File No. 300.115/1888
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)
Washington, December 24, 1914.
[Telegram]
825. In re seizure steamer Ellen . Barber and Company, owners of ship, furnish Department with verified copy of ship’s manifest showing consignments of all shipments abroad to specific consignees in neutral countries. In this case and that of steamer Tellus, copies of manifest were submitted to British Consul at New York and affidavits taken from all shippers to effect that shipments were for consumption in the neutral countries to which consigned. Your telegram December 171 stating Foreign Office inform you Ellen detained at Newport because inter alia she has absolute contraband on board cannot be understood in any other light than that the seizure is made merely because there were on board articles which are listed by British Government as contraband.
In re Sandefjord taken to Halifax and detained already some twenty days while cargo is being unloaded in search of contraband, it is currently understood here that this ship was seized and her cargo unloaded upon unfounded rumors or suspicions probably reaching British authorities that ship contained munitions of war. Department is slow to believe seizure of this vessel was made on account of gum, coffee, hogshair, and hog or beef casings which have been taken from vessel. You will present a note to British Government explicitly objecting to the seizure and detention of each of these vessels with their cargoes, asking for release and giving notice that this Government reserves the right of reclamation for damages resulting.
- Not printed.↩