The Washington times., 1917-02-06
Loss Will Approximate $780,
100000 in Sabotage With
out Parallel in History.
DESTRUCTION IS SIGNALED
TWenty-nine Vessels Affected.
Captains Got Advance News
From Capital.

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
$S0.0O0,000 worth of irreplaceable ma
rine machinery was smashed or made
useless in the few hours before Count
Won Bernstorff delivered to the Gov
ernment of the United States the de-
liant message from Germany.
sabotage on q scale so magnificent
Is without parallel in history. With
out the slighss hesitation, and on
the mere hint from high officials
whose hints are never slighted. the
persons in authority delivered to AK
and crowbar the finest products of
- the marine machine shops of Hamburg
and Bremen. There was no question
ing or reluctance. The ruin was
ordered as a duty to be endured for
the good of the fatherland.
Patriotism Motive.
\ The German conception OF patriot
ism was the impelling motive for the
frightful destructiveness that OBJ
t&ined in the engine room caverns
while members of the United States
neutrality squad and policemen pa
trolled the piers of Hoboken and Man
haitian. as unaware of what was go
ing on as IL they had been in Alaska
The German powers that be glanc-
ed far ahead of the hour when a state
of war may be declared to exist Oe-
tween the central powers and the
United States, perceived the prooa-
bility, or at least possibility, that
their merchant fleet here would be
used to carry food and supplies to
England, their most hated enemy.
and promptly did their best to make
the big ships no better than hulks.
The work of destruction was sig
nailed and executed secretly. smooth
ly, and effectively.
Had News In Advance.
Long before the telegraph flashed
from Washington on January 81 the
news that thrilled the nation, Ger
man -hipping interests here were
aware of the purport of what Won
Bernstorff was to hand to the Secre-
tary of State and were under no il
lusions as to probable consequences
In apprehension of just such situa-
..on-of a time when the engines
had to be put out OF commission IL
opportunity was not to be surrend-
ere permanently-a code had been
arranged. II was impossible to, Ise
the telephone. The persons with
the right to give orders were aware
that the telephones to the steam
ships are un4er espionage. Wireless
plants OF course had been sealed or
Lismantled long before. 1t was nee
essary to convey the order directly
an by voice.
Secret Agents Gave the Word.
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 to 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 lib
erty to visit the idle ships. In fact,
goings and comings had attracted no
AoNANN a. aAA Np " lAAt
The German ships have been lively.
social centers. Banquets. private
dinner parties, dances, kaffe klatches,
and amusing entertainments have
been held aboard many of them. Gus
toms guards and police hadn't the
slightest reason TO scent the eXtraor-
dinary developments. They don't
know the whole truth as 1t is
These quietly moving visitors that
boarded the ships at Hoboken. the
FIVE ships tied up off 135th street in
the North river, the ships at South
Brooklyn were the messengers of de
struction. each bearing a code wsrd
that meant scrapping $4,000. 900
worth of splendid engines.
Smashing Began mt Once.
They had scarcely left the ships
when the smashing commenced. The
Sun has information from men OF
unquestionable veracity and honor as
to the extent of the dismanteling and
as to the general methods employed.
For months the ESSENTIAL, vital, or
easily removable parts of the engines
had bene chalked with cryptic signs
signs comprehensive only to the engi-
neers' assistants. When the order came
70 act the engine crews were put TO
work removing such parts as could
be unscrewed, unbOlted OF readily dis
connected.
For a day or two, or until il be
came apparent that the United States
authorities might demand and enforce
the extralegal right of boarding the
vessels and thoroughly inspecting
them, the removed parts were hidden,
some OF them in strange places.
In one vessel at Hoboken brass fit
tings were bundled UP and hidden in
a boiler furnace, one that was idle.
although the furnace next to IL was
in use. In some of the ships pack
ages were concealed under rubbish
in the lower holds. Very recently,
however, these vital fittings have
been disposed of-sent ashore a piece
or two at a time or sunk in the har-
Dor.
Axes and Crowbnrs Used.
But the disinantling did not stop
with harmless removals. The CON
vicion on the part OF the persons
responsible for the Obstruction that
war Is coming and that war mean.
the use OF the German ships here 10