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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1915)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXTAN. POKTT.AIMX. MARCH 28, 1915. . -- A-a -Ir- M&avatwfl AND USE OF FLAGS OF NEUTRAL NATIONS - - ! v, - 5 . ... v.. MJ,.""f v . ... ft. . THE CONFEPEA3Z TlJS;nx2pI)A.R THE BLOCKADE AT MOBIIIlXJNnER.' .BRITISH. TLA&, from spears' "HisToiaii' op "our., NAVY. '.ooofcTESY Charles' Scribner- sons n'&' vork . n.y. BY RICHARD G. CONOVBR. Tbrea Yanke gunboat foolln" rouna the bay. Three Yankee gunboats Just a-foolia round. All lookinK sassy, but we just can't stay. Soon as it's dark we'll surely slip away. somebody needs this cotton. I'll be bound. Somebody needs It. I'll be bound. The Blockade Runners. WHEN Germany proclaimed the entire English Channel and all of the waters surrounding the British Isles a legitimate war zone she placed herself in rebellion against blockade fundamentals that have been recognised and systematically applied by the nations since the sixteenth cen tury. That was what the world noticed most. But consequent on her procla mation is the threatening likelihood that her new interpretation of her rights and her powers will lead to the annihilation of a time-honored Institu tion that she has rung the knell of the blockade runner. It looks as though the floating mine and the tor pedo of the submarine might turn the trick. The international law defining and declaring sacred the neutral liberty of the open sea and the high seas is at tacked in its most vital sections by the kaiser's proclamation. Modern en gines of war carrying a wave-hidden death tack up the attack. Even though Germany fail in this instance to force a recognition of her right to operate her blockade Innovation, the fact that it is feasible and that she has tried it establishes a precedent that other nations In other wars may rightfully or wrongfully follow. And in the same degree that the innovation succeeds blockade running must decline. In the past the blockade runner al ways kept a locker full of neutral flags. He flew any one of them as it suited his ship's papers. When there was no danger of a pursuer overhaul ing him and examining his papers he flew the flag that suited his whim. But while sailing or steam ing under the flag that suited his pa pers he was never in peril until he arrived just outside the blockaded port. War ships of the country block ading the port had the right to hail him, and stop him, and suspect him, and Inspect him, but they could not capture or confiscate him under that neutral flag until he ventured to break through the patrol at the port he sought. Three miles out from a coast can non shot distance of old has been the limit of the jurisdiction of a state. So the blockade runner took it easy until he reached this limit, or near enough to it to make it easily after dark. His neutral flag was his ample protection. Now. exactly what is the kaiser's blockade innovation that threatens an nihilation to the blockade runner? It is the extension and expansion of this three-mile limit of old to fifty, sixty, eighty or a hundred miles, according as commercial waterways around the British isles vary In width. If the blockade runner ventures within this pronounced war zone, even under a neutral flag, he at once becomes an object of suspicion. He has been warned that he may be the victim of floating mines or the target of a mis takenly aimed torpedo; so why is he braving such peril? Suppose a blockade runner aims to make Portsmouth or Havre. Up bobs a German submarine out of the Eng lish channel right off Cape de la Hague. The runner is flying the Ar gentine flag and his papers say that he is steaming from Buenos Ayres to Christianta, Norway. . Does the subma rine believe him because he is flying a neutral flag? Very likely not. In stead, its commander may demand to know why he hraves the passage through a war zone after being warned And the runner will be mighty lucky if allowed to proceed Just as lucky as If he were found around the old three mile coast limit of a blockaded port. Germany says that her expanded blockade innovation is the result of Great Britain having previously de clared the waters between Scotland and Norway an area of war. If this be so here are several of the great powers interpreting international law in a most radical way. If a body of water like the English Channel can be callea a war zone it is only a step to technically pronounce the entire war zone to be of the same status as a blockaded port. And if you can declare a blockade that will embrace thousands of square miles of ocean it will seem most plausible to say that any vessel even under a neutral flag that enters the Adriatic Sea or the Gulf of Mexico or the Medi terranean Sea is subject to seizure and confiscation, as they would be now un der the three-mile limit rule. And when you come to set adrift floating mines in such a great area how can a neutral steamship hope to fare any better than an enemy vessel? In the spirit-land corner where the BLOCKADE CODE OF CIVILIZED NATIONS Immediately following the second conference of The Hague Peace Court Great Britain called a special conference of the maritime powers of the world. This conference sat from December 4, 1908, to February 26, 1909, and adopted the accompanying code to govern blockades. It will be noted that only ships are mentioned in connection with the manner and means of blockading. Floating mines and submarine torpedoes find no PlaTh?very first article of the code prohibits the use of the open or non-territorial sea as a "war zone" by limiting operations to ports and coasts of a state. Article 1. A blockade must not ex ist beyond the ports or coasts be longing to or occupied by the enemy. Article 2. In accordance with the Declaration of Paris of 1856. a blockade in order to be binding must be effective that is to say, it must be maintained by force sufficient readily to prevent ac cess to the enemy coast line, i Article 3. The question whether a blockade is effective is a question of fact. Article 4. A blockade is not regard ed as raised if the blockading force is temporarily withdrawn on account of stress of weather. Article 5. A blockade must be ap plied impartially to the ships of all nations. Article 6. The commander of a blockading force may give per mission to a warship to enter and subsequently leave a blockaded port. Article 7. In circumstances of dis tress, acknowledged by an officer of a blockading force, a neutral vessel may enter a place under blockade and subsequently leave it( provided she has neither dis charged nor shipped a cargo there. Article 8. A blockade in order to be binding must be declared in ac cordance with article 9 and noti fied in accordance with articles 11 and 16. Article 9. A declaration of blockade is made either by the blockading power or by the naval authorities acting in its name. It specifies (1) the date when the blockade be gins. (2) the geographical limits of the coastline under blockade, (3) the period within which neu tral vessels may come out. Article 10. If the operations of the blockading power, or of the naval authority acting in its name, do not tally with the particulars which, in accordance with article 9 (1) and (2), must be Inserted in the declaration of blockade, the declaration is void, and a new declaration is necessary in order to make the blockade operative. Article 11. A declaration of block ade is notified (1) to neutral Powers by the blockading power by means of a communication ad dressed to the governments direct, or to their representatives ac credited to it, (2) to the local au thorities by the officer command ing the blockading force. The lo cal authorities will, in turn, in form the foreign consular officers at the port, or on the coast line under blockade, as soon as pos - sible. Article 12. The rules as to declara tion and notification of blockade apply to cases where the limits of a blockade are extended or where a blockade is re-established after having been raised. Article 13. The voluntary raising of a blockade, as also any restriction in the limits of a blockade, must be notified in the manner pre scribed by article 11. Article 14. The liability of a neu tral vessel to capture for breach of blockade is contingent on her knowledge, actual or presumptive, of the blockade. Article 15. Failing proof to the con trary, knowledge of the blockade is presumed if tho vessel left a. neutral port subsequently to noti fication of the blockade to the power to which such port belongs, providing that such notification was made in sufficient time. Article M. If a vessel approaching a blockaded port has no' knowl edge, actual or presumed, of the blockade, the notification must be made to the vessel itself by an officer of one of the ships of the blockading force. This notifica tion should be entered in the ship's logbook and must state the day and the hour and the geo graphical position of the vessel at the time. If through the negli gence of the officer commanding the blockading force no declara tion of blockade has been noti fied to the local authorities, or If, in the declaration, as notified, no period has been mentioned within which neutral vessels may come out. a neutral vessel coming out of the blockaded port must be al lowed to pass free. Article 17 Neutral vessels may not be captured for breach of blockade except within the area of oper ations of the warships detailed to render the blockade efficient. Article 18. The blockading forces must not bar access to neutral ports or coasts. Article 19. Whatever may be the ul terior destination of a vessel, or of her cargo, she cannot be cap tured for breach of blockade if at the moment she is on her way to a non-blockaded port. Article 20. A vessel which has broken blockade outward or which has attempted to break blockade inward is liable to capture as long as she is pursued by a ship of the blockading force. If the pursuit be abandoned, or if the blockade be raised, her capture can no longer be effected. Article 21. A vessel found guilty of breach of blockade is liable to condemnation. The cargo is also condemned, unless it is proved that at the time of the shipment of the goods the shipper neither knew nor could have known of the Intention to break the blockade. famous blockade runners and privateers rendezvous the news of the new adap tation of blockade must have caused many a frown of spook displeasure. Especially must the innovation have irritated Captain J. N. Maffitt, the com mander of the celebrated Confederate States criuser Florida, first vessel built for the Confederacy abroad. There never lived a more daring, determined and enduring man, and his exploit in breaking the Federal blockade at Mo bile Bay both in and out within three months has gone down into his tory as the acme of what a brave and skillful brain may achieve. Probably the best official account of this remarkable blockade breaking is contained in the brief official report of Commander George Henry Preble, United States Navy, who was the man outwitted by Captain Maffit. Here Is the text of his account of the affair sent to the great Admiral D. G. Farra gut, who commanded the Western Gulf blockading squadron at the time. 'United States Steam Sloop Oneida, Off Mobile, September 4, 1862. Sir: I regret having to inform you that a three-master screw steamer, bearing an English red ensign and pennant, and carrying four quarter boats and a bat tery of six or eight broadside guns and one or two pivots, and having every appearance of an English man-of-war, ran the blockade this after noon under the following circum stances: "I had sent the Winona to the west ward to speak a schooner standing in under stail, when the smoke of a steam er was discerned bearing about south east and standing directly for ns. Ob serving that she was 'burning black threo tiers of bales on the upper decks A clear profit of IIDO.OOO each way was not ususual. The owners could sfford to) havo a vessel captured after one or two trips. It was estimated thst of the 66 blockade runners making regu lar trips during the war iO were cap tured or destroyed, but only after they; had made a number of successful voy ages. Two-thirds it them always broke tho blockade. The blockade runners cleared front ports in Great Britain under the Brit ish flag, taking out a sailing captain to comply with the law. They steamed to Bermuda. Nassau In the Bahamas. Havana and Matamoras. From these British, Spanish and Mexican ports the cargles were carried to Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington on the American coast, a distance varying from 500 to 800 miles, according to the points of departure and arrival. There was no risk of moment until the three mile off coast limit of the blockaded ports was reached. The typical blockade runner was a long sidewheel steamer of from 400 to 600 tons, of slight frame, sharp and narrow, the length being often nine times the beam. - Shopping; and Baying. (Louisville Courier-Journal.) "How can you tell when a woman la only shopping?" "When they intend to buy they ask to see something cheaper. When they're shopping they ask if you haven't something more expensive In stock," Requisite for Optimism. (Washington Star.) 'What are the qualifications for mem bership in your International opti mists club?" asked the phllanthro- r- ..... . r-jv. wa tkirYrrVUUmiC Haw "n i i -rrW'l. rir- e -ssa-j rv cur ovil. fi TAKEN til 4. I -r---i , -K t iff fl -Tl y iJ. " ; 'irti l ' iiV-ie? orF-MOS COMPANY. duced the cotton to the smallest pos sible bulk, so that the long, narrow pisfs friend. blockade runners were able to carry "Well, in the first place, you've rot from 600 to 1200 bales, of 600 or 600 to speak English with an American pounds each. Sometimes there were accent. HOW IMITATION GEMS ARE MADE NATURE is often copied with con spicuous success by those engaged in the Imitation of precious jewels. Zircons are composed of silica and zi conla. Their luster is deceptive, a means having been discovered of ex tracting the color, thus leaving them diamonds to all appearances, although their falseness promptly proclaims itself when put to a test Precious stones are often dyed with such thoroughness and cleverness that, it is asserted, the stone may be broken without discovery of the process; that is to say, by the uninitiated. In Obersteln, Germay, the sole In dustry is the manufacture of imitation jewelry and the dyeing of chalcedony and other stones. The onyx, carnelian, bloodstone and agate may be enriched in color by Immersion in the dyepot The stones are placed in vessels con taining the coloring matter and are then subjected to great heat for per iods varying from a few hours to a week or more. In the case of chalce dony, which shows bands of different degrees of Intensity, certain of the bands take the color and others de not. The stones then receive a fur ther stewing in pots containing other dyes. Fluorspar Is capable of great Im provement in tint when subjected to a heating process and crucldolite Is itlven a hue of blood-red by a similar method. The emerald and the catseye are of all stones the most easlry Imitated. One family at Obersteln Is said te possess the secret of converting crucldolite Into catseye. Catseye slro may be made of aragonlte, some of the hornblendes, and even of fibrous gypsum. NEW AND NOVEL INVENTIONS ACALIFOKMA inventor has obtained a patent on a device that may be of the numerous vessels that appear in under what conditions. The State De- How gigantice a task it was may be attached to a steel cable and will serve Big;hr. partment returned answer that there gathered from an extract from a speech to carry a man up the cable by merely "With great mortification, was no statute prohibiting the use of delivered by Senator James H. Ham- turning the pedals. "I am, very respectfuly, your ob't s'vt, the American flag by a foreign vessel mond. of South Carolina: tr0 a woman inventor goes the credit "GEORGE HENRY PREBLE. beyond the jurisdiction of the United "We have three thousand miles of of having obtained a patent on a rub "Commander." States, and no penalty provided for so continental seashore line, so indented ber stamp attachment that may be Without doubt the ability to appro-. doing. International law, however, with bays and crowded with islands fastened to any pencil or pen. It con- smoke' I Immediately got the Oneida priate a neutral flag at any time made while allowing for almost every kind tnat when their shore lines are added slstg of a ruDber stamp member that is under sail when the smoke of a steam- much of the success of the blockade of ruse on the open sea or high seas, we have twelve thousand miles. Can hcld by a U-shaped sleeve that may be nallnir the Winona to 'chase at dlscre- runner possible. Flags and ruses were i3 drastically condemnatory of acts you heni in such a territory as that? siipped over the end of any pen or tion ' We soon neared the stranger the runner's constant abettors. It is constituting perfidy. So long as a You talk of putting a wall of fire pencii. while not interfering with the in company with the Winona who, as a strange fact that nations, as a rule, blockade runner did not commit such an around 850,000 square miles so situ- writing manipulation, this little at- we approached him, gradually hauled do not mind a foreign vessel nsing their act he could shift his flag with every ated. How absurd!" tachment insures the rubber stamp be to the northward and westward. flag in a crisis. Of course, this does wind that caught his sail. Yet lt was done. Every month saw jns at hand at all times. "When abeam of him. about 100 vards not mean a foreign enemy. The use An example of perfidy is the case of Jt made tighter, according as the Fed- inventors are certainly the deadly awav I hailed him but receiving no of a neutral nation's colors by a for- the French frigate Sybille, 38 guns, eraJ Government was able to increase enemies of the fly. Another example of can t.u re has lonsr which in 1783 enticed the British man- . MCteal. Ermine a err at .v.-.- rt wao-a war on the answer I Urea Bnoi across uib uuw. - - - i t v. x? iue uumwej. tswa 4.wa..0 - o-men chuvoi - " - - ahead without stopping, hut been deemed quite allowable. But it is of-war Hussar by displaying the Brit- d But up to the very last the insect is presented In the Invention of Mti thinkina- him an English man-of- merely a contingent permission, tne ish flag and intimating nerseu 10 -u Dlockade BO justly celebrated was war I fired two more shots across his nation wnose us nu V broken again ana again oy me equaijr how' and then directed a shot at him. serving the right to frame its own The Hussar approached to succor her ceiebrated blockade runners. The rec- whirh unfortunately went over be- rules about the use of its flag and to and was attacked by the Sybille with- or(j3 state that the Federal blockaders ' .. ' tt nnraue canture and confiscate the ves- out the French flag being shown. But i,rm,.ht ln durlnf the war 1149 prizes. soon hauled down his flag and trained sel for so doing. This is set forth in the Hussar gave vigorous battle and o whicn 210 were steamships. There his guns to bear on us, but, having the case of Great Britain, in section 60 captured the Sybille. W hereupon the wej.e 35- ve3SeIg burned, sunk, driven a native of Michigan. His device con- INCENDIARY PROJECTILE IS TESTED . x . .1 ... v. v. n i . lirnltinn la lmoervi- r-riHB British government. iusti" ......... ... -- - not fire, of the merchant shipping act of 1894. commander of the British vessel broke on ahore. or otherwise destroyed, mak- i with the French and Belgium au- ous to atmospheric cn'll"' the surrenaereu swora i iub lng a total of 1504 vessels of all class- thoritles, has decided to give serious ,-,"" " h.' -d the cost of ..nmmander across his knee and round- 1 ls . - t. , ' :J. '.. inrendiarv nroiec- is simple ln mechanism, and the cost or his guns to a fio9 tr ftsrht under, did . i ; a- v:m o-eieferi which declares: bv the Winona and one of the mortar "If a person uses me r.Li.u n-s, commanoer " "I" es. The value of these vessels and consideration to an incenuiary proJBt- . . ., schooners- but he made sail and by his and assumes the British national char- iy condemned him for his pertldy. It cargoe3 accordin(r to a iow esti- tile for which much is claimed by its in- "uf" " Jii superior speed, and unparalleled audac- acter on board a sh.p, ownea wno.e or I9 reportea tnat. y,u . " Tn mate, was 831.000.000. managed to escape us. We sent in part by any person not qualified to war made use of the Spanish flag in Qf coasU our shot and shell all around and over own a British ship, the ship snail be the Spanlsn-Amencan vvar .u xo, I d". are certain that several subject to forfeiture under this act- that a Russian man-of-war used the where anchor tnat a nussiaa l,W had to be .. . . . .v.- ,ntir,n h hexn mad T. lion 1a r in th Black Sea during the rxt our shot and tne wtnonas strucK umwo Llio - -u .A , nr the value o of our snoi ana uniose of escaping capture by war of 1877. But these acts were held B-t V .. A. mm. . .k. ...tnr of an enemy or by a foreign snip oi war to be permissiDie ruses. xne ws - -- -- -- - v..,,.. !,. .t o ,Wlr,,W nf hi To capture them ventor. Lieutenant Clifton W est, of tne with 200 places Legion of Frontiersmen. could be dropped and The inventor claims that his projee- bottled up. tile is perfectly safe to handle, and of the cotton that on coming to earth arter an un- the blockade the runners took from the interrupted flight it will do no damage ctv,-r. ttati tn the English looms bevond that caused by the Impact. If. No special projecting sgent Is re quired, for it' can be fitted to an? e lsting caliber gun. It can also be used as an ordinary explosive shell, and as a "tracer." being especially suitable for Illuminating purpones in place of the star shell. The Illumination can be timed for the whole or any part of the the port and not in signal distance. The in the exercise of a Den.gerent rignt. One of the greatest oioaues x ...a- Manchestcr and Lancashlre up to however, in passing through the air It of fBht. By reason o Cuba is loaded and ready to run the During the war between Chili and tory was that of Confederate ports by ? thcy ad to ghut down, And should Etrlke a dirigible a solid mass lh). lt poibi. to obtain the nece. blockade and bee leave to suggest the reru in ueantrvnuui., .UH""-" f ederal vwu um.a ,,..itv of more vessels on this sta- of the United States whether or not It of 1861-65. It was deemed tion. as the few here now frequently might be Permitted to uetto Ameri- lbiut, to . carry cut n0cently called? Steam presses re- projectile during flight. The apparatus ha. been fired, have to- be scattered ana sent in cbmo h - Civil War . t , ., a . i. .rr.ittrt th whole operation ... in.imination without dlaclosln an impos- of the cargoes ot naroware a. no veloclty of .'position from whlck the proiecUia