The San Francisco call., 1904-12-23
North Sea Commits
sion Begins It's
Session.
SENSATION SPRUNG
Hull Fishermen Are
Said to Support
Russia.

PARIS, Dec. 22.-The International
Commission appointed to inquire into
the North Sea incident met at the For
eign Office at 10 o'clock this morning.
Rear Admiral Davis, u. S. N, was
present The commission unanimously
elected Admiral Won Shaun of the Aus
Hungarian navy to be the fifth
member, completed the preliminary or
ganization and adjourned until jan
uary 9.
The opening session was held in
a suite of sumptuous saloons Of the
D'Orsay Palace, Foreign Office. Ad-
miral Davis arrived in civilian dress,
accompanied by his aids, Lieutenant
Commander Roy S. Smith, the naval
attache of the American Embassy. and
Ensign William F. Bricker. U. S. n.
President Loubet received Admiral
Davis in the library OF the Elysee Pal
ace this evening. The interview was a
brief and formal exchange of cour-
tesies, the President expressing his
pleasure at the fact that the United
States was represented on the commits
sion.
HULL MEN CHANGE FRONT.
LONDON, Dec. 22-The publication in
st. Petersburg that the Hull fishermen
have voluntarily deposed that foreign
torpedo boats were among the trawlers
off Dogger Bank when the latter were
fired upon by ships of the Russian fleet
is probably nothing more than a repeti-
tion Of similar statements emanating
from Hull and appearing in London pa
pers the last few days. These are cir
cumstantial and it would certainly ap-
pear TO be true that some men Of the
Gamecock fleet have made statements
before the Russian Consul.
The name of only one of these has
been revealed. He is the boatswain OF
the trawler Ava and he said to-day
that he was induced to make the state
ment while he was intoxicated.
The sensational press of England di-
rectly charges the Russian Govern
ment with using underhand means, by
bribery and intoxicants, to secure false
statements from men of the Gamecock
fishing fleet.
The Russian Consul at Hull tonight
said the boatswain of the Ava was
brought TO his office, but that he sent
him to the Commissioner of Oaths,
where, the Consul says, the boatswain
swore he saw Japanese torpedo boat
with the trawlers. The Consul says he
knows of other trawlers who are ready
to make similar statements, but that
they are afraid Of the consequences.
The Consul Indignantly denies that he
has made any attempt to induce fisher
men to make statements. He says that
when Informed of the nature of the
statement the boatswain of the Ava in
tended TO make 1t was his duty to his
Government to render every assistance.
MAY EXPLAIN THE INCIDENT.
Altogether an air of mystery sur
rounds the affair, but no credence in
responsible quarters is given to the al
legations that unfair methods have
been used by the Russian Government.
One explanation emanates from Par
is, where it is said that two reporters
of the Petit Parisienne recently visited
Hull in order to interview men of the
Gamecock fleet and secure independ-
ent information concerning the Dogger
Bank affair. AS none of the newspaper
reports assumes to identify the
agents" as Russian, being limited to
calling them foreigners employed by
the Russian Government" this is the
most probable explanation of the story
which, however, may possibly have a
sequel in the testimony before the In
ternational Tribunal at Paris.