Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-03-03
GOING BEFORE
FRENCH COURT
Validity Of 6aCia's Transfer Of
Registry to Be Tested
SEIZED WITH COTTON CARGO

Former German Ship Bought by
American Taken by French Cruiser
to Brest-Started For Germany De-
spite Warning From Great Britain
That She Would Be Held Up
The steamship Dacia. which was
transferred from German to American
registry. has been seized in the Eng
lish channel by a French cruiser, and
Is under arrest in the harbor at Brest.
The announcement that she had
been taken to Brest was made by the
French department of marine, and
confined itself to that one statement,
not even the name OF the cruiser
which took her being made public.
That the Dacia would be seized by
the allies was known and the seizure
caused no surprise when it was
learned in Washington. The warn
Ing that the Dacia would not be per-
mitted to steam to Rotterdam with
her cargo of IL 600 bales of cotton, to
be transhipped to Bremen, came from
Great Britain, but it was generally
understood that the Dacia would be
stopped by a French war vessel and
taken before a French prize court.
nized the right OF neutrals in certain
circumstances to buy ships from bel
Iigerents during a war, but France
has chung to the position that all such
sales during the war are invalid and
that the registry OF vessel OF bel
l1gerent cannot be changed to that OF
neutral country.
Had Great Britain seized the vessel
she would have been under the diff
Guilty of having her own prize court
decisions quoted against her. France
is therefore in a better position to
push the attack on the validity of the
transfer of the Dacia from the Ger
man to the American flag after the
war began.
The Dacia was bought from the
Hamburg American line by E. N.
Brietung, who is said to have fur
made in good faith and that her Ger
man owners had retained no interest
in her; that there had been no agree
ment for her re-tranSfer at the enc
Of the war, and that they had nc
share in the profit which might result
from her operation.
When British opposition arose tt
her to &C to Bremen, the Dacia wa;
ordered to land her cargo at the neu
trail port of Rotterdam. The British
also stated that while they were will
ing the cargo should be delivered, the
vessel must be considered contra
band.
The cargo of cotton which the Da
cia carries is insured by the fedora
war risk insurance bureau. It is be
lieved the French government viii
! reimburse the owners Of the cargo.
Breitung paid $l65, 600 for the Da
cia. He is said to have received prac
tically this amount for the transporta
ton of the cotton she carried aboard
If the French government reimburse
the owners of the cotton there vii
be no loss on any side, except the los
of the cotton to the German consign
ees. The value of the Dacias carg
is said to be $500 900.
No protest from this government i
likely until after the French pr1z
court has passed on the status Of tn
Dacia. On the French decision hang
important American interests.
If the legality of the transfer of tn
: Dacia from German to American regis
try is sustained in the French priz
court, it will open the way for tn
purchase of other. vessels now unde
the flag of the belligerent countries.
"REvOLUTI0N JUST BEGUN"