New-York tribune., 1915-03-07
GermanLiners at HObOken
Put Under Guard Al
ter Sudden Raid.
MYSTERIOUS ACTS
AROUSE MALONE
Craft Being Secretly Converted
Into Auxiliary Cruisers,
Is Report.

Collector OF the Port Malone yester-
day dispatched twenty customs guards
and INSPECTORS to the piers Of the Ham
burp-American Line and the North Ger
man Lloyd Line, in Hoboken, 70 inves-
tigate the rumor that the German snlps
informed there are being converted into
auxiliary cruisers. Mr.. Malone said that
his men had instructions to searcn tne
vessels from bow to stern and TO ma
out whether any munitions or lmpie,
ments of war had been put aboard
them.
The arrival Of the customs men Gre
ated excitement on the German piers
The Vaterland, Of the Hamburg -Amerl-
can Line, and the George Washington
of the North German Lloyd, the largest
and fastest two of the German ships,
we're examined first by the federal offl-
GERS. Inspectors of the steamship lines
were present, and insisted upon Delng
shown the search warrants, whlcn the
neutrality squad" had procured be-
fore starting on their tasks.
Later in the day squad OF federai
agents, acting under instructions from
the Department of Justice, reinforced
the customs men and examined each
Of the piers Of the German lines. IL Is
understood that federal agents and Gus
toms men will remain aboard the varl-
GUS German ships for some time.
Although there was no statement
given out as to the sources of the in
formation that caused Mr.. Malone TO
order an examination of TIE ships, It
was learned that customs inspectors on
duty at the German piers had reported
On mysterious activities on the German
docks at night. Yesterday noon re-
port reached Collector Malone that tugs
of the German ines were preparing to
tow some of the German ships into the
river preparatory to sailing. He at
once ordered the neutrality squad" to
proceed to Hoboken and make a thor
ough investigation.
At the New York Offices of the two
steamship companies all information
was refused But the dock superin-
tendent Of the North German Lloyd i'll
Hoboken admitted that the ships in his
charge were suspected of preparing to
sail in violation of the neutrality OF
the port.
IL don't know where these silly ru-
more start" he said. There certainly
is no foundation for them as far as our
line is concerned. In the first place,
we haven't got enough men TO man any
of our interned ships, and IN the sec
ond place. we wouldn't risk any of our
boats at the present time, even if there
was a reasonable chance that they
would reach a German port"
At the Hamburg American Line
docks no statement was obtainable. At
o'clock. however, force of hun
dred Italian and scandinavian long
shoremen created a disturbance at the
docks of the company when they were
told that there wouldn't be any work
for them that night According TO re-
ports a large number of 'longshoremen,
unable to understand German, have been
emplovod by the line for several nights,
unloading cargoes from tugs and light
ers 10 the piers of the company. 1t IS
said that these nightly activities were
instrumental in bringing about the
present federal investigation.
Ii is understood that an appeal has
been sent to Washington to have
strict warship guard in the harbor, as
il is feared that the neutrality oil the
port cannot be properly enforced other
wise.
1t could not be learned up to late
hour whether the search or the Gus
toms men and federal agents had sub
stantiated the reports that the shlpS
were being proyisloned, coaled and
provided with munitions and imple-
ments of war.
An insistent rumor about the docks
was to the effect that evidence had
been discovered that the wireless out
fits of several of the boats were not
dismantled but were in working con-
dition. Some time ago the British gov
ernment, through its agents here, com
planned that mysterious messages were
being sent out to the German sea raid
ers by wireless. An inquiry at the
time did not disclose the source OF
these messages, but it is thought now
that they emanated from the intact in
struments of some of the big German
liners in Hoboken.
1t is understood that a similar in
vestigation is on foot at the South
Brooklyn yards of the German com
panies. where several of their large
freighters are interned.