The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-11-10
SEXES u. S. ship
BRITISH CRUISER CAPTURES
BOAT LEAVING NEW YORK
WAS GOING TO NORFOLK
Steamship Hooking Taken off Allan
tic Coast and Sent to Halifax I'm
der Prize Crew-Proceedings Start
Against Her-Owner Protests to
United States Government.
United States Government.

ol<1GSS Wv
Seizure of the American steamship
Hooking by British cruiser off the
Atlantic coast has brought to issue
question on which the positions OF
the United States government and the
Entente Allies are so far apart that
some officials here believe arbitra
ton ultimately will have to be re-
sorted to for settlement.
Secretary Lansing cabled Ambas-
sad~r Page at London Tuesday to Sc
cure from the British government an
explanation of the facts connected
with the seizure of the Hooking and
the reason therefor. When this in
formation is forthcoming the state
department probably will protest i'm
mediately and demand the surrender
tof the ship.
It is fully expected that, following
it's usual course, the British foreign
office will claim the privilege Of
sending the Hooking to prize court
and as the United States government,
where no question of human life was
concerned, usually has consented to
await the issue of the regular legal
proceedings, it is likely that no OBJ
lection will be made to this proceed
ure, though all rights will be reserv-
ed. -l
Halifax, n. S., reports: Papers in
the cases of the American steamer
Hooking and the Dutch steamer
Hamborn, which were brought into
this port by British naval prize crews.
were prepared Tuesday to be filed
with Sheriff Hall It is expected that
the sheriff will board the ships and
serve the captains.
A military guard has been placed
on the Hooking and only the captain
is allowed ashore. The shippers of
the Hooking and Hamborn came
ashore to consult with their agents
and consuls. No military guard has
been placed on the Hanlborn.
Declarations Of the arrest were
nailed to the mainmasts of the Ameri-
can steamer Hooking and the Dutch
steamer Hamborn, brought Sunday
by British prize crews. The steamers
are held for condemnation, the legal
question in each case being that OF
ownership. The declarations stated
that the owners Of the steamers have
time limit of eight days in which to
put in their defense.
A protest against the seizure OF
the American steamer Hooking by a
British man-of-war, which carried
her, with a prize crew aboard, into
Halifax, was lodged Monday with
Secretary of State Lansing at Wash
ington by Richard G. Wagner, presi-
dent of the American Transatlantic
Steamship Company, the Hooking s
owners:
Just advised that our steamship
Hooking, while en- route in ballast to
Norfolk, Va, to load coal for the Ar.
t gentine, under charter to William r
Grace and Co., was captured by q
British cruiser and is now in Hall.
fax" reads Mr.. Wagner's telegram to
Secretary Lansing. 1--WE know of nc
cause for this seizure and ask that
you file protest and request the al
legged reason for seizure"
Earlier in the day Mr.. Wagner re-
ceived telegram from Capt. Fabre,
of the Hooking, advising him Of the
seizure and stating that he had con-
suited the American consul at Hall
fax. Mr.. Wagner replied, requesting
the captain to telegraph the exact
time and place and the reason for
the seizure.
In an announcement Mr.. Wagner
asserted that the officers and share
holders Of the American Transatlan-
tic Steamship company were all ma
tive Americans.
"The Hooking was bought last
June by the company of which am
PRESIDENT" Mr.. Wagner said, from
Albert Jensen, a coal merchant, OF
Copenhagen. Mr.. Jensen had bought
the vessel in March. 1915, from W.
Ryus and Son, of Rotterdam, who in
turn had bought the steamer from
the British company, by which she
was built in England. I know that
the ship was never owned by Ger
man firm or German shareholders.
1--WE had considerable difficulty in
obtaining American registry, due to
the belief that the vessel was largely
owned by foreigners. At the time
Mr.. Jensen sold her. to me he said he
would be willing to retain an interest
in the vessel, and to this agreed.
>"When I found that it would be
hard to obtain registry I eliminated
the Danish interest in the vessel by
having my company purchase her
outright. E..T. Chamberlain, United
States commissioner Of navigation,
was suspicious Of me apparently
when i applied last May for Ameri-
can registry because my name is Ger
man. The application was turned
down by Mr.. Chamberlain because he
said he feared there was German
interest in this company.
"I then went to Secretary of Com
merce Redfeld, Mr.. Chamberlain S
superior. He upheld Mr.. Chamber
lain. Finally Secretary Lansing, to
whom next applied, notified the de-
partment Of commerce, after a long
investigation, that there was no rea-
son why registry could not be grant
ed
Mr.. Wagner said he had heard
that Jensen, from whom he bought
the Hooking, had been imprisoned in
Denmark for violating. Danish neu-
trality.
| The American Transatlantic
Stea mchin comnany ie centralized at