New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-06
Passengers on Rotterdam
Think Spies Rifled Their
Belongings.
PAPERS. PASSPORT
AND PICTURES LOST
| ,435 Bags of Mail Removed at
acknowledgements Secre-
tary Here on Leave.

The mysterious disappearance OF pa
pers. photographs and a passport be-
longing 10 passenger. on the Holland
America liner Rotterdam. which arrived
Yesterday from Rotterdam. led 70 the
conviction that British spies were AZ
work on the ship on its voyage. lrav-
eiers who have made frequent trans
atlantic trips on business declared II
was regular practice for members OF
the British Secret Service 20 travel
first class or ships ~ The line 70 in
.pect passengers.
+. T. Toote. who returned from a
business trip 20 England for Carson.
Prize. Scott & Co., Of Chicago. told how
his passport. several business letters
and a shipboard photograph taken on
previous trip were stolen from his
dinner coat He had left II In his
berth one evening. he said. and when
he returned from q walk on deck the
papers were gone. They were not re-
covered.
Loses German Food Story.
Another Victim was Miss Caroline
Wilson. q correspondent for THE Chi
cago Tribune" who attended the Ford
peace expedition until its dissolution
and later went 20 Berlin. She said .
story she had written on the food stu
alton in Germany had been stolen from
her statcroom with other papers.
officers of the Rotterdam refused 20
discuss the presence Of spies on board,
but il was said that before leaving Rot
terdam Captain J. Baron gave orders
that all letters. documents or photo
graphs found outside Of the staterooms
should be thrown overheard. This was
to prevent rousing the suspicious OF
British boarding officers at Falmouth
who held the Rotterdam four days on
her last eastward trip while they
searched for lgnstius T. T. Lincoln, the
alleged German spy.
A heavy blizzard struck the Rotter-
dam Saturday. IN, wind reached We
locity Of ninety-fve miles an hour. and
a binding snow isde il impossible 10
see the length Of the ship. For several
hours the liner had 20 steam at great
~ reduced speed, but no damage was
done.
British authorities az Falmouth re
moved all Of the Rotterdam's mail,
| ABS bags in all, and held u for ex-
animation. The ship WAS held there
for two days
Albert B. Ruddock. secretary 10 Am
bassador Gerard in Berlin, returned on
the Rotterdam with his wife. He said
he was on his first vacation IN four
wears and had no official business. Mr..
Ruddock evaded a discussion OF the
temper Of the Germans toward the
United States. adding that so far as he
knew Ambassador Gerard had no in
tention of coming 20 the United otatee
TO campaign for President Wilson's re
election.
Denies Official Business.
Il was believed that the appendices
Of Germany's recent submarine decla-
ration would come on the ROTTERDAM
en- route TO the State Department. Mr..
Ruddock denied all official business,
however. and officers of the ship did
not know whether the expected com
were In the mails held at
Falmouth.
England finds President wilson's at
titude "incomprehensible,' according to
the Rev G.. Y. Nottingham. Of Lon
don, who came TO conduct Lenten ser
vices at St. Paul's American Catholic
Church in Brooklyn. but the English
believe that their American cousins are
behind them AT heart.
"The only way 20 end the war is by
killing Germans" he said. 81 am not
in sympathy with the Archbishop OF
who leads the movement
against reprisals. We are irritated az
our government for its delays IN get
ting retribution against the Germans,
but we are not in the least intimidsted
by Zeppelin raids.
Henry James, jr., nephew OF the
famous English author who died last
week. was on the Rotterdam. He had
lust been visiting his uncle In London,
and had not heard OF his death. Mr.
James was greatly shocked at the
news.
Among the other passengers were
Mrs. Whitelaw Reid, who returned
from a visit to her daughter in Lon
don. Lady Evelyn Ward; Alexander
smith Cochran, br. c. A. McWilliams,
Lady Harrington, Mrs. Marcus DAILY,
MIR. and Mrs. John Gait and Clifford
Faln affza