deck nnd throw himself
Into tho water and nlmost Immediately afterward
thoro wero n number of violent explosions within
tho U-0-C. Tho Inst man had exploded bombs
which blow holes In tho craft. But for prompt
action on tho part of n British sublleutonnnt, who,
protected by a gns mnsk, went dnuntlessly down
Into tho Injured U-boat, tho mlno planter would
hnvo filled nnd gono to tho bottom In water too
deep for her recovory. ,
As It was, sho represented a despernto task for
lier would-be- salvors and It was neccssnry to so
roX"couplo of mines within tho boat that had
boon set freo by tho explosions beforo it was
snfo to tow tho submnrlno Into harbor nnd to dork
her. Upon, examination this now order of sub
mnrlno was found to bo charged or laden with n
dozen powerful contnet mines housed In six vor
tical wells passing directly from deck to bottom of
tho crnft.
Each woN held two mines, ono on top of tho
other, nnd both woro Sept In their plnccs by lock
ing devices which could bo released from within
(ho submarine, Tho controlling stntlon for this
operation was found to bo In tho conning tower,
so thnt tho commander of tho boat with only her
periscopes nbovo water could Beo Just whero to
sow his weapons.
In this way tho Germans havo been able upon
mnny occasions to approach certain sections of
the waters about tho British Isles nnd to plant
there mines thnt havo accomplished tho destruc
tive work cut out for them. How many ships
liayo been sent to tho bottom by mines sown by
boats of this sort Is, of course, a mntter of con
jecture, but thero can bo no doubt that submarino
mine planters nro nctlvely employed todny.
Ono thing nbout them thnt makes them of spe
cial Merest, oven concern, to us Is thnt thero Is
noUilng to prevent their operating In n similar
manner upon our Atlantic coast, What Is to pro
vent n submarino somewhat after the order of tho
Deutschlnnd from being equipped for work of
this nnturo? Instead Qf carrying some hundreds
of tons of commercial freight she cpuld Just as
easily Vldo that weight among mines, mlno-plnnt-
- 'tS .41.
Ing apparatus and an Increased supply of fuel nnd
food which would mnko It possible for her to per
form her service for longer periods and over
wider zones of action.
Tho wholo subject of submnrlno mines, offensive
and defensive, and tho subaqueous protection
against enemy submarines Is ono with which our
naval nnd military authorities are deeply engaged.
It Is safo to sny that we are going to sco some re
markablo developments, and largely becauso our
allies are going to give us tho benefit of their own
experience so thnt native Ingenuity can start to
Improve upon tho fruits of the labors of others.
Indeed, our subaqueous defenses must of necessity
bo of tho best types possible because of the extent
of our seaboard and "tho comparatively limited
number of vessels thnt tho navy has for patrol
work.
Tho recent presidential order prescribing de
fenso zones nt tho approaches of certain ports and
waterways had to do with tho army's part pri
marily In this matter oC subaqueous safeguards.
Tho mlno fields controlled by tho military authori
ties, those of tho Const Artillery corps, are ns n
rule protected by observotlon mines or electric
contnet mines that nro mado active or lnnctlvo by
tho oporatlon of a switch. That Is to say, the vita
lizing current comes from n central station ashore,
and neither of theso types of mines will explode
unless tho electric current reaches them by way
of n submerged cnblp.
In tho case of tho contnet mlno with tho current
turned on tho mlno will explodo when bumped
and tilted over to a prescribed nnglo. Tho obser
vation mine, on tho other hand, does not hnvo
to be touched by tho enemy craft, but Is subject
to tho will of nn observer on shore.
Observation mlnos nro planted In groups nnd
nro Inid out In definite checkerboard nrcas, and
ench group Is set off separately and simultane
ously, Tho observer, by means of range marks -or
benrlngs, knows Just when tho approaching foo
renches any ono of theso squares, and accordingly
tho ono within which the enemy lies at tho mo
ment determines tho group of mines to bo deto
nated. Tho contnet mlno, ns may enslly bo understood,
does Its work whero nn observer might fnll, after
dark, and for that reason the electric current Is
turned on with set of sun nnd tho wholo nrea so
sown becomes Instnntly n menned to friend or foo.
H Is quite likely thnt observation mines wero
employed by tho Turks nt tho Dardanelles, nnd
thercforo by npproachtng from under water It was
possible for tho British submnrlno B-31 to dlvo
beneath five rows of mines, probably shoving
their cables aside and tilting tho weapons, and
then pushing on so thnt sho could rlso to the sur
faco nnd torpedo tho Turkish battleship afessu
dlyeh, which was stationed to guard thnt very
mlno field.
Had those mines been of tho contnet sort, tho
displacement of their cables would probably havo
caused their detonation nnd likewise tho destruc
tion of the B-ll. Other British submarines suc
ceeded In passing submerged through thoso Turk
ish defenses, the enemy observers being unnblo to
see tho underwater boats. It was tho exploits of
tho submarines nt tho Dardanelles thnt disclosed
to tho British tho weak spot In their own mlno
defenses nnd led u short while afterward to tho
development of other protecllvo agencies In deal
ing with tho German underwater boats.
Unquestionably tho most speetncular part- of
submarino mining Is that In which tho weapons
aro resorted to In open waters, especially In thoso
offshore ureas whero a defense of thnt sort Is not
ordinarily employed. Tho Itnllans were tho plo
neers In this order of subnqueous warfare, and
they developed tho art In penco to such a point
thnt other nations realized thnt tho mlno was no
longer limited In Its potential usefulness either to
the defenso of a port or for blockndlng the ships
In nn enemy harbor.
The Italians showed that tho submnrlno mines
could he used offensively, so to speak, If planted
secretly and placed whero by strategy tho unsus
pecting foo could bo lured over and Into them.
Tho Jupnneso during their war with Bussla made
good use of what tho Italians had taught them,
nnd when tho present conflict began Germany
was fully propnred to carry the practlco still fur
ther. German mine lnyors wero ready and numerous
on August 1 three years ngo; and as wo now know
the kaiser's navy lost no time In mining tho murine
nppronehes to tho fatherland. Not only that, but
those craft, In various guises, planted mines over
wide areas In the North sen and In tho waters of
(he British Isles.
Tho Haguo convention of 1007 among other
things provided that "It Is forbidden to lay nn
chnrod automatic contact mines which do not
become harmless ns soon ns they havo broken loose
from their moorings;" nd It was also prescribed
(lT-or-CKDENARV
-t People
f HA8 DUTY OF PROTECTING SOLDIERS
Drink nnd Immorality have been
tho bane of the soldiers' camps In all
countries. At times ns mnny ns one
fourth of tho enrollment havo been
In tho clutch of one or tho other. In
Europe, during tho present wnr, tho
ravages of disease nnd the effects of
Inebriety have been so extensive nt
times that tho most stringent rcguln
tlons havo been established. But In
tho mnln tho measures adopted havo
been repressive and curative nfter tho
fact. The attack on tho enmp evils
was not begun until their inroads
made notion imperative.
In the United States tho problem
of camp evils Is to bo attacked In a
way and on a scale nover undertaken
In the world before. Greatest empha
sis Is to be placed on prevention, on
effective action before the fact, in
stead of after it. To achieve this, to
evolve a new kind of soldiers' train
ing camp, Is the task of the newly nn-
polntcd federal commission on training camp activities, with Raymond B. Fos
dlck at Its head. Already this work has begun, with tho opening of the train
ing enmps for the preliminary officers' training corps.
Immediately around tho camps will bo zones, according to the plans of
tho commission, to bar out Infections nnd alcoholic excess, but tho aim will
be, In following out the later principles of phychology, to withdraw, so far
ns possible, the nttcntlon of the soldier from the rigid restrictions of the
zones by the orgnnlzcd presentation of better means of recreation and enjoyment.
at that time WCMW
that no unnnchor- Of C&ZfTMrJZmi7-
cd mines should
bo used which would bo dungeroust moro thun an
hour nfter they had been dropped Into tho sen.
Tho mines In question are self-contained contact
mines that arc not controlled from any shore or
observing stntlon nnd nro well-nigh Instantly men
acing when cast overboard.
Just beforo tho war the Germans, with their
usual technical cunnings, developed a naval of
fense nnd defense mine which could be used clthev
In a fixed position or bo planted hantlly la water
traversed-by enemy shipping. This mlno is tho
typo which has done such destructive work nnd Is
designed to be fired by nn electric battery placed
Inside of the mine, this battery being Inactive un
til tho mine has been submerged nnd then struck
by n pnssjng craft.
A development of tho contnet mine which the
Germans have at times employed successfully Is
ono surmounted by n dummy or decoy periscope.
Tho object of this ruse Is to invito ramming on
the pnrt of a patrolling vessel or even a mer
chantman when the deceived navigator believes
that the- chance Is good for sending n U-boat to
tho bottom. Of course n vessel attempting to rnm
that dummy periscope Is sure to strike tho con
tact mlnolind cause It to explode, the result being
disastrous to the ramming craft.
This luro has not worked so well latterly bo
cause tho observer Is able In n few moments to
establish tlio'fnct that tho pcrlscopo Is statlonnry,
and tho work of getting the underlying mine out
of the wny is left to tho fairly safe process of
sweeping trawlers linked together by a loop oj!
wlro rope doing tho work.
In order to denl with both tho submarine tor
pedo bont nnd the submnrlno mine planter the
British admiralty has had recourse to defenso
nets of n novel character. Theso have "been very
well described by Rear Admiral William S. Sims.
According to this authority: V
"Wo did not find out for a long tlmo what thoso
nets are like and I think It Is necessary that it
should be understood In order to renllzo tho great
danger submarines run In tho presenco of light
surface craft.
"The net is a very light one, mado of little wire
rope, probably not as big ns a lead pencil, prob
ably not moro than a quarter of an Inch In diame
ter. Tho meshes of tho not nro 12 to 15 feet
square. On top of this net nro floats nnd on the
bottom nro little weights.
"Tho moment this net 'unbeknownst to tho
submnrlno commander, of cours(! Is In tho water
In front of him, tho floats keep the net on the
surface and tho weights keep tho bottom down,
and if ho runs Into It his bow goes into ono of
tho meshes nnd tho net falls back around hlra,
and It mny foul his propeller or may not
"The net Is 800 or 400 yards long, and ns tho
submarine proceeds tho floats will trail on tho
surface, so that even if ho dives deeper he leaves
theso on tho surface nnd his trail Is plain and thero
Is no dllllculty then. In capturing him. Ho knows
when he runs Into a net that his capture Is prae
tlcally certain. If ho goes down 200 feet tho
floats of tho not are still on the surfnee."
Theso nets aro used In two ways, either passive
ly ut chosen points In guarded waters or they are
dropped overboard by patrolling vessels thnt dis
cover n submerged submnrlno In motion. It is a
fact that oven though u submarine bo running
totally submerged 20 or 30 feet down, It still
entities a disturbance nt tho surface, not n wake
In the usunl sense of 'the term, but a typo of
wave which Is easily distinguished from the regu
lar surface waves, tind this phenomenon Is readily
discernible from tho brlago of a ship or from a
hydroplane.
To return to the submarino mine. We hnvo so
far considered only thnt so-called offensive typo
which can bo anchored In fairly smooth wnters
such as prevail extensively In tho North sen, but
now let us tako up that kind which can bo dropped
ovorbonrd In much deeper water. This sort Is
capable of being planted from a speedy ship
seemingly bent upon escaping from her pursuers
nnd her strategy consists In Inviting chnso while
dropping theso stumbL'ngblocks right In tho path
of her oncoming enemies.
Generally tho ship hitting weapons of this sort
does so bow on, and that part of a vessel Is the
least vital section. A craft may. hnvo her. how
blown off nnd yet bo nblc to make n haven, and
besides tho damage may po susccptlblo of speedy
repair. Our mines, on tho bther hand, have a de
layed action, nnd uf tor belnjf hit by the stem
of a craft roil sternwnru intontnct with her hot
torn for some distance before they explodo. In
this way tho blow, when tho mlno docs burst.
strikes some vital area urn! tho dnmnge Is well
nigh certain to be fatal. New York Sun.
MASTER OF TRANSPORTATION
iium urn mi iihwimiwihiimiii
Samuel M. Fclton, president of the
Chicago Great Western railway, has
been selected to take charge of ar
rangements for sending the regiments
of American railroad men to France.
Mr. Felton some time ngo wns ap
pointed adviser to the chief of army
engineers in relation to railroad af
fulrs. As such, it wns said, he will bo
In charge of arrangements for sending
the American railroad men abroad.
It Is understood that Mr. Feltou
will not necessarily nccompany the
forces.
The plan Is to send 10,000 skilled
men to operate and maintain tho
French roads behind tho battle lines.
They need reconstruction and expert
Qperatlon, for which tho French mili
tary forces cannot spure their own
men.
Regarding theso plans Mr. Fel
ton declined to make any extended
statement.
"Thero is nothing more that can be said, and nothing thnt will be said.
It is to tho interest of all concerned that no details be printed."
One report hnd it that Mr. Feltou had been appointed by the council of
nntlonul defense. That Is Incorrect. He was aiding the government beforo
the council of national defense came Into existence.
He was selected by the secretary of war when the Mexican troublo
started as adviser to the army engineers in transportation and railroading.
GIVES SERVICE TO RED CROSS
Robert S. Lovett, chairman of tlio
board of the Union .Pacific railroad,
has volunteered "the whole of his
time during the war to any work to
which ho might be assigned," by tho
American Red Cross. In a letter to
Henry P. Davison, chairman of the
war council of the Red Cross, Mr. Lov
ett said ho was "too old to go to the
front," but wns anxious to do his
"bit" in whatever manner lie could be
made useful.
Accordingly, Mr. Dnvlson asked
him to come to Washington for a con
ference preliminary to the formation
of a committee to prevent duplication
nnd waste In all activities of relief
and alleviation resulting from tho wnr.
Ho also was asked to accept ttie chair
manship of this committee.
Others requested to Join Mr. Lov
ett at tho conference in Washington,
nccordlng to Mr. Davison, are Rt. Rev.
Charles H. Brent, Protestant Episco
pal bishop of tho Philippines; A. D. Hoderpyl of Grand Rapids, Mich.; George
Wharton Pepper of Philadelphia; Edward D. Butler of Chicago, and John
F. Moors of Boston.
"It is singularly In keeping with tho stupendous things which the Red
Cross Is already being called upon to do, and Is planning to do, not only to
relieving sufferings, but to help win tills wnr, that big men of affairs like
Mr. Lovett should feel It to bo worth their while to plnce themselves thus un
reservedly nt tho nation's service," said Mr. Dnvlson.
HIS TASK TO TRAIN OFFICERS
Without nny thought of even sug
gesting a comparison that might bo
odious to -the thoroughly trained ofll
cers of the United States regular
army and with full appreciation of tho
fact that threo months of drill and In
struction can never produce the re
sults of four years of hard work In
what Joffro has called the greatest
military school In tho world, It may
still be sold thot the country now has
10 new military schools working full
blnst for tho manufacture of person
nel to officer tho great nrmy that will
bo evolved out of the selectlvo drafts
by the end of tho summer. They
might bo called new West Points to
tho extent that tho officers of tho
army who have planned them, nnd who
are managing them, uro determined
that tho spirit of these great camps
shnll bo the spirit of tho academy on
tho Hudson.
41 Til nnv nttimin
qunlltles of these young men in the training camps," said Brig. Gen. H P
McCain, adjutant general of tho army, "we must remember that the 40000
enrolled were selected from 200,000 who applied for enrollment. And this
very carefully selected raw material Is to bo subjected to the severe test of
threo months of experience and Instruction to the tune of something over 47
hours of hnrd work a weck,wltu nil the work and all the leisure under Rtrir
uiiUtury dlclpllue." irKl