New Britain herald., 1917-02-06

DAMAGE TO LINERS
PUT At $30,0o0,00O
Sabotage Begins When Secret
Word Is Brought Aboard

New York, Feb. 6.-Engines in
every German and Austrian ship i'm
prisoned in New York harbor by the
British navy have been deliberately
wrecked. Officers Of German blood
who know the truth estimate that
s3O,000,0OO worth of irreplaceable
marine machinery was smashed or
made useless in the few hours before
Count Won Bernstorff delivered to the
government of the United States the
defiant message from Germany.
Sabotage on scale so magnificent is
without parallel in history. Without
the slightest hesitation, and on the
mere hint from high officials whose
hints are never sighted, the persons
in authority delivered to ak and
crowbar the finest products of the
marine machine shops of Hamburg
ing or reluctance. The ruin was
ordered as a duty to be endured for
the good of the fatherland.
The German conception of patriot
ism was the impelling motive for the
frightful destructiveress that obtained
in the engine room cavern While men,
bers of the United States neutrality
squad and policemen patrolled the
piers Of Hoboken and Manhattan as
unaware of what was going on as If
they had been in Alaska.
Secret Word Given.
The German powers that be glanced
far ahead of the hour when state of
war may be declared to exist between
the Central Powers and the United
States, perceived the probability or
at least the possibility that their mer-
chant fleet here would be used to
carry food and supplies to England,
their most hated enemy, and prompt
ly did their best to make the big ships
no better than hulks. The work of
destruction was signalled and executed
secretly, smoothly and effectively.
Long before the telegraph flashed
from Washington on January 81 the
news that thrilled the nation German
shipping interests here were aware OF
the purport of what Won Bernstorff
was to hand to the secretary of state
and were under NO illusions as to
probable consequences. In apprehen-.
sion OF just such a situation-of a time
when the engines had to be put out Of
commission If opportunity was not to
be surrendered permanently-a code
had been arranged. 1t was impossible
to use the telephone. The persons
with the right to give orders were
aware that the telephones to the
steamships are under espionage.
Wireless plants of course had been
sealed or dismantled long before. 1t
was necessary to convey the order di-
rectly and by voice.
Last Wednesday therefore a Ger
man in street clothes stepped quietly
aboard every Hamburg-American and
North German Lloyd liner in the port.
chatted with officers a few minutes
quite openly on deck, went below for
a half litre of beer, drank to the
health of the kaiser and as quietly
reappeared on deck and went ashore.
There was no one 20 question the
movements of any one of these incon-
spicuous agents, since any persons,
German or otherwise, who could get
by the pier guards have been at liberty
to visit the idle ships. In fact, goings
and comings had attracted no notice
at all up to the present crisis. The
German ships have been lively social
centers. Banquets, private dinner
parties, dances, katie klatches and
amusing entertainments have been
held aboard many of them. Customs
guards and police hadn't the slightest
reason to scent the extraordinary de-
yelopments. They don't know the
whole truth as 1t is.
These quietly moving visitors thai
boarded the ships at Hoboken, the
! five ships tied up off 135th street ir
the North River, the ships at South
Brooklyn, were the messengers of de-
struction, each bearing a code wore
that meant scrapping $30,00O,OO(
| worth of splendid engines.