New-York tribune., 1917-11-09
German Ship
Offices Here
Seized by US.
Spy Alleged to Have Warned
Hamburg-American Of
hcials of Raid

The first seizure of property of enc
yesterday on orders of A. Mitchell
Palmer, Custodian Of Alien Property.
Thomas d. Mccarthy, United States
Marshal, and small army of police
and deputy msrshals, took possession
of the property of the Hamburg -Ameri-
can Line at 45 Broadway.
Local Federal officials are convinced
that some German spy warned the of
ficials Of the Hamburg-American Line
that the seizure was imminent, for
when Marshal Mccarthy and his men
arrived at the Offices of the line they
found employees busy removing docu-
ments from the building.
Officials Tipped Or
This work was stopped Immediately.
Then the charge was made by one OF
the Federal officials that a German spy
had clipped off" the officials Of the
Hamburg American Line that the seiz-
ure was TO be made. Important papers
were seized, among them a list of the
families Of interned Germans who were
receiving pensions from the Hamburg
American Line. A Federal official was
authority for the statement that COM
plete plans for the ballasting of the
Hamburg-American liners, recently
taken over by the government, were
also taken in the seizure.
When we made application three
weeks ago to the officials of the Ham
burg-American line for the ballast
plans of the Vaterlsnd and other big
ships" said this Federal official, I'VE
were informed that no such plans ex-
listed. Nevertheless we made a search
of the files and found them"
The original plan Of the War Trade
Board had been 10 have the board oc-
cupy the rear of the basement, while
the Hamburg American Company was
TO remain in the front. Then it was
decided that this would not be a wise
arrangement.
Under the new order none of the
Hamburg Americans representatives.
will be allowed in the building. 1t
was learned that orders have already
been issued TO the New York Telephone
Company to make careful inspection
of all wires in the building 10 see that
the business Of the war boards does
not leak out through tapped wires.
Marshal Mccarthy, accompanied by
twenty deputies and sixty detectives
from Police Headquarters. arrived at
the building at noon yesterday. The
marshal at once went to the Office of
Julius 2. Myer, one Of the directors Of
the line, and in the presence of Julius
Henry Cohen, secretary Of the War
Board of the Port, presented the fol-
lowing telegraphie order from a. Nit
chell Palmer:
Order for Seizure
"You are hereby authorized on my
behalf as alien property custodian
under trading with the enemy act and
executive order Of the President TO de-
mand and, on my behalf, receive all
rights Of possession which the Ham
burg American Line, as owner. tenant,
lessee or otherwise, in building 80
Broadway, New York; also all furni-
ture. equipment, fixtures of said lines
therein; also all other property Of said
lines located in said premises"
There were about seventy employees
in the Offices Of the line. which arc
located on the first three floors and on
part OF the fourth. AN were ordered
70 stop work at once.
They were ordered to leave their
desks intact and TO depart from tho
building. Those who had charge Of
safes were told they might lock them
M. and the same procedure was fol-
lowed with respect TO the desks. All
were told TO return to-day at II
o'clock. when they can claim any per-
sonal property in safes or desks.
The rest OF the building, some seven
aoors. occupied by tenants, will not be
disturbed. The Offices of the Ham
burg-American Line. It is understood.
,yilI no occupied by the Shipping Board.