The Washington times., 1915-12-26
GERMAN SPIES GET
ADM|RAL1Y'S CODE
Make Captain Of Ship Drunk
and Take British Cipher
Book.

NEW YORK. Dec. 26.--Thc skipper OF
a British tramp steamship. who allowed
German plotters - get him intoxicated
So that they could steal important
papers from him 4 short time ago, re-
Gently caused !ot of trouble and worry
10 the British admiralty and the consul
general in this port without, however,
any benefit to hose who sought to ham,
per the shipment of supplies to the
allies.
The particular paper that the Germans
wanted was the private cipher code,
containing several thousand words. ar
ranged by experts of the admiralty in
London for the Use of all steamers
carrying high explosives from the United
States or Canada to British ports.
The code dealt With all possible emer-
Eencics which might arise through
steamer being chased by a German sub
marine. catching fire, founderine, going
ashore, on the rocks, or any mishap that
might occur on he high seas.
In this book the captain of the ship
carrying ammunition was instructed
what messages lie was to send out by
wireless when he reached certain spot
on the Atlantic. and II enabled him to
read the reply informing him where the
torpedo boat destroyer would be in watt
ing to convoy his vessel safely into port
Captains Get Code.
The admiralty codes are handed to
the captains of steamers the daN be-
fore they sail from New York with high
explosives consigned to the British gov
crnment. which are loaded in Graves
end bay. and are known among ship
ping men as grape juice" Such care
is taken in giving out the cipher codes
that only British subjects can com
mand steamers carrying ammunition
from this side, because the admiralty
will not trust them in the hands Of any
foreign-born E><pper even If he SHOULD
have been natlrralized several years
ago.
Steamers carry from 1000 to 1900
tons of grape juice" at high rates. and
in some cases where Danish, Norwegian.
or swedish captains have been employed
on British steamers they have been re-
moved and replaced by Britons.
Less Than Year Ago.
The captain who caused all the trou-
BILE. and who is now in Jail in England
under the defense of the realm act"
was in command of big freighter hail
ing from Glasgow that was loading at
one Of the Chelsea piers in the North
river, less than month ago.
His cargo of war munitions. including
cartridges, pruneS, peaches, flour, rub
Der, copper wire. gravediggings ma
chimes, aeropanes, cocoa, coffee, chsst
plasters, soothing syrup. empty shells.
cotton. and tons of barbed wire, was
all on board and after clearing at the
custom house he went to the consulate
to get his papers and also the admiralty
private code, as he was to stop in
Gravesend bay on the way out for $500
tons of the famous grape juice cordite,
gunpowder, lyddite, and other pleasant
things required in Europe at the pres
What happened after the skipper left
tho consulate to go to his ship in the
North river is not definitely known. and
It 10 quite possible. his shipping friends
hero think that his own recollections Of
the events that followed are somewhat
hasy. Tho steamer was all ready to
leave the pier at p. m. and the off,
GERS wore waiting anxiously for the
captain to return from the custom
house and tho consulate with the pa
pers, and the pilot was on the bridge
smoking the last of his cigar. When an
hour slipped by without any signs Of
the skipper or a message to say why
on the pier and telephoaed to the con-
sulate. and was informed that the cap
tain had departed at / o'clock to go to
the ship with all the papers ready to
sail.
Tho steamer remained at her pier all
night and in the meantime the police
department was asked to look out for
tho missing ship master IN case he
might have been run over by an au-
tomobile or been in some other acci-
dent It was Just twenty-four hours
after his calling hour that the captain
was discovered recovering from a
heavy drinking bout in a small Hun
Ear4an restaurant on the upper east
were searched 1t was found that all
his papers had been stolen. including
the cipher code belonging to the ad-
miralty. Tho few dollars he had in
cash and his watch and chain with
Masonic emblem were intact
Meets Old "Cronies."
All the befuddled mariner could gasp
was that after leaving the consulate in
state street. he met three pleasant fell
lows who asserted that they knew him
IN London. Madagascar. and Shanghai.
and other places, and also that they
were intimately acquainted with all his
.eafaring cronies.
They proposed a slight snack" for
luncheon at nearby restaurant,
washed down by n glass OF champagne,
and the tallest of the trio. a fne-look-
ing. fair-haired man. with big. blue
eyes, offered to drive the captain to the
pier in his automobile. which was wait
ing outside cafe. where they had the
hrst two or three drinks.
As to what happened afterward the
captains mind seemed to be a blank
according to what he told the consul
when the latter was questioning him to
get some clue to the secret agents who
had stolen the cipher. Visions of driv-
,nC away in the automobile and stop
ninc At various places to drink wine,
eat food. and smoke strong cigars float
I'd haziy through the brain OF the
daZed mariner.
Directly 1t was ascertained that the
code had fallen into the hands of the
enemy, messages were sent to the ad-
miralty in London by cable. and cap
lains of steamers loading explosives in
GlaNeScnd bay were instructed to re-
main there at anchor until word was
received from London as to what course
waS\to be pursued in regard to using
Tho code. Finally secret instructions
we're received.