The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-05-14
NAVAL PLANS
ARE STOLEN
Steady Leak Worries Depart
ment Chiefs.
NO CLUE THE TO CULPRIT
Data Regarding Battieships and Doeu-
ments Are Not of Much Importance
and Have No Commercial value.

Data Regarding Battieships ana poeu-
ments Are Not of Much Importance
and Have No Commercial value.
Washington, May 14.-There have
been repeated thefts of plans OF Unit
ed States battleships from the navy
department Offices This disclosure
made here caused a sensation in offi-
cial circles.
The thefts have been going on since
the night of March f., when certain
plans of the newest dreadnought, the
Pennsylvania, were stolen from the
bureau of steam engineering. Since
that date similar plans of other ships
have been missed from the same draft
| ing rooms.
The fact of the thefts had been kept
close secret by navy department Off
cials in the hope that the thief might
be apprehended. Though it is the opin,
ion at the navy department that the
plans were taken by some one en-
ployed in the building, suspicion has
not yet rested on any individual and
| neither has any of the responsible Of
| ficers of tNe department been cen
sured for the loss of the plans.
The plans of the Pennsylvania which
} were taken are described as of little
| value in themselves, and 1t is not
their loss which is causing such par
ticular concern. What alarms Secre-
tary Daniels and his associates in the
navy department is the fact that ap-
parently some one Is able to steal
highly confidential papers from the
department and get away with them
undetected.
About the only real secret connected
with battleship construction nowadays
| is the fire control apparatus, that Is
the electrical devices and arrange
ments by which the firing of the big
guns is controlled from a central sta
| ton. Every nation endeavors to guard
| its fire control devices from every
other. Officers at the navy department
| insist, however, that the stolen p,an>
did not show any of the details of the
fire control apparatus of the PennsyE
vania-
The first theft of plans occurred on
the night of March4 1t. was recalled
that on that evening the navy depart
ment building was crowded with Wis
itors to view the fireworks on the open
parking south of the building. All who
/ entered the building we're supposed to
be known to the Watchman at the door
or ynJlched for by on kssssatn ts
/ the watchman The plans were inconT
| plete, and a draughtsman who had
| been working on them is certain they
| weer on his table at z o'clock in the
evening. The next morning they were
gone.
/ z After March 4 other thefts occurred
among them being the stealing of du
plicates of the Pennsylvania plans
that already had been taken. Plans
pertaining to other ships also have
been taken ~om the same room in the
bureau of steam engineering. These
plans all had to do with details o1
deck arrangements and did not per
tain to the guns or hull construction.
AS the stolen plans have absolutely
no value commercially, department of
fcials have no conclusion left but thai
some one either took them in the hope
of disposing of them to representatives
of foreign government or that some
one deliberately carried out the theft
: at the instance of some similar agency