New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-01
Charter of the Hamburg
Regarded as Dangerous
to Neutrality.
SOME THINK VESSEL
WILL NEVER RETURN
Small Subscription, Only $49,.
600, Source of Regr to
R. Wde Ep&Se

/ chhrtering OF the Hamburg American
/ steamship Hamburg by the American
Red Cross for relief work in bcliger-
/ ent ports,
The Hamburg, which is one of the
I kaiser's favcrite cruising vessels, was
offered to the society for the mere cost
OF operating expenses, and although
/ she is still and will remain a German
( steamship she will fly the American
and Red Cross flags.
The determination Of the government
| to permit German steamship to fly
| the American flag and enter the ports
/ OF France and England is attended, it
Is said, with considerable risk to the
/ harmony which now exists between the
/ United States and the fighting powers.
! A prominent steamship man said yes
/ terday that the sending out Of the
I Hamburg would be nothing less than
counting unforeseen complications.
ut is a noble effort on the part Of
! the American Red Cross to send ever
hospital ship for relief work." he said
"but why accept from one of the bellig-
erent nations one Of its idle ships in
American waters when this govern
mept might send one of its own mer-
/ chAntmen, or, for example, the hos
| pital ship Solace? | believe if the
| Hamburg ever gets into German waters
| she will never come back to this coun-
try, whatever flag she may fly. The
whole enterprise is fraught with a dan
| gerous uncertainty, and this govern
| ment, fear, will sooner or later wish
| that the vessel had never been sent out.
Fraught with Danger.
France and England may have given
assurances that strict neutrality will
! be observed, but how can this be done
! if there are German subjects on board
the Hamburg? The British, French
and Italian steamships have all been
ordered to get rid of aliens in their
respective crews, and surely France
| and England would not permit a vessel
| flying the American or Red Cross flag
to come into her ports if there should
| be on board an operating force of Ger
mans. 1t may be that there will be no
Germans carried, but | doubt if the
! Hamburg Line would allow
the vessel to be operated by any per-
/ sons other than her own crew of en-
gineers.
at is commendablc of the Hamburg
American Line to make this offer but
it is not polite TO accept such tender
from any ship of the belligerent pow
ers."
The Hamburg will leave this port on
Saturday for Europe with l75 doctors
and nurses and an abundance Of medi-
cal and surgical supplies. The vessel,
/ which has been chartered by the so
ciety through Miss Mabel Boardman,
chairman Of the national board. and
| Bernard n. Baker, the veteran steam
ship man, who is vice president, will
make a round trip.
Under the recent act OF Congress
which provides for the naturalization
of any vessel taken over for Red Cross
! purposes, she will be manned entirely
by American officers and crew Rear
Admiral Aaron Ward will command
the expedition, while the officers from
1 the retired list of the navy who will
have charge of the vessel are Captain
Armistead Rust, commander; Comman-
| der J. S. Doddridge, Commander +. II.
! Delaney. Lieutenant Clifford Darst,
| Chief Boatswain B. T. Sullivan, Chief
Boatswain NJ. Woagan and Chief Engi-
neer w. P. Davis.
The Hamburg, which took Colonel
Roosevelt to Naples on his African
| trip, is a twin screw vessel of 1852
tons, and was built at Stettin, Ger
many, in 1900. Before leaving port
the Hamburg will be painted white,
and a red band three feet wide will
! be painted around her hull.
1t was announced by the Hamburg
American Line that if the society
needed it the line might be able to
offer another of its ships now in port
for the same work at the same terms.
$1,000 in Bad Checks.
81 went in this morning to congratI-
late Mr. Morgan on the way his house
| of Morgan, Harjes & Co.. in Paris,
helped stranded Americans" said Rob
crit w. de Forest yesterday. land he
| showed me $1,000 of bad checks the
! firm had cashed in Paris and that vas
| only to-day's mail. This is shameful
Mr.. de Forest, who returned on the
| Olympic on Saturday, is the vice-pre al
dent OF the American Red Cross, and
is naturally much interested in its
preparation for work in Europe. lie
said:
"There seems to be more need for
supplies than for doctors and nurses.
| In England FIVE surgeons are volunteer
ing to one who can go. On the other
hand, the greatest need will be in the
homes. All the male population Of
Europe has gone to war, and will prob
ably be cared for on the battlefield II
wounded But what will the women
and children do?
"Of course the Red Cross is ab5c
lutely neutral. No more will be lone
| for one country than another. How
ever. il seems to me that poor little
| Belgium is the one in worse trouble
than any other just now. | must say
! that the contributions so far are very
| small indeed-only about $4,000. over
S150. 600 was raised when the Titanic
sank and S2,000,000 or 100000 at IRE
time of the San Francisco fire: Why,
S5,00O,O0O would be infniteslmal.
! Following are the American surgeons VINO
will sail ON the Red ross DreytJrS SI IN
| Scwanec, Tenn; Roades Fayerweather. Baiti
more: william $ Magill. New York knheIi
| W. Kinds. Buffalo. Edward h. Egoert
| Washington: Charles II. sanders; NashlhE-
! Ton: cary A. :roddy. Knoxville, Tenn -,:orn
| ~ Raristt chicago Howard W. Beal,
! Worcester. Ma ~. and Bal +. Bradbury Nor
"% The assista, -. TWO being assigned to each
| unit are: Doctors John \. {. Coston and
| NJ. II. Todd. Baltimore; Louis opener
and H. c. Slack. Baltimore Philp NeTI 20,
Eastman. New York and Henry NJ. Shaw.
| baltimore: Brown 3 McClintic. Peru, ana
| Arthur NJ. Zinkhan. shinston, j.
! spearInan. Baltimore. a., Grover a, {.
| Stem. washington; Fred u Benton New
J York and Waicott Denison. 81. Louis Rus
sell A. levitt. Cleveland, and John {. Miller
| Shenandoah. Penn; V: y: Leonard. BAN san
! r II Newman, Knoxville, Tenn. and John
| Lancer. y. Y. t..
! Aboard the Greek steamship loannna'
sailing from New York September :, viii he
! H. Seryian unit. composed Of Dire Edward
! RYAN and Doctors James {. Donovan and
! William p. Ahern all OF New York. Inc
! Crouitrb wife OF the Servian Assistant Sc
| retaTy Of Foreign Affairs. Nine. GrouIiGh
| was Miss Mabel Dunlap, Of Clarksburs' W.
Va. She will assist in placing the unit.