New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-15
MANY THEFTS OF PLANS
ROUSE NAVY SECRETARY
Bureau Records and Documents
Have Been Disappearing
for Months.
LATEST THE MOST DARING
MIR. Daniels Institutes Meas
ures to Protect War Sc
crets in Every Pos
sible Manner.
rFrom The Tribune Bureau

sible Manner.
From The Tribune Bureau
Washington, May 14.-Alarmed over
the apparent ease with which the two
sets of wiring plans of the new battle
ship Pennsylvania we're stolen from the
Navy Department and the fact th''
for many months records and docu-
ments relating to American vessels
and their armament have mysteriouS'Y
disappeared from the ordnance 1hu
Steam Engineering bureaus. the Secie-
tary of the Navy has thrown eX'r"
safeguards about the secrets of the ue-
partment and is preparing TO proVlce
still greater protection in the future.
No records or drawings have disap-
reared from the War Department. II Is
declared. but additional precautions 10
guard important information Will ne
taken hereafter. incidentally. an IN
ventorv of the records was taken IN
several bureaus to-day, but nothing
further was missing.
Secretary Daniels has shrouded me
theft of the two sets of plans and the
investigation with mystery by his att-
tude Of silence. Beyond tn fact that
the plans have disappeared he VIII III
vulge no information. other ofhclals
are equally ret: .ent. There is dispo-
sition on the part of officials to mini
mize the importance of the THEFT as
indicating the possibility that some
foreign power is after naval secrets OF
this nation. although no explanation or
other theory has been advanced ny
Secretary DaI iels or his subordinateS.
covernmen SIeuths Busy
Secret Service men are working On
the case. and there were rumors To-
day that the arres, OF an employe m
the department was expected soon. out
Secretary Taniels said no one was
under suspicion. He added that the
department had no theories. He de-
clined TO say whether private detec-
tives were aiding the Department or
Justice operatives but there is reason
10 believe they are. In fact, II Is ru-
mored the Department of Justice has
several cl WIS that may lead TO arrests
Passes formerly held by large num-
Der Of employees permitting them 10
enter ertain rooms have been re-
voked and close guard is now kept
on all the Offices and rooms containing
important information and facts which
might be Of use TO a foreign power
The boldness of the two thefts has
served TO put the department on its
guard end to emphasize the compare
tive ease with which il was formerly
possible to loot the records.
The fact developed to-day that the
second set of plans was stolen between
Saturday night. March -, and the fol-
lowing Monday morning This was
about two weeks after the first set was
stolen, and in the opinion of the Navy
Department officials indicates that the
thief took a desperate chance, as II
could be reasonably expected that after
the first theft extra precautions would
he taken and perhaps watch main
tanned. The plans were duplicates of
hose first stolen.
Alarming Only in Aggregate.
officials decline to give the details Of
IN, .ha uif N IN
a comparatively recent date, but it is
known that records and documents
have mysteriously disappeared. They
assert that the missing documents arc
of no particular value. and for that
reason no alarm was occasioned until
the bold theft Of the wiring plans OF
the Pennsylvania was discovered.
The prevailing theory among ma
iority Of the naval officers is that the
wiring plans and proba bly, other rec
ords were taken by some one within
the department having access to the
Offices and record rooms. No locks
have been broken, and from the facts
known II is evident that no difficulty
was experienced in carrying off the
stolen property.
Secretary Daniels said to-day that
he did not contemplate holding court
Of inquiry to fix the responsibility for
the loss of the plans.
Rear Admiral l.utch |. Cone, Chief
Of the Bureau OF Steam Engineering,
was asked to-day II the stolen wiring
plans would betray the secrets involved
i'm the new three-gun turrets on the
Pennsylvania. He said these plans
showed nothing that had not already
been made public The plans consisted
mainly OF details of the electrical APP
paratus used in handling the turrets
and guns and had little to do regarding
the turret proper.