The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-07-10
Naval Officer Remains Aboard
vondeIInto offinu and launch "
Escorts Her Out
LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE s. {.
H.. DISPLAYING ACTIVITY
Hints Of Teuton Conspiracy Are
! Openly Made Though clark aia
Says'No Local Significance

Associated Press announcement From
washington that a country wide Ger.
man system Of treason and espionage
was being methodieally uncovered Ia
true to the point that it excerpts not
even Hawaii. "'.
Federal officials in Honolulu have
been in active communication r;th
washington since Saturday at least and
under circumstances that indicate the
country Is on the eve Of disclosures
IN which Hawaii will play n part.
Trhe government screws are being nut
on the port Of Honolulu and other ne.
tiyities within the city have taken
place within the past two days con.
eerning which there has not been n
single announcement from any official.
The Dutch liner Vondel steamed from
port yesterday under strict naval sur.
veillance, and the announcement In
made that other deep water craft may
hereafter expect similar procedure.
Vessel Is Escorted Out .'l.s.s
Federal officials held conferences yes.
terday, presumably in connection with
information received. Confidential nd.
vices were received from Washington
in connection with matters the nature
of which has not been announced, but
following which increased activity
among the various police forces of the
city and the federal government was
evident. g.. ~ . ~.
The first evidence of this activity
came yesterday morning when the
vondel left at half.past seven o'clock
for Yokohama. Before her departure
from Pier o, .Boatswain ]. H. Melon
aid, U. =. N, captain of the yard nc
Honolulu, went aboard the vessel and
remained there while she steamed out
of the harbOr. She was followed for
the entire distance, and for some way
into the offing, by naval launch which
stayed Immediately off her stern.
Boatswain Mcdonald left the vessel
when she was some way of shore.
.lf'I was acting on direct orders from
the dornmapdant of this naval district
and cannot say anything MORE, Nc.
Donald announced when questioned. 4,
Surveillance To Be Closer
Yesterday afternoon, Captain George
r. Clark, U. s. N, the commandant, in
carefully guarded statement, init
mated that the port hereafter would
be put under closer surveillance than
before. .'
"This is the first time this has been
DONE" admitted Captain Clark, in dis.
cussing the Vondel incident, "but il is
only in connection with what you might
say is tightening of observation. II
is necessary that we be intimately in
touch with the things that 90 on aboard
the deep sea craft, neutral and other.
wise, and this procedure will be con-
tinued in regard to deep sea craft in
the future"
Had this observation of the Vondel
anything to do with the cable from
San Francisco Saturday that a former
consul at Honolulu had been indicted
in connection with alleged Indian
plOtsH' he was asked.
Ono, it had not"
1t was not suspected that this in
dividual was trying to leave on the
VOndelG"
''NO. The scrutiny of the Vondel
had nothing to do with the San Fran
cisco incident"
ut has been stated that the officials
have uncovered local plot which re-
quired observance of the Vondel. Is
that true3" ...
Ono, there is no local plot invOly-
ed, Captain Clark replied, with some
thing of an accent on the word "loeal".
at has become necessary to increase
the observation on vessels coming from
and leaving for other ports" he con.
tinued. "This, will apply only to deep
sea vessels, naturally. / cannot say any
thing more than that, except that this
scrutiny will undoubtedly continue"
Franklin Called to Confer
Malcolm A. Franklin, collector of the
port, yesterday afternoon received a
telephone message from the Pearl Har.
Dor naval station and left Immediately
for conference with the naval officials.
He denied later that he had any know.
ledge of the Vohdel from the naval Of.
fters, or from his own men: He was
not acquainted with anything unusual
occurring on the Vondel at steaming
time he said. -,
The guarding of the Vondel by the
navy for every foot of the way out of
the channel yesterday was so unusual,
however, as to arouse comment from
every one who witnessed il. r'.'t
As stated, advices reached Marshal
Smiddy Saturday from Washington.
Numerous dispatches have come
through, he stated, yesterday, "but.I
cannot make their nature public at this
time. -. r.. ~.