The Washington times., 1915-05-13
EXPLOSIVES SOUGHT
ON GERMAN LINERS
Customs Inspectors Board All
Interned Ships on Orders
From Washington.

NEW YORK. May 13.-Acting upon an
emergency order received from the
Treasury Department at Washington
seventy customs inspectors and four
acting deputy surveyors were sent to
Hoboken yesterday in the United states
revenue cutters Hudson and Guide to
search the German steamships for high
explosives said TO be secreted on board
Before the expedition started the act
ing deputy surveyors were summoned
to the Custom House by Collector Dud-
ley Field Malone. who gave them In
structions to search the German and
Austrian steamships in Hoboken and
South Brooklyn Thoroughly from bridge
to keel. Acting Deputy Surveyor Ed
ward Norwood was placed in command
OF the expedition on account of his ex-
perience in searching ships for opium.
One cutter landed with ffy men at
Pier of the Hamburg-AmeriCan line
and started the search on the Naterland.
while the other cutter proceeded to Pier
T. OF the North German Lloyd and
boarded the George Washington.
Surveyors Halted At Pier.
At both piers the acting deputy sur
veyors. with their squads of inspectors,
were halted by officials Of the German
lines and asked by what authority they
were boarding the ships. The customs
officials produced permits issued TO the
collector of the port by the German
consul general. and they were allowed
vas examined, Including the lockers in
the foe sle, where the crew kept their
oilskins and sea boots.
In three hours the Hamburg American
nsrs ter Robais ppGsdep r,n1 LnfSn
Friedrich, and Prinz Joachim had been
inspected and the North German Lloyd
liners George Washington. Kaiser VIII
helm II. Friedrich der Crosse. Groesser
kurfuerst. Princess Irene. and Bar
baross without anding anything Of a
suspicious character. 1t was said
One OF the Hamburg American Line
officials at the pier said that the customs
men were searching the ships for OBJ
| scene photographs and cocaine Later
he admitted that they were looking Tor
explosives, and the theory was that the
Snw %shs ~ ther EFns ships
the piers in the event OF the United states
going 10 war with Germany.
Inspector Mueller. OF the North Ger
man Lloyd Company. hid from the re.
porters and sent out word to say he
was not at home. His assistants denied
| that their ship was being searched. al
/ though the customs inspectors were or
| board the George Washington at th<
time. No reporters were allowed to &C
| on the piers.
Search In Brooklyn Next.
The search Is not completed at Hobo
ken and will be continued today before
the emergency neutrality squad start:
| work at South Brooklyn, where there
are fourteen German and four Austrian
! steamships laid up. These are the
hamburg American steamships Presi
dent Grant. Hamburg. Konig Wilhelm
II. Armenia. Pisa. Allemania, Harborg
Nassovia. and Prinz August Wilhelm
the North German Lloyd liner koln
and the freighters Adamsturm. Por
tonia, Maia, and Clara Nennig. Thu
! Austrian steamships include the Marths
| Washington, Himalaia, Anna. and Dora
| of the eAustro-Americano line. II Is eX
| pected that the search will not be com
pletod before Saturday evening.
| Acting Deputy Surveyor Norwood re
| turned to the barge office with his mer
at o'clock. wet through with the rain
and declined to give any information t
the reporters regarding his expedition
! or the results.