The Elbert County tribune., 1915-12-31

INC navy department anu SOlu- lney
were purchased by a machinist and
boiler maker and stored in the Erie
basin, where they remained several
years. neglected and uncared for
Soon after the war broke out they
suddenly became the objects of great
activity number of workmeu ap-
peared on the scene, the decks were
| scraled and painted, the engines and
machinery overhauled and the boats
soon took on the racy, businesslike
appearance which had distinguished
them when they were on the active
naval list
Sale Falls Through.
No explanation of this sudden
change could be obtained. so customs
guards were placed in charge of the
boats day and night, with Instructions
to forbid them leaving the pier until
the collector had given permission for
them to do so. The owner then ap-
peared and stated that he was nego-
tiating the sale of the craft and that
they wero to be taken up to the great
lakes. 1t was shown to him that all
that would be necessary to make the
would be to mount a couple of tor
pedo tubes on the decks. which still
contained the ringbolts and the bases
on which the torpedo tubes had tor
iherly been mounted.
Also it was shown to the owner that
as there we're two British cruisers on
guard outside of New York narbor.
the possibilities in case these torpedo
boats should fail into the hands OF
irresponsible parties were too serious
to be lightly disregarded, and that if
the vessels were sold they would not
be permitted to leave the custody OF
the customs authorities until the iden-
tity of the new owner and his pur-
| pose of acquiring craft of this type
we're fully investigated. The negotia
tions for the sale of the boats appar-
emily fell through. for at the present
time they are still in the hands OF
the same owner and are still under
the supervision of the neutrality bu-
reau, day and night.
The great fleet of German and Aus
| trian passenger and merchant yes.
sells (27 of the former and four of
the latter now tied up at the docks
in the New York harbor has been
under the constant surveillance of the
neutrality squad" These vessels are
not interned. They are merely self
detained" and, so far as the United
States is concerned, are quite as free
to come and go as the ships of any
other nation, If they so elect. All thar
the customs authorities demand is
that any cargo taken aboard shall con
form strictly to our neutrality laws
and the vessels clear according to the
proper formalities
Vast Amount of Work.
A trip around the harbor in the
launch Neutrality. which is always
ready to respond at a moments notice
to an emergency call from Mr. Ma
lone or any of his subordinates, gives
some idea of the vast amount of work
and the tremendous responsibility in
volved in keeping the port of New
York neutral
Exorbitant freight rates and the GER
tainty of obtaining cargoes have
drawn ships of ali descriptions from
all sections of the globe to these wa
ters The oldest sailors say they have
never before seen such a large and
nl-assorted feet of tramp ships as
there is now in the harbor Any sort
coined by shippers.
Millions and millions of dollars
worth of war supplies purchased BIZ
the allies are awaiting shipment The
volume of exports now going out of
New York from week to week far ex-
ceeds any previous movement of the
kind from any port in the world in
the history of modern times, The
shipyards of Europe, America and
Asia have been ransacked; craft that
had been assigned to the scrap heap
has been resurrected and put into
commission. Some of these ships
have made more money for their own.
ers on a single voyage than their
actual worth in the market. The
shippers are not particular what sort
of cargo they carry. Dynamite or gun.
powder, automobiles OF mules are
all the same to them so long as they
can get the benefit of the high rates
which this wartime traffic bears.
Passing under the shadows Of the
great German steamships tied up a;
their docks in Hoboken after the mar
ner in which an ice company is forced
to stable its horses in the winter time.
tour of investigation sooa leads to
scenes of unusual activity along the
piers at Weehawken. The huge grain
elevators operated by the We5t Shore
railroad are pouring wheat oy the
hundreds of thousands of bushels into
the steel hulks of vessels a,saming
under the Norwegian and Danish
flags A little further along the
French steamship kangaroo IL loading