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Show COLLECTOR OF PORT DUDLEY FIELD MA-LONE, MA-LONE, who seized German ships in New York harbor. .T 1 ' i V NA f f ft a 62913 IS OP SEAJCRAFT HELD Deputies Sweep Down on Kaiser's Boats and Remove Crews. ! YA &H 1 NGTOX, April 6. Xeaily 100 German' morcliant vessels in American ports which were taken over today by the treasury department probably will be utilized util-ized in the government service, but whether wheth-er they will be confiscated or paid for after the war had not been announced tonight. Anxious to observe treaty obligations strictly, and move in accordance with international in-ternational law, officials will examine precedents carefully before deciding. A decision de-cision on the next steps to be taken is expected within a few days. Officials made it clear tonight that in taking charge of the vessels the government govern-ment had acted with the primary purpose of preventing their crews from destroying or further disabling them. Having come under the protection of the American government, gov-ernment, however, they now occupy a status which injects new features Into the i problem of their disposition. This problem officials regard as largely! one of policy. It is held that the govern- : ment has absolute treaty rights to make use of the ships, though it is uncertain whether they can be taken over without, reimbursing the German owners. In some quarters the position is taken that ships of a value equal to that of American vessels sunk by German submarines sub-marines should be confiscated outright, but that it would be best to pay for the v 1 1 1 c i o. Status of Immigrants. The department of labor announced that the status of the Germans removed from German ships in American ports was that of immigrants, and that upon the circumstances in each case would be determined whether they might enter the country. If the German ships are taken for service ser-vice by the United States, most of them, It was said at the department of commerce com-merce today, could be put Into service within three to four months. If the United States decides to send an army to Europe the ships will prove invaluable. in-valuable. Fourteen can carry, at a speed faster than 14 knots, 40,000 troops. The entire American merchant fleet available can carry only about 20,000 troops at less speed. Crews Are Detained. The vessels, laid up in American harbors har-bors for safety at the outbreak of the war in Europe, were seized early today, immediately after . the house parsed the war resolution. Their crews will be removed re-moved to immigration detention stations, there to be treated as aliens admissible to the country if able to pass the ordinary Immigration tests. The fact that many are naval reservists will not serve to bar them. There were Indications today that damage dam-age done to the ships by their crews when relations between the United States and Germany were broken will be repaired and the ships put into the transatlantic trade to transport supplies to the allies, 629.000 Tons Seized! The total tonnage of the vessels seized amounts to $:i.ooo gross tons. That tonnage ton-nage could not be built in American yards in less than a year, and some .of the larger ships, notably the Vnterland. could not be produced in the United States in several yea re. All of the ships will have to he drv-do-ked before they can be mflde seaworthy. sea-worthy. Bureau of navigation officials pointed to.! ay to practical difficulties that (Continued on Fae Four.) mm gross ibis DE SHIPPING SEIZED (Continued from rage One.) will delay repairs, in that the ships will fill the country's dry docks for some time to come. The great Vaterland, with a tonnage of 54,000, will have to be towed to Balboa to be docked. The earliest time estimated to put any of the vessels into service is three months. Suitable for Transports. A final decision as to the disposition of the ships probably will be made within a few days. A brief sta tement issued by the treasury department today said they were being taken in charge for the purpose pur-pose of protecting them and other property. prop-erty. Officials said an "intelligent use" would be made of the vessels and that they either could le used as naval auxiliaries or ns men:hant ships. Most of them would make excellent troop transports. Fourteen of The largest and swiftest could carry 40,000 troops, which is twice as many as rould be transported by the entire available American merchant mer-chant fleet. Some officials said today that the ships could not be taken over ,by the United States formally and put into servire without with-out an act of congress. They said. also, that there was a strong likelihood that if put into service they would be operated bv the shipping board, which under the law is authorized to charter and operate j ships- j Vessels Seized. j German-owned merchant vessels laid up ; in American ports at the beginning of the war and which were taken in charge to-dav to-dav bv American authorities are: At New York Vaterland, 54.2S2 tons gross; George Washington, 25.570; Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1 9,31; president. L-neoln, 161 : President Grant. LnOTJ : Pennsylvania. Pennsyl-vania. 13,3:-)3: Grnsser Kurfuerst, 13,10-; Barbarossa. 10,f-4; . Princess Irene. 10,-S0:i; 10,-S0:i; Friedrieh der Grosse, 10.771; Hamburg, Ham-burg, 10,531; Koenig Wilhelm II, 9410; Bohemia, S414 : Armenia, 5 4 ; Adam-strum, Adam-strum, 5000; Pisa, -107; Prinz Joachim. 4760; prinz Eitel Friedrieh, 45; not auxiliary of same name now at Philadelphia); Philadel-phia); Allemania. 40: Magdeburg, 447; Harburg, 4472; Nnssovia. 3902; Portonia, 27 7 S ; Maia. 25."5; Clara Mennig. ltiisa; In-dra In-dra 174t ; Ma to dor, 1 1 f S . At Boston- Amerika. 22.22; Kronprinz-essin Kronprinz-essin Ceciiie. 1P.503; Cincinnati. It., 339; Koln, 7409; ' Wittekind. 5640; Ockenfels, 5621. - At New London Wlll'nad. 4461. At Baltimore Bulgaria. 11,440; Rhein, 1 f' . 0 ; X e c k a r . 9 S 3 5 . At Philadelphia Rhaetia. eSO; Prinz Okar. 602. At Nevpnrt News Arcadia. .'454. At Wilmington, X. C. Kiel, 4ir4; Xica-ria. Xica-ria. 3974. At Savannah H.'-hf-nfelde, 3974. At Charleston I-iebnfels, 4525. At Pensaenla Rudolph Blumenburg, lfi&.l; A'o-e.-n. 3! 21. At Jacksonville Frieda Leonhardt, t New Orleans Eres'.au. 7524; Andromeda. An-dromeda. IT-'A. At P:m Frnnt-isro -Perapis, 4756; Neptune. Nep-tune. 5197; Ottawa. 39. At Portland. Oie. L'i'ibek, 2723. At Spatil Saxoria. -i -24. At 'inslov, Waph. Sic'nhe!;, 2164. At Asi'Tia ArnoMus A'innen, 1?59; Kurt, 3109. At Honolulu Pom m-rn. 557; prinz Waldemar. "227 ; Stos, 4731"1 ; H'Jlsatia. 549: 1,0-ksun. 157: Loor.g Moon. 1971; Siautzekretar Kraetke. 20c0; Governeur Jaeschke, 173S. At Hilo C. J. D. Ahlers, 7490. At San Juan, P. R. The Praesident, Kd-3, Odenwald, 3537. At Pago Pago, Samoa Elsass, 6591. At Manila Anduiassia, 5433; Buchum, 6161; Camilla Rickmere, 5130; Carl Die-derichsen, Die-derichsen, 1243; Clara Jebsen, 1735; Co-blende, Co-blende, 3130; Elmshorn, 4594; Esslingen, 4902; Johanne, 1531; Lyeemoon, 1925; Mark, 6579; Pong Tons, 1631; Rajah, 2028; Sachsen, S007: Sambia, 4765; Suevia, 3789; Tubingen, 55S2. At Zamboanga Borneo, 216S; Marudu, 1514; narvel, 130S. At Cebu Prinzess Alice, 10.981; Tsin Tau, 16S5; Wiegand, 499. SAN JUAN, P. R., April 6. The crews of the German ships here today were taken into custodv by the federal authorities. authori-ties. The seacocks of the Kd-3, a British collier, which was captured Fy the Germans, Ger-mans, were opened by the crew before their arrest, and the ship is slowly sink-ing. sink-ing. The three German ships at Porto 'Rico are the Odenwald, the Praesident and the Kd-3. The latter was captured by the German raider Karlsruhe and arrived at San Juan in distress in January, 1915. She was interned. The Odenwald and the Praesident, German merchantmen, took refuge at San Juan in the early days of the war. |