Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-14
NAVY IS PROBING
Theft THAT COST
u. S. S3O,OOO,OOll
Secretary Daniels Believes
DreadnOught Plans We're
Stolen by an Insider.
FIRE CONTROL SECRETS
MAKE LOSS MOMENT0US
Would Enable Enemy to Render
Ship inefficient in Naval
Encounter.

WASHINGTON. May 14.-Despite
the best efforts of force of picked
secret service operatives. not a single
clue had been found today to the
identity Of the thief who stole the
plans Of the new battleship Pennsyl-
yania from the navy department. The
government officers are far more
troubled than they care TO admit.
Because of the nature of the thefts
it is believed that they are the work
Of an insider. The result is an un-
comfortable feeling Of mutual sus-
picion among the persons within the
department who might have access
TO the plans.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels has
ordered that the thief is to be run
down at all cost. No trouble or ex-
pense is to be spared The fact that
the innermost secrets of the navy
may be at the mercy of traitor has
worried the officials as they have not
been worried in many years.
Detectives are at work inside and
outside Of the great building. and
there was a widespread belief today
that the thief or thieves must event.
ually be caught
No Suspicion of Japan.
Officers of the department insisted
today that the suggestion that there
was any connection between the
thefts and the Japanese situation
growing out of the California land
legislation was unfounded. They
pointed to the fact that the initial
theft took place on March 4, the day
that the present administration took
over the government, as disproving
this theory.
At that time. they say. there was
not the slightest thought Of trouble
with Japan and no special reason
why Japanese agents should want
plans OF an American battIeship.
The theory most popular with the
detectives who are working on tho
4 case is that the plans were stolen bg
I some one who believed he might be
able 10 sell them later.
Reasoning along these lines the
secret service operatives who are
working to solve the mystery assert
| that the thief probably still has the
plans and that they will be able to
recover them. They are watchinz
certain persons in this and other
cities who have a reputation for
trafficking in military and naval
plans. and there is a possibility that
this espionage will bring results.
Notwithstanding the efforts in the
navy department TO minimize the i'm
i portance of the theft of the plans. II
became known today that the de-
partment is deeply concerned. The
statement given out yesterday that
none Of the navy secrets were in
volved understated the gravity of the
theft. 1t is understood now that the
plans were of the battle fire control
to be installed on the warship. Ths
entire set of plans. including dupn-
Gates. has been purloined
Fatal to Ships Efficiency.
Those who have visited the United
States battleships have been espe-
! cially interested in the tall skeleton
masts erected fore and aft. These
are the fire control masts. From
their tops an officer signals to the
batteries how to direct the fire. Tbs
placing of the connections of the fire
control system would be an important
bit of information for an enemy. By
its means a marksman could deliver
shot that would be fatal TO the eff.
ficiency of the ship in battle
The thought of what the THE
might have stolen has caused mucf
more alarm than the knowledge o.
what he has succeeded in taking.
The first plans stolen were SONS
] parfaipinp m fl7a baftfpShiD Pen0SVl.
vania. the monster dreadnought, th'
contract for the construction of which
was signed just two weeks before th'
Continued on Page 2. Column 81