Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-24
HIST! SPIES SINK
U. S. BOAT-ALMOST
Thrilling Tale Of Awful Out
rage on Destroyer Ericsson
by a Garden Hose.

The mystery Of the daring attempt
TO sink the torpedoboet destroyer Erios-
son at her dock at the New York Ship.
building plant IN Camden last Tuesday
the day after the disastrous nre, believed
OF incendiary origin, on the Oklahoma.
has been solved.
Wednesday morning, as the officials OF
the company we're investigating the cause
and effect Of the great blaze on the giant
warshp being rushed to completion for
the United states Government word was
brought TO them that the Ericsson. which
when delivered will be the pride Of this
country's destroyer feet, was sinking at
her wharf
The officials, worried and agonIzed over
the disaster OF the night before could
not believe that the company's loss,
already large. was to be increased by the
addition Of great damage TO one OF the
two prospective remaining government
vessels In the yard. II must be a fact that
the yard had been singled out as the
object of terrorlzlng attacks by spies, the
ultimate end of which no one could fore
tell, but which there seemed no means
OF preventing.
The evidence OF the last act OF terrorism
was before their eyes. The hold of the
destroyer was filled with water and
the ship had decided list.
An investigation was started imme-
dlately The vessel was examined thor
ouRhly. No leak or no damage to the
hull was discovered. It became neces-
sary at once to find the source OF the
water In the hold. Acting on the theory
that the methods of those believed to be
responsible for similar outrages were of
degree Of subtlety to defy detection.
suspicion Immediately flxed itself on none
other than the most unsuspiclous of
agencies, a common ordinary garden hose,
one end of which was attached to a
faucet in the yard on shore and the other
lost beneath the surface OF the grimy
water.
Tho solution was easier after this
point had been reached although the
subety OF method displayed in the Sc
lection OF the garden hose as the chief
actor In the foul Conspiracy" was evil
dent all along In an increasing degree.
1t had all been arranged by those
"sples" responsible for the dastardly at
tempt to sink the ship that the decks
should be swobbed down as usual on
last Tuesday night Further than that,
every precaution was taken that the
man WHObe particular uuNg II was 10 uO
It every night should also be on the job
last Tuesday.
The agents and spies, not satisfied by
this startling exhibition of Machiavellinn
cunning, took means to assure themselves
that he had a wife and family to whom
after the toll Of day he was more than
anxious to return.
The stage having been set as arranged
for by the Spies" the closing whistle
blew at the accustomed time, the deck
swabber hastened to return to his fam
lily, he dropped the hose, forgot to turn
It off and the foul scheme" went through
when, on Wednesday morning, the hose
having played into the hold all night, the
boat was quite full of water
Thus can garden hose affect the des-
tiny Of kings and countries and the rev.
enues of great corporation, but most of
ALL the tenure of a deck swobber in his
Job.