The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-08
Capital Is Silent
 Pending Report of
 Page On Lusitania

Washington, Feb. S-The report from Ambassador Page at London on the hoisting of the American flag on the Cunarder Lusitania while cross ing the Irish Sea was expected here today and pending it's arrival there were no official statements of how the American government regarded the incident. It was also expected in official quarters that the British ad- nairalty statement on the incident might come to the state department later in the form of an official com munication.
 No Developments yet
 While the incident was discussed with interest in official and diplomatic quarters. there was no indication of what development it might take.
 Naval officers recalled that the navy regulations permit a warship to fly another flag than it's own but specific ally provide it must be hauled down and the ships own flag must be hoist ed before 3. shot is fired. There are many incidents in naval history where that Has been, the Iatese being the German sea rover Emden, which hoisted the Japanese flag just before making a, daring raid at Penang.
 Experts in naval procedure recall ed no case, however, where a, mer- chant man was involved.
 JuSGfy use O1 F1a2s
 It was recalled in naval circles here today that when Captain Glass, com manding the cruiser Charleston. on his way to the Philippines with a. con voy of troops, stopped and captured Guam, he ordered the Japanese flag to be flown on his flagship and those of his fotilla- He signalled this mess age to the steamers Australia, Picking and Sydney, merchant ships under nd in use as troopships: Passing signal station at Guam, Charleston will hoist Japanese co1ors, other vessels same or none.'
 The deception was aided by the fact that the Charleston was sin1il ar in appearance to the Japanese cruiser Naniwa-
 All the authorities Oh international law and the manual in use at the naval war college justify the use of other flags on warships.
 Senator Stone said it would be pos sibIe for Congress to adopt resolu- ton protesting against the incident but he thought it a matter to be handled entirely by the executive branch of the government.
 Cite Confederate Precedent.
 An example of the use of neutral flags is recalled, which is a classic in history.
 It was that of the Confederate sloop-of-war Onside, which approach ed Mobile harbor in 1862 under a British ensign. Captain Treble in command of the federal blockading fleet caused a blank shot to sbe fired across the Oneida's bow but not in time to prevent the Confederate yes se1 from running the blockade and enterinfg Mobile harbor where she found shelter under the shore bat teries.
 Captain Preb1e was dismissed from the naval service on the ground that he had not adopted sufficiently vigor- ous measures to stop the Oneida but he was afterwards restored to the navy by action of the captain of the Oneida. who in disregard of his own personal safety and without waiting for safe conduct from the federal commanders, passed through the Union line and came to President Lincoln at the White House to testify that Captain Preble had discharged his full duty under international law, especially in view of a tender state of relations between the United States and Great Britain.