More mines in excess of her reported capacity having been sent to her, 10 had to be carried on the upper deck, and the last one of these mines, in going down the elevator, was jambed, due to the roll of the ship, and held suspended in the elevator shaft. William J. Powers, gunner’s mate, 1st class, promptly of his own initiative, at imminent risk of the 1800-pound weight falling or one of the mine’s firing horns breaking, removed the detonator and with it the great menace to the ship. Before the _Baltimore’s_ next trip, her own mechanics extended the launching deck tracks, to accommodate 180 instead of 170 mines, since the British naval authorities wished her to plant the larger number each time. Four times more she planted 180 mines, April 18, 21, 28 and May 2, planting always at night, in an area infested with submarines. Extra careful navigation was required, both to lay the mines just where intended, as their anchor cables had been cut to fit (anchors not automatic), and to approach close to the minefields previously laid, yet avoid them. In one such operation, the gyro-compass went wrong at a critical moment. The navigator, Lieut. Commander George W. Hewlett, U.S.N., kept his head and held his peace, applying the corrections to the magnetic compass with coolness and accuracy, as if maneuvering to avoid a sand bank, instead of to clear a minefield by only 500 yards. The _Baltimore_ laid this whole minefield unassisted, 899 mines in all. She worked directly under Rear Admiral Clinton-Baker, R.N., who wired his congratulations upon the successful completion of the first three operations, and when, at the end of May, she was recalled to our squadron, he wrote to Captain Marshall: Once more I wish to thank you for all that you have done and for the very willing help which you, your officers and ship’s company have always given. It is much to be regretted that the work which you commenced and so admirably carried out is not to be completed, at any rate for the present, though doubtless you will be doing equally useful work elsewhere in the near future. Good luck to you and your ship. This minefield accounted for two enemy submarines and there was little further submarine activity in that vicinity, which should be credited largely as an achievement of our squadron. And as a sample of quality before the North Sea mining began, the _Baltimore’s_ work gave our colleagues confidence that we could do our part—by far the largest portion—in that great, open sea operation. As immortalized in our song: “The _Baltimore_ was the first away. She traveled a thousand miles a day, To show the Allies the lively way Of the Yankee Mining Squadron.” CHAPTER SEVEN MINE ASSEMBLING AND EMBARKING