Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-28
Total OF VESSELS
| SEIZED BY ALLIES
Five Hundred and Fifty-One
Detained Since the Euro
pean War Began.
| 10 NEUTRAL STEAMERS
BEFORE PRIZE COURTS
Five Reported as of American Reg
istry-Germany's Captures Ag-
gregate 265 Ships
Of the Associated Press

/ Correspondence Of the Associated Press
! LONDON. April l.. Only thirteen neu-
trial ships actually have been captured
and thrown into prize court by Great
Britain and France, according to the best
! obtainable figures. showing the naval
activities Of the allies since the begin
ming of the war.
| Five OF these steamers We're OF Amert-
can registry. the Dacia, Maracas, Loren
20. Hanametal and Rio Pasig. The Han
ametal was taken into Hongkong and re-
| leased by the court. It carried no cargo
The Lorenzo. with It's cargo, was con-
demned at St Lucia, where it was taken
when captured early In September The
Rio Pasig still Is held at Hongkong pend
| ing trial The Maracas is at Hull await
| ing action OF the prize court and the
Dacia is awaiting the action of the
French prize court, the vessel having been
| taken by the French.
Five hundred and fifty-one steamers
in all have been detained by the allies
and parts of their cargoeS removed
There are no records available which show
oetentlons where part of the cargo was
not held for the prize court British
steamers figure prominently in the list of
detained ships, probably half Of the num-
Der being OF British registry.
American Cargoes Held.
The Wilhelm, whose cargo of food
stuffs consigned to Germany was
bought by the British government; the
Navajo, the Joseph w Fordney, the
Platuris. the Kroonland and Cacioue.
the Antilla and the George Hawley are
the American ships which show in the
lst OF vessels whose cargoes were de-
tanned either partly or entirely.
swedish. Danish, Norwegian and
Dutch ships figure largely in the list
OF vessels which have been stopped at
hlrkWall, or some other English port,
and relieved of part of their cargoes.
Because of the limited number of
European trade, most of the consign-
ments of American goods which Eng
land has seized were taken from for
eign bottoms, chiefly from Scandinavian
ships.
Since the organization Of the Neither
lands overseas trust, vouched for by
the Dutch government, which gives
bond for all shipments sent to 1t, guar
anteefng they will not reach the Ger
mans, American goods have moved into
Holland with some freedom If the ship
pers consigned them to the trust No
such organizations exist as yet in Den
mark, Norway and Sweden, however.
and shipments Of foodstuffs from the
United States to consignees in those
countries are subject to long delays at
best
AT the present time American pack
ing houses have important shipments
of food products on eleven Danish,
Swedish and Norwegian ships in Eng
in the Orkney Islands to Deal in the
English channel. Hull. Leith, Dundee,
Liverpool. Falmouth. Plymouth, New
castle. London and scores of minor
English ports are sheltering steamers
whose cargoes are under suspicion
When in doubt the admiralty holds the
Ships and it Is practically impossible
for vessels to enter the North sea either
by way of the English channel or
north OF Scotland without capture.
Garry o. S. Products.
Bjornstjerne, Bjornson and Kim and
which carried cargoes of American
products. are among the neutral ships
now in prize court All these ships
have been held since November
In defense of the slowness with which
cases have been granted a hearing
prize court officials point to the i'm
mense amount of business thrust upon
them. At the opening of the war there
were seventy-one German steamers and
schooners in ports of the United King
dom alone. Forty-eight more We're de
tanned in British oversee ports. Since
the beginning Of the war twenty-six
German ships have been seized upon
entering British ports, chiefly in South
Africa and Australia. Eighteen more
German ships were detained in Egypt
ian ports.
Nineteen German ships were taken by
the English in German colonial ports
and seventy-tWo others captured In va
rious parts of the world by the Eng
lish navy. This makes a grand total
of 254 German ships taken by the Brit
ish. In addition seven German ships
have been sunk by the British.
Detention by France.
France detained ninety-three German
ships at the outbreak Of the war and
Belgium detained eighty-nine. -Four
German ships have been sunk by allies
other than England aud nineteen cap
tured. Consequently the entire number
of German ships the allies claim TO
have detained, captured or sunk Is ass.
Sixty-four Austrian ships and thirteen
Turkish ships also have been detained
or captured by Britain and her allies.
This makes a grand total of 54s ships
belonging to Germany and her allies
which England and her allies have de-
tanned sunk or captured.
Against this score Germany and her
allies are credited with disposing of
265 ships of England, France. Belgium
and Russia At the opening of the war
eighty English ships were detained in
German ports. Fifty British vessels
have been sunk by German ships other
than submarines. and up till March 20
German submarines had sunk twenty
nine British vessels.