The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-12-08
TAKES over Ships
HOOKING SEIZED BY ENGLAND
WITHOUT COURT FORMALITY
PROTESTS TO Be Made

; Ambassador Page IN Lon6oZ-
! Washington Believes British Gov.
! eminent Intends to Take All Veo.
I sells Of American Transatlantic
I Company.
\ Official announcement that the
American steamship Hooking h<d
been requisitioned by the British gov
ernment without the formaIity Of
prize court proceedings reached tho
state department late Thursday In .
dispatch from Consul Young, at Hall
fax, where the ship has been detaiR-
ed since she was seized by British
warship while on the way from New
York to Norfolk.
This procedure will be contested
vigorously by the United States a. Do
ing illegal under international law.
Department officials, who had beca
more or less sceptical regarding nm
official reports Of the intentions Of
Great Britain, expressed frank
amazement when Ehey learned that
the Hooking actually had beea ro-
Questioned.
The United States, It was aai6,
would demand that the ship be re-
! tanned in prize court, on the charge
that sie is partly German-owned and
that the prize court act promptly In
the case.
Confirmation Of unofficial reports
regarding the action In tho Hooking
case led officials in Washington 70
believe that Great Britain intends 10
take over for its own use other yes-
sells Of the fleet owned by the Ameri-
can Transatlantic company, II 1t has
! not done so already.
The company has informed the
state department that its ship Gene
see, at st. Lucia, West Indies, has
been reQuisitioned, and that the Kan
kakee, now at sea, bound for Port
Stanley, Falkland Islands, In charge
Of q prize crew from the British
cruiser Macedonian, will be requisi-
toned on hei arrival at port. Repro
sentations regarding the Hooking
probably will include also the cases
Of the Genesee and the Kankakee.
Attorneys acting for Great Britain
base their motions for orders for re-
QUESTION upon British order IN
council, issued April 20, which the
United States Is not prepared to ac-
cept as in accordance with i1terpa-
tiona1 law.
The state department is awaiting
a report from Ambassador Page, at
London, who, after the department
had received unofficial intimation of
the intention CT the British govern
ment, was instructed to inquire Int
the matter and to enter vigorous
protest II he found that requisitton
was contemplated. No Information
had been received from Ambassador
Page Thursday night.
Consul General Young's dispatch
said that when the order allowing re-
QUESTION was granted by the prize
court In Halifax it was stipulated
that the Crown should give an un-
dertaking for the appraised value OF
the ship. The Crown, under this Az
rangement, agrees to pay the amount
Of the appraisement into the Court
should final adjudication in the case
be against the British government.
The report contained no degails re-
garding the appraisement. Dispatches
received by Counsellor Polk, Of tho
state department, from attorneys for
the American Transatlantic company,
however, stated that in the case OF
the Genesee the undertaking had
been fIed at two hundred and TWEEN
ty-f1ve thousand dollars.
Officials OF the state department
already are arranging the legal argu-
ments which may be used In the case.
They haYe found that during the
civil war certain neutral ships were
seized and requisitioned by the Unit
ed States before prize court adjudt-
cations. Most Of the ships, however.
are said to have been blockade run
ners.
The department also was informed
that the American Transatlantic COM
pany had nearly completed its collee-
ton Of affidavits from the holders OF
stock in the corporation, which viii.
it is claimed, prove that the company
Is owned wholly by American citiseAs.
All but two Of the affidavits, 1t wao
said, had been collected.
The Hooking was requisitioned un-
der authority of a rule Of prize court
procedure, provided for by the order
in council, reading as follows:
where It Is made to appear to the
Judge on the application OF the prop
er officer Of the Crown that It 10 de-
sired to requisitio1 on behalf OF his
Majesty a ship in respect OF which no
final decree Of condemnation has been
made, he shall order that the ship
shall be appraised, and that upon an
undertaking being given the
ship shall be released and delivered
to the Crown
The American Transatlantic eon-
pany is a Delaware corporation,
which was formed recently by Rich
ard Wagner, of New York, and $3.50
ciates. It purchased ten ships, near
ly all of which before the war were
flying the flags Of foreign countries
now neutral.
The status of the vessels was ques-
toned by Great Britain and for Q
time applications made to the depart
ment Of commerce for their transfer
to American registry were held up
pending investigation OF statements
that their ownership was largely Ger
man. The state department ruled,
however, that the vessels were en-
titled to American registry on Q
prima facie showing that they were
owned by an American corporation
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