The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-16

bol. attempt was recently made
'.ool the nlans of the Holland sub
" .,no boat launched few weeks pre-
p inslv from Nixon IS shipyard at Eliza
tetbport, N. D.
WI ,tort the middle Of March a man
.to had got employment at the yards
as found inside the boat at the noon
tony making sketches. lie was dismiss
- once and orders were given to let
-, the most trusted men approach
,ho craft The purpose of this man was
never explained, and the belief exists
.Sot he was the agent Of a foreign gov
eminent -,
Tbe last attempt was planned with
no Utmost care. All the plans used in
,ho sbiryard are kept III safe especial
10 constructed for their protection. 1t is
stoel structure ten feet square and of
the same height
Tn addition 10 these safeguards watch
mon are kept on duty about the safe day
and NIGHT and a combination lock lends
additional securl:J.
The craftsman had carried batch
% nlans down stairs and had put them
N the safe BY chance this batch did
NOT include the designs for the Holland
submarine boat. When he returned to
the drawing room to get these plans,
no left the door of the safe open. On
his return he discovered that some one
had been there and had made away
with the tin box containing $500 III
cash. together with bundle of valua-
bic papers.
A short time subsequently the COM
many received through the mails an en-
yelope containing the papers which had
been stolen. Not being the plans of the
submarine boat, the thief had consider
alton enough to return them.
Captain John Solely, superintendent
of the yard was so gratified that the
plans were safe that he did not consider
the loss worth reporting TO the police.
When seen about the matter, he said:
at is true we will not allow an out
slider, it matters not who he may be, to
90 inside of the Holland boat or TO get
a look at the working plans. One of the
first requisites for a man to get work i'll
this yard is that he keep silent about
the work going on. Any violation of
this rule is punished with dismissal.
"The representatives of several for
eign governments have been here to in
quire about and to examine the Holland
boat. | have allowed them to look at
the exterior, but not the interior. The
value of the secret of its construction Is
hard to estimate. It's perfect success has
not yet been demonstrated, but if it Is
successful it will be of immense value
to the government which owns it,
1.-THE secret agents of foreign gov.
eminent if they sought to gain posses
sion Of such valuable plans, would stop
in New York and would be seen in
Elizabethport as little as possible. They
are too crafty to be caught loafing about
the entrance of a shipyard. !"
1t has been stated over and over that
the Holland submarine boat would 60
in commission under the flag of the Gu
ban republic. All that is awaited, say
dispatches from Washington, is the rec
ignition of the belligerent rights Of the
Cuban insurgents by the administration.
High officials at the navy department
have admitted that the new submarine
destroyer has been built for this pur-
pose.
The United States government has
not authorized the construction of the
vessel, nor has any other nation done
so. The work has been rushed. Mr. Nix
on says he does not know where the ves-
sci is to 60, or what flag she is to fly,
and the officers of the Holland Subma-
rine Boat company in this city declare
they have nothing to say about her ex-
cept that she will be sent to Washing
ton to be exhibited to members of con-
gress and to the naval authorities.
1t has been stated that the agents OF
Spain had their eyes on the boat and
might buy her to prevent her falling in
to the hands of the Cubans.
Representatives of the Cuban junta
in New York have made efforts to get
an option on the boat. If they should
get the prize, the navy of the United
States could not prevent her stealing
out of New York harbor.
The suspicion that some naval attache
OF foreign legation may have insti-
gated the attempt is based on the fact
that these officers are sent for the spe-
cial purpose of getting secret plans OF
vessels, Notifications and military op-
erations. Their governments encourage
them in obtaining such information by
any means and pay the bills they incur
without question or scrutiny. They are
military spies in time of peace.
They openly declare there is nothing
worth possessing of which they have
not full knowledge. A few month:
since Captain Carlos de la Casa, the
Spanish military attache, was com
blaming that his rooms in New York
had been robbed, and it was brought
out that he was in New York for the
purpose Of securing. If possible, the de-
tailed plans Of New York's harbor de
lenses.
These military and naval attaches
IN - a. ~~.I IN