Omaha daily bee., 1916-07-12
ENTENTE MAKES
FORMAL PROTEST
AGAINST SUBSEA
British and French Ambassa.
dors Claim the Deutsch-
land Is Potentially
A Warship.
RIGHT OF SEARCH ISSUE
Diplomats Hold Submarines
Must Be Regarded as Enc.
mics and Sunk on Sight.
NAVAL OFFICERS INSPECT

Washington, July lion the
strength OF advice from navy experts
who inspected the Deutschland at
Baltimore today, the Treasury de-
partment informed the State depart
ment that the German merchant sub
marine was an unarmed freight car
rier which could not be converted for
offensive use without extensive
structural changes"
The Treasury department acted
after receiving the following telegram
from Collector Ryan at Baltimore:
I'm company with Captain Hughes,
I have made thorough inspection of
the Deutschland. All spaces except
those occupied by cargo and oils were
visited. There is no evidence that
this ship is armed or can be armed
without extensive structural changes.
| reaffirm my statement Of yesterday
that this ship is a merchant vessel.
A complete and detailed report will
be mailed tonight"
The statement will make no an
nouncement regarding the status OF
the submarine before tomorrow.
Subsea on Way to Brasil.
London, July l0.-A report that
the sister ship to the German sub
marine Deutschland will arrive 1t Rio
Janeiro in ten days Is contained in a
dispatch from the Brazilian city from
correspondent Of the Exchange
Telegraph company.
According TO the version OF the
Vossische Zeitungs statement re-
garding the departure Of second
German commercial submarine from
q German harbor, given by the Ex-
change Telegraph company, the
newspaper stated that the submarine
IN question, the Bremen, left Kiel for
America more than a month ago and
has not been heard from since.
Washington, July ll.-Representa-
tions have been made to the State de-
partinent by the British and French
embassies, setting up the claim that
the German merchant submarine,
Deutschland, is potentially = warship,
even though designed AM used as 4
merchanttnan.
The department will take the en-
bassies views under consideration in
connection with the report Of Captain
Hughes, the American naval expert,
who is making physical examination
Of the big submarine in search Of any
warlike equipment.
Before the arrival Of the Deutseh-
land, acting upon the basis OF reports
in the press that a submarine was due
at an American port, Colville Bar
clay, the British counsellor and
charge daffaires in the temporary alb
sence of Sir Spring Rice, communica-
ted to Secretary Lansing the position
Of his government regarding the use
of any underwater craft in CONNER
cial service. NJ. Jusserand, the
French ambassador, also has been in
communication with the department.
All Submarines Warships.
From the allies point OF view, any
submarine is essentially a warship.
The United States. Great Britain and
France agree on the doctrine that it is
illegal change the character of a
merchant ship into a cruiser or priva-
teer on the high seas, but the Ger
man government always has insisted
upon that right. Consequently, it is
argued, it would be no violation Of
the German Interpretation of interna-
tional law for the Deutschland to take
aboard armament outside Of the three.