Show r 4 4 r SA JAG TO 10 D I OJ T vice i t i ge ce of Alleged Viciousness Vicious- Vicious 5 Xi ness ess Against American Boats Is Compiled V f-V j. j kt tip WASHINGTON June 4 By Uni- Uni j f v ver sal Shipping Service Service Shipping board off oW- t dais alsand and private owners of ships y t fly I i the American flag lag have uncovered t ter er ered d evidence showing sabotage as L the the he newest weapon of interests determined deter- deter I mined to destroy the American merchant merchant merchant mer- mer chant marine r Proof roof tending to show the existence of ot a plot has been turned over to the department of ot Justice it was learned tonight I t Investigation of what appeared to tobe be be employment of sabotage tactics by the striking seamen resulted in the j. j expose The shipping board invests invest invest- I gators found that sabotage experts 1 were were setting fire to ships damaging o mechanism and opening se cocks a timing their action to have it appear i I as s the work of disgruntled strikers Some inkling of the identity of of the f. f higher ups in the plot against the American maritime supremacy also has come into the hands of the shipping snip ship ping board intelligence service for the use of the department of justice in prosecutions It has been established that the trained sabotage artisans w who o directed the damaging of the 1 ln Interned German ships before the United States entered the war have been employed in the latest move LEADER LEADER TALKS It was through surveillance of the pleader of the sabotage gang that we first learned of at his being employed C by by interests desirous of discrediting the American merchant marine said iL a shipping board lioard official today Two Weeks c.-weeks ago we were warned of this j organized sabotage by Winthrop L L. Il Marvin general manager of the fr f American Steamship Owners Owners' association tion tion Not V i Not only 11 have ye shipping board vessels vessels ves- ves sels sels such as as the Panhandle State t the Martha Washington and nd the George orge Washington been set on fire mysteriously he continued Everything Every very very- thing conceivable h has s been done to destroy the public faith in any ship which dares to venture upon the seas flying h ng the American flag In ten cases we have discovered 1 deposited in vital parts of the maV machiner ma- ma V chiner chinery ALL GERMANS t Were not these men who so successfullY suc- suc 1 l- l practiced sabotage on the interned German ships all German Germani i s seamen amen and mechanics the board J. J official was asked Yes but but they had remained in ini i i this country country and and apparently were f for r hire by whatever Interests could find ruse fuse o of their ability as an instrument t against the American merchant marine marine marine ma ma- rine was the reply At the same time there will be no letup in the plans of ship owners and operators for civil and criminal actions against striking mariners mariners' and possibly the marine unions if it it can canje be je shown that any of ot the sabotage was instigated by strikers The steamship steamship steamship steam steam- ship owners' owners association already has prepared the evidence on such cases NOT BY UNIONS Marine union representatives admit that hat during the strike many ships have lave suffered serious damage They have denied that sabotage is responsible responsible sible contending that the damage was the natural result of manning the vessels with inexperienced strikebreaking strikebreaking strike- strike breaking crews In one case of opening opening open- open ing ng of the ships ship's cargo was ruined and tho the vessel barely got gat back to port The private ship owners now are engaged eng in determining the full extent extent ex- ex tent ent of damages for the purpose of future litigation |