Evening journal., 1916-04-22
U. 5. Can seize MANY
ships IF BREAK COMES
Continued from First Page.


ger boats mOored here. 1t has been said
that we would not have precedent for
taking these over, but we would have
under certain conditions. The status
OF these passenger ships would de-
pend entirely upon their relation TO
The German government and the ques-
tion 20 whether or not they are con-
'ertible into belligerent cruisers. un-
der the German law and administra-
tion arrangements.
"1his question has been covered
nv the decision Of the United
states Supreme Court in the case
Of the Panama. 176 4. 5. 535, In
which our Supreme Court held
that Spanish passenger vessel
which had In IFS hold certain
amount Of armament and which
was designed, In case OF war. 10
be used rs a scout beat or
cruiser, should not be accorded
the 30 days given by our naval
code 10 merchantmen 10 return
home, but was properly captured
at once rs an enemy war vessel
An officer of the North German
Lloyd Steamship Company. comment
ing on this. said that practically every
German passenger boat here. under
the German administration. would be
used as a transport or cruiser i'm war
time n she were available TO the
home government. This means. then,
that Uncle Sam would Immediately
seize all these passenger ships as
well as the converted cruisers intern
cd here. in case war should follow
the breaking of Of diplomatic rela-
tions, il such a rupture occurs after
the receipt OF the kaiser's note here.
III war should not follow the cleav-
ing OF diplomatic relations" Coudert
says, then there is no precedent for
the status the United States would
receive in the peace congress that
will follow the war This is specu-
lative. rather than a legal question,
and since great countries have prac-
tically always come to blows after the
severing of their legal relations, il is
likely that the question will remain
unanswered for some time.
There are 6S German and Austrian
merchant steamers. aggregating 527.-
29S gross tons. laid up in United
states ports. In addition there are in
termed in our waters the cruisers
Prinz Eitel Friedrich and Kronprinz
Wilhelm interned at Norfolk;
gunboat held at Honolulu and the
merchant steamer Odenwald at San
Juan. Porto Rico. Their value is es-
timated by experts at 100000. 600
In the port of New York there are
90 vessels; Boston. s; Baltimore.
3; San Francisco .; Philadelphia.
3; Norfolk. .; Galveston. . Seat
tie, 1; New Orleans. 8; Savannah,
4; Honolulu, s; Hilo. 1 Pensacola.
3; Jacksonville. /; Tampa. 1. Fif-
ten are owned by the North German
Lloyd line and 25 by the Hamburg
American company. The giant Water
land. rated at 54.2S2 tons gross. with
accommodations for 5000 persons. is
the biggest and they range all the
way down TO the Neptune at San
Francisco. weighing 1917 gross tons.
Fifty-four of the 6S merchant ships
are German and the remainder Aus
trian. The full list Of craft over TO-
600 tons, with name of steamer. gross
tonnage and owner. is as follows:
Vaterland. 54,2S2, Hamburg-Ameri-
can; George Washington. $3.50. North
German Lloyd; Amerika. 22622. Ham
burg American: Kronprinzessin Ceci-
lie, 1882. North German Lloyd: Kai-
ser Wilhelm H.. 1851. North German
Lloyd; President Lincoln, 1S.16S, Ham,
burg-American; President Grant. IS
O72. Hamhurg-American; Cincinnati
l6.S39, Hamburg-American; Penn
sylvania. 1888. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Grosser Kurfurst. 12,102. North Ger.
man Lloyd; Bulgaria. IL 1,440. Ham
burg American; Barbarossa. 1O.9S4
North German Lloyd; Princess Irene
10.S95. North German Lloyd; Freder.
ick Der Crosse. 1871. North German
Lloyd; Hamburg, 1881. Hamburg.
American: Rhein. 1o,05S, North Ger.
man Lloyd.