Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-12
MINES MALlCIOUSLY CUT
Evidence Regarding Those Found Adrift at
New York
Masters of Merchant Vessels Find
Them to BE n Bother in En-
tering the HarbOr.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


NEW YORK, May II, 1898.
The government is having trouble with
its mines. Scarcely a day passes without
report of a detached mine floating about
the harbor. In many instances the con-
| Meeting cables cut through pure care
lessness or cussedness. Masters of vessels,
in hurry to get out of port, make short
cut through the mine fields, with disas
trous results to the system.
While the majority of the cases of cable
cutting can be traced to the above origin,
there is a serious side to the continuous
disturbance of the mines. The members OF
the I'd Naval Reserve, attached to the pa
troll boat Raymond, have made an impor-
tant discovery. They learned that the sub
marine mines off Sandy Hook had been
| tempered with. One OF the torpedoes which
| came to the surface OF the water was car
! ried to Fort Wadsworth. The officials at
| the fort had already arrived at the con-
| cluSion that some one had been NEEDING
with the NINE nelds, and they We're about
to dispatch men to make investigation.
when the Raymond steamed into the fort.
1t is thought that the submarine mines
were cut by the men on a strange schoon-
er which was sighted Monday at an early
! hour in the morning. The Raymond was
| at the same time busy escorting the steam
ship Furnessia of the Anchor line through
| the proper channel, and for that reason
could not make after the strange craft UNI
til the vessel had secured good start.
| The schooner ran into shallow water in the
vicinity of the point where the torpedo
was subsequently found floating, and it is
| thought that the captain of the schooner is
| responsible for the break in the submarine
Notifications. Whether this by acct
| dent or by design there are, of course, all
sorts of speculation.
The mines bother ship owners consider
| ably. They fear their policies of insurance
may fail to cover risks in the harbor. A
nervous ship owner hunted up the official
head of foreign marine insurance com
, pany the other day and put this question
If an American vessel in coming UP an
American harbor touches mine or torpedo
and is blown up, viii the insurance COM
Itnies pay for the loss as a war risk
The ship owner was told to call later for
an answer. When he does call he will be
| told that the company, after due delibera-
| ton, has decided to consider the danger
Gus journey up a mine-Sowed harbGr as a
| legitimate part of the war risk and will
| pay all losses of such character without a
Protest.
Although this seems to be the decision of
about ali The foreign and several of the
| domestic companies, the fact remains that
there are companies who will not consider
the loss of ship under the circumstances
above described as legitimate war risk.
These companies will hold that such loss
will be an accident. In discussing the stu
alton. the general manager of one of the
foreign companies said: I'm my opinion,
Hicsl "UulU cDilSlUcE SGCl a
loss legitimate risk, and, as a
natural consequence, pay the amount call
ed for by the policy. To my mind, it is
the only fair way to look at the matter.
a war risk is supposed to cover all the
dangers involved by the prosecution of hos
tlities between belligerent nations. Surely
mines and torpedoes, whether they be
planted in Spanish American waters,
form one of the very serious dangers Of
war
The president of a prominent American
company entertained an entirely different
view Of the matter Il would not consider
it part of the war risk he said 1T
would be accident pure and simple. I'm
der tho circumstances, l don't think the
companies could be expected to pay such
losses as war risks. This clause in the
war risk policy covers, l think, this very
point: But only against the risk of cap
ture. seizure destruction by men-ofwar,
by letters of marque, by taking at sea, ar
rests, restraints and detainments of kings,
princes and people, authorized and in
prosecution of hostilities between ma
tons "