Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1917-04-13

al GERMAN SHIPS
SEIZED BY u. S
Tonnage Of the Vessels
$4,000.
MAY BE- USED IN WAR
AS All Are Damaged, Several Months
Win be Needed to Repair the Ma
chinery.

Ninety-one German-owned merchant
vessels laid up in American ports were
seized Immediately after the war reso-
luton was passed by the house OF rep
resentatives.
While a final decision has not been
reached, indications after the caDlnet
meeting were that the vessels Will De
REGARDED as the property OF the Amerl-
ca government and paid for after the
war.
The vessels laid up in American mar
bors for safety at the outbreak OF tne
war in Europe, were seized immedl-
ate,y after the houses passage OF the
war resolution. The crews will be re-
moved to immigration detention sta-
lions. there to be treated as allens
admissible to the country if able TO
pass the ordinary immigration tests
TIE fact that many are naval reserV-
ISIS will not serve to bar them.
There are indications that damage
done TO the ships by their crews WAen
relations between the United States
and Germany were broken will be re-
paired as early as possible and the
ships put into the transatlantic trade
to transport supplies to the allies.
The total tonnage of the Vessels
seized amounts to $4,000 gross tons
That tonnage could not be built IN
American yards in less than yeai
ard some of the larger ships, notably
the Vaterland, could not be produced
in the United States in several years
All of the ships will have to be dry
locked before they can be made sea-
worthy. Bureau of navigation otticlals
pointed to practical difficulties thai
will delay repairs, in that the ships
will fill the country's dry docks fol
some time to come The great Water
land, with a tonnage Of $4,000, is too
large to enter any of the American
dry docks and will have to be toWed
to Balboa to be locked. The earliest
time estimated to put any of the yes
sells into service is three months. Many
of them cannot be repaired that soon
Most of the fast German liners are
built as naval auxiliaries, with gun
platforms, reinforced decks and steer
inc gear below the water line.
Actual seizure of the vessels for ms
itary pu poses, officials say, will great
" strengthen the American fleet. Tine
use of American ships as transport;
would withdraw just that much ton
mage from the transports of supplies
to the allies and would impair the
country's efforts to supplement- the
allies Industrial strength.
Neutral ships cannot be chartered
as TRANSPORTS, and few are suitable
even could the United States buy them
The allies could not furnish ships fol
carving American troops, for every
vesse! taken off the transport OF sup
plies would weaken their power to car
ry on the war.
The ports at which the ships were
taken over follows:
At Atlantic ports-Philadelphia
two: New York, twenty-seven; Bos
ton, three; Baltimore, two; Southport
N. c., two; Savannah, one; Norfolk
one; Charleston, one; Jacksonville
one.
At Gulf ports-New Orleans, two.
At Pacific ports-San Francisco
three; Astoria, two; Seattle, one;
Portland, Ore, one; Winslow, Wash.
one.
In West Indies-Porto Rico, one.
In Philippines, twenty-three.
At Honolulu, seven.
At Page Pago, one.