OCR Text |
Show BRYAN CONFERS WITH WILSON ON LOSSJFDIELYN Diplomatic Inquiries Only Course Decided Upon Un-' Un-' til Definite Information Comes to Hand. INSURANCE TO BE PAID BY UNCLE SAM Bureau Has $600,000 on Hand and Will Be Able to Liquidate First Loss Without Appropriation. WASHINGTON, Feb. 22. President Wilson conferred witb Secretary Bryan tonight concerning; the destruction of the American steamer Evelyn off the coast of Germany last Friday, but in the. absence of definite information as to tho cause of the wreck, no course of action beyond diplomatic inquiries was decided upon. Having learned unofficially that a part of the Kvel yn 's crew wheu cast adrift from the sinking vessel headed for the coast of Holland, Secretary Bryan cabled ca-bled to Amercan Minister Henry Van Dyko at The Hague the same message he previously had sent to Embassadors Page and Gerard at London and Berlin, asking that every caro "be extended to the crew and an investigation of the facts of the occurrence be made through all availablo agencies. Earlier in the day Secretary. Daniels instructed the naval attache of the American embassy at Berlin to make an investigation of tho disaster and report re-port such technical information as was possible for him to gather concerning the mine fields, the course of. the vessel at the time of her mishap, when she took a pikt aboard, and other data which might aid the United States in forming .-judgment as to responsibility for the destruction of the ship. Proof Lacking. It was conceded in official quarters that if the nationality of tho mine were not determined, and no proof obtained to show whether official notification to neutral vessels concerning the courses they should steer were being followed by the Evelyn, there were virtually no grounds for diplomatic protest. A civil suit, however, by the United States war risk insurance bureau and the owners of the vessel and cargo is certain to follow upon such evidence as can be gathered through tho official inquiries ,now being made. Some officials thought that a claim for damages might even be laid against both Germany and Great Britain, if the mines were sewn far bevond belligerent zones of operation without giviug due notice to neutral craft. Anxiety for Crew. Some anxiety prevailed among officials offi-cials over the "fate of that portion of tho crew of the Evelyn supposed to havo rowed for the coast ot Holland after the vessel struck. The message last night from American Consul Fee at Bremen said merely "the crew is saved." and made no mention of any missing men. This was not supplemented supplement-ed bv anv further message today and officials knew ouly through press reports re-ports that the mate and sailors who originally "were thought to have been landed safely in Holland haa not been reported through any of the coast guard stalions or the. Dutch admiralty as having hav-ing been located anvwhere in Holland. Vthile the caso o'f the Evelyn continued, con-tinued, today to absorb attention the fact rhat no international convention now in force goverued the laying of mine?, and that it had been impossible for other neutral governments who had losL vessels tn similar manner durine the present war to fix the responsibility for toe accidents, removed some of the tension which first reports of the wreck produced. No Protests Thus Far. Although there have been no protests thus far from the United State? con-cerninE con-cerninE the laying of miee in belligerent bellig-erent waters, and none is believed like-Iv like-Iv at this time, it was considered possible pos-sible in' ntanv quarters that an effort might be rau'do by the American government gov-ernment to learn more definitely irem the belligerents the precautions which thev have taken to safeguard neutral I commerce in the mine .ones and to obtain ob-tain more data on which American ship L (Continued on Page Two.) Bll CONFERS Will PRESIDENT WILSON . (Continued from Page One.) captains could be guided in the future as to safe channe.-s. - The American note to Germany warning warn-ing that country , against attacks on American .vessels in the zones of war applied only to submarines. Since the outbreak of the war. the North sea has been mined by both Germany and Great Britain and an added warning was given to neutral commerce by the German reply to the American note last week in announcing that mines would bp strewn in the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland and in the English channel. Hitherto, jn the no! if b-ation of areas mined, pilots have been offered for neutral neu-tral vessels. Whether the Eveivn had an opportunity td" obtain a pilot nr whether she struck a mine with a pilot aboard were questions on which officials expected to receive definite information informa-tion tomorrow from Embassadors Patje at London and Gerard at Berlin, to both of whom the state department had directed di-rected inquiries. The only messaee ho f (ire the dp part-men part-men t early ton ay was f rom the American consul at Bremen, who reported that the Evelyn had been blown up." but did not give the cause. His cauJegram i stated that the ship and cargo had ! been lost, but that the crew was safe. Officials believed the erew' ,fcad been landed in Germany as Borkum is near the German coast. Claims for Damages. would be any diplomatic action resulting result-ing from the loss of the Evelyn, beyond be-yond claims for damages, inasmuch as there is now no international convention conven-tion in force for prohibiting the laying lay-ing of mines, either for offensive or defensive de-fensive pu rpnses. In tin1 K;isso-Japanese war, the Japanese strewed mines across the harbor entrance to Port Arthur, which was held bv Russians. Similarly i the Japanese laid mines in Vladivostok ! waters across Peter the Great bay fori a distance of forty miles. While the i laying of mines in offensive operations, such as the recent German note pro-1 claimed, has not been acquiesced in nn j a belligerent right,, it is believed in official of-ficial quarters that this and other precedents prece-dents would make it difficult for the-United the-United States to make further diplomatic diplo-matic protest. The prevailing opinion in administration circles today was that the fultM States government would Pta nd firmlv on its warnings to Orar. Britain anil Germany, respectively, t-onrernin? the misuse of neutral flags and possible attacks on American vessels or. Uvea by submarines. This policy was regarded as significant of a possible, critical turn cif affairs, should any violations of the, warning ensue. The ftvelyn Is thi first shtp insured with the United States bureau of war rifk in?"j ranee to be lost, since it hep.m operations several months a po. Insur-ance Insur-ance on ships and carKoen "amounting to more than f .',5, 000,000 has been written. Tne burea u was closed today, and no word had been received as to when a claim from the owners may be expected. There is little doubt the.t legal proof of the destruction of the ship and mrgo will result in prompt payment of the insur- q Ctt tho tntnl pmnimt nf '. r. m l rs. n-n writ Ten by the- bureau, more tha n h:f Jih expired with tbf arrival of ships and cargoes at dest Inations. Tlie bureau han ea rned In premiums more than 600,000, so that It. is able to sta rn I ty lirnt loss without resort to the appropriation made by conqpess. Opinion of Tenator. Sena. tor Simmons, one of th framera kof the bill which created the war risk bureau, ft White House caller today, paid he assumed an effort would tie made first to establish the repons.bili ry for the iSiikinq of the Evelyn, and that, ff the na-nonaHiv na-nonaHiv of the mine could be discovered rhf government war rink bnrr-fiu would ifUikc erf-)rl to coll'-ct ilumfl:,', Kecreta ry Vm ntelw exjila incj 1 hat his jmvnso in d!reft.iui an inriuiry aflr the n';it depflrtment liad 'ailed upon (he embj adnT h at Kondrm and F-J'-rlin for a report H-a?i to technical information which perhaps m If; lit not bo included in t ernbn sho dors' replies. Ft wan. or I'liivf,", undf-.rHl ood thai. Com inn nder fl hrii rd i. a Ani"r!can aitarhe at I he A n "" r I r; i'i em ha Ksy at Perl in, would ho guided entirely bv Ivrn hf f-i.-a dor Gerard in makinp hiH invest : Ion. Th" miniHtor from the Netherlands -a llel a t t be slate depart merit ea rly to-rlav to-rlav to inoulre v.'hnl I'-poi s Hiik xovern-ment xovern-ment had received about Hi -. Ivelvn. Aft-T roiiferrtntf with ;nun:;clor I. a n shirr, he expressed the opinion that tlie plnklni;. apparently, must have been entirely accidental. acci-dental. ( 'ha irman Ptone of (lie nepa te fore I en rehitioim romrnltteri Fftld he could r-:"e no --oinpH'-RHons atl.'-lnf,' from the deKlruc-lion deKlruc-lion of tii- Kvelyn. "An American vessel." sa.id ;he sennfo', "veni'ir'-d into u n n rea known to be mind it ii I . unfortunately, stri'-- one. So fa r It N not k 1 1" w n v,ha t nnf.n la 11 t h' rnlpe. It is probable that a rational eluhn for !a mn K'- nilKltt t"1 m-'id) when a II t he fR'-is a re e.M I a hi i. shed . "' |