Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-14
Clearance Of the Troopship Allowed
at Hong Kong.
C0NF0RMED 70 BRITISH Law
Increased Living Quarters Permit
ted Increase in Passengers.
THE INCIDENT CLOSED

Information received at the War DEPART
ment shows that the steamship Tartar In
cldent has been satisfactorily closed with
out having risen to the dignity of an inter-
national issue. The story of the release of
the vessel is told in the following official
advices:
HONG KONG, September IA. 1899
"Corbin, Washington.
Clearance allowed; sail today.
"METCALF."
"Corbin. Washington.
NO more crowded than other transports:
has been no cause for complaint about
food, complaints made by discharged regu-
lars METCALF."
"MANILA September IA, 1899
"Adjutant General, Washington.
mo complaints received of overcrowding
Tartar before sailing; troops and others on
Tartar supplied with same kind of food as
troops you mention Discharged soldiers
of whom Tartar carries 407, apt to be fault
finding. OTIS"
Conformed to British Law.
The incident is now regarded as closed
1t is learned at the State Department that
the representations made by Mr.. Choate.
our ambassador at London, on this subject
were not in the nature of protest The
authorities here had convinced themselves
that they had no right to claim exemption
for the Tartar from the operation of Brit
tsh law in British port because the ma
t1orality of the ship had not changed to
American by the mere fact that she had
been chartered for certain specific duty
by our officers. But the basis of the appli-
cation TO the British government was the
fact that the ship had been altered in her
interior arrangements since her original in
spection ana the issue of the permit to
carry passengers, with the result that she
is now fully in accord with the require
ments of the British law, even for the 900
odd troops on board. Ii is said al the State
Department that the Hong Kong author
tiles must also have taken this view and
have acted voluntarily in releasing the ship,
FOR there was not time before that act to
have heard from London
Living Quarters Had Been Increased.
1t is known that Col. Metcalf, command
ing the troops on the Tartar, was instructed
to make representations to the authorities
at Hong Kong similar to those which Am
bassador Choate was to use to the foreign
office at London, the basis for the ap-
plication for the release of the vessel
These representations recognize the Justice
of the British navigation laws, which are
substantially the same as those of the
United States IN the matter of living space
on passenger vessels, but at the same time
pointed out that the living quarters on the
steamship Tartar has been considerably in
creased since she was licensed by the
British government to carry 1874 passengers.
and that since her transformation into an
American troopship she was clearly entitled
under the restrictions of the British mari
time laws to carry even more men than
she had on board at the time of her de-
tention at Hong Kong.
That the entire justice of these represen-
tations was recognized by the British au-
thorities at Hong Kong is evidenced by the
fact that the vessel was granted clearance
this morning with her full original list of
passengers, numbering 1,203 of the Kansas
regiment and discharged regulars, without
awaiting the result OF the negotiations at
London.