Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-07-23
"A NOVEL CLAIM
Men of the Norm atlantic Station
TO Sue for Prize Money.

Washington. July 22-Secretary
Long has directed rhe naval board of
inspection to appraise rhs cruiser
Reina Mercedes. now at Norfolk, as
Well as the Infanta Maria Teresa.
wrecked on Cat island. and all the
salvage from the Spanish wrecks al
Santiago. it being the purpose of the
officers and men who served on the
North Atlantic station last summer TO
sue in the court Of Claims for prize
money accruing from the capture of
these vessels and material.
The secTetary's action. which does
not in any way bind the navy depart
ment TO decision on the merits of the
claim, was ;aken in accordance with
4 request which was recently forward
ed by admiral Sampson in the form of
letter from Captain French E. Chad
wick. commanding the New York. who
suggests the appraisal in behalf of all
the officers and men who took part in
the blockade of Santiago and the bat
tie of July 3.
1t is the underS,a nding That this
claim for prize money is supplemental
and altogether distinct from the appli-
cations for bounty on account of par
ticipation in the destruction of Ger
vera's fest. the claims for bounty HAY
ing already been referred by ;he navy
department to the court of claims for
adjudication
The board of inspection will not be
compelled to leave Washington t.
carry oft Secretary Longs directions
as all the papers necessary to mako
the appraisal are on file. except that
perhaps it will be advisable to have
the expert testimony of the wr5cl1ers
on the value of the Infanta Maria
Teresa In determining the prize
value of the Reina Mercedes and of
the salvage from the other wrecks, s'he
inspection Board, under its instruc-
ton. Will deduct the amounts spen.
by the government in rsscuing that
vessel and the material from the other
ships.
The roinz raised by Captain Chad
wick for the officers and men who
eerved off Santiago harbor is regarded
as an ingenious one by maritime law
y>rs who are puzzled to see what SORT
of a case the attorneys for the claim
ants will be able to present. The
statutes provide for the payment of
'Fbountfzs'' for hostile vessels sunk OF
destroyed. the amount of bounty de
pending on the number of men aboard
the enemy's ship and her strength
compared with that of her American
Bourties are paid for such
affairs as the destruction of most o.
ffeec by Dewey on May l or
of Cervera's on July 3. Prize money"
is paid only for actual capture and is
generally derived from the proceeds of
the sale of the prize ssels. Bounty
urquestionably accrued from the in
fanta Maria Teresa's being driven
ashore. as it did in the similar cases
of The Oqueado, the Viscaya and the
Colon. But until now it has seemed
thar by no Interpretation of the stat
utes could any prize money be in
volved. Up 10 the present time the
Refna Mercedes has not been regarded
as subject to either bounty or prize
money claims, as she was deliberately
sunk by the Span;ards about midnight
of July +, with the irlten;fon of block
ing the entrance of the harbor to pre-
vent the Americans from coming in
an imitation of the AIerrimac episode
She was sunk exactly at the spot in
tended by the Spaniards, although, as
in me case of the tAIerrimac, her stern
did not swing across the channel.