Ripley County democrat., 1918-01-11
SEIZED GERMAN
SHIPS IN SERVICE
Damage Done to l09 Vessels Re-
paired by Processes
Deemed Unique.
HOPES OF FOE ARE BAFFlED
Written Orders Show Central Author
ity Gave instructions for Making
Graft UseIess--Nayy Makes
Great Record. <r

Washington Every one Of the 100
German ships seized BY the United
States is in the transport or cargo
service, the damage deliberately done
to their engines having been repaired
thoroughly.
This information was given. out BY
the committee on public information In
the course Of statement which again
confirmed the stories Of the destruc-
tion secretly performed by German
crews by orders from Berlin.
In the statement the committee says
that "there Is evidence that German
central authority gave an order fer de-
struction on these ships effective on
or about February /, 1917, simultane-
Gus with the date set for unrestricted
submarine warfare, and that the pur-
pose was to inflIct such vital damage
to the machinery Of all German ships
In our ports that none could be oper-
ated for from 18 months to two years.
This purpose has been defeated in sig
nal fashion. In less than eight months
all the ships were in service"
Committee Tells Of Repairs.
In describing the means taken by
the government to repair and reclaim
three ships the public information COM
mittee says:
"There.is documentary proof that the
enemy believed the damage irrepara-
BILE.
'To obtain new machinery would
have entailed prolonged process OF
design, manufacture and installation.
Urged by the necessity Of conserving
time, the engineers Of the navy depart
ment succeeded by unique means In
Matching and welding the broken parts
!. and replacing all of the standard parts
which the Germans detached from
their engines and destroyed or threw
overheard.
: "The mechanical evidence Is that
the campaign Of destruction was oper-
ated on t'ese ships for more than two
months and that the Germans were
convinced that they were making q
thorough Job of 1t. Their scheme Of
ruin was shrewdly devised, deliberate
" executed, and 1t ranged from the
plugging Of steam pipes to the utter
demolition of boilers by dry firing.
"when the United States shipping
board experts first surveyed the ruin
the belief was expressed that much
new machinery would have to be De
signed, manufactured and Installed
! making rs months a fair minimum esti
} mate of the time required. However
. ut the navy department, where TN
. need of troop and cargo ships was al
: urgent issne, officers Of the bureau O
. steam engineering, having faith TIM
/. the major portion of the repairs coul'
y be accomplished by patching and weld
l. ing, declared 1t was possible to clea
the ships for service by Christmas, AM
! the last Of the feet actually took ne
, final sea test and was ordered int
i service as a Thanksgiving gift to tn
,. nation.
a Many Volunteered Service.
Il $40 accomplish this end the nav
y department secured the services OF O
's available machinery welders an
le patchers, many Of them having, bee
Is voluntarily offered by the railroads.
's "Most Of the time that elapsed D.
" tween the date on which work was b
gun and the date on which the iai
ship was put into commission aft
n vigorous tests was, II fact, chargeab
rs less TO the actual repair work TIN
y. Ia the tedious task Of dismantling Q
ca machinery from bow to stern OF evel
~ ship for inspection. thus ellminatir
every chance Of overlooking conceai'
no mutilati0n."
on The governments repair fore
ut worked always In apprehension Of co
at cealed explosives. They found ever
ro. where on the ships instances Of artf
ey pipe plugging Of concealing steel nu
and bolts In delicate cylinders, OF Z
iy- posting ground glass in oil pipes a
ht, bearings, of eunningly changed In
All. cntors, of filing fire extinguishers wi
.ri- easolene. The statement goes on
nct say.
lie ;~rhe method Of patching and, we
he Ing broken marine engines had ne,
en- before been practiced, although the
ere has been known in the railroad ind
OF try for Is years. Three methods
,er. patching were used; electric weldil
he nxiacetylene welding and ordinary 4
Vill chanlcal patching. the latter often Ia
being welded. Following the repal
10 tests Of the machinery were first mi
i'm. at the docks, where the ships "
81 lashetl firmly TO the piers while the 7
the pellers we're driven at low Epeed.
and later ench ship was taken to sea
AIN vigorous trial tests. Tho patches
ken Yields were reported as having 81
MS complete satisfaction.
ID The former German liners, sail
hia under iistinctlvely American nan
be are fitted as troop and cargo n
Each ID convertible to a complel
equipped hospital ship for return
are service. The feet Of seized \
! ) chantmen added 10000 tons to
American merchant marina.
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