Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1915 — WIRELESS STATION SEIZED BY U. S. [ARTICLE]

WIRELESS STATION SEIZED BY U. S.

Daniels Takes Control of Sayville Plant. NAVY MEN AT THE KEYS Secretary Redfield Asserts That Company Running the Concern Is Entirely German Owned—Violated Neutrality Is Charged. Washington, July 9.—The government has taken charge of the Sayville (L. I.) wireless station, the only privately operated direct means of communication between the United States and Germany. Secretary Daniels announced that Captain Bullard, in charge of the naval radio, had gone to take over the station and would continue Its operation with naval forces. Statement by Daniels. Secretary Daniels Issued this statement: “It is understood that the Sayville radio station had made application to the secretary of commerce for a license. The secretary of commerce declined to grant the license and so informed the secretary of the navy, who, after conference, directed Captain Bullard, as the expert of the department, to take over and operate the station. There will be no change, so far as the public is concerned. Messages will be accepted as heretofore. The only difference will be that naval operators instead of commercial employees will man the keys. Tho charges collected by the navy will be paid to the owning company. Orders by President. This action, which was taken under an executive order issued by President Wilson, giving the navy authority to take over "one or more” stations, was deemed necessary because of alleged violations of neutrality by ti e company’n operators. It has been charged that when the navy censors had left the wireless room for a minute or two, unneutral messages had been sent, and that only by a difficult and trying supervision could neutrality be strictly preserved. High naval officers have told Secretary Daniels that while they have no evidence that such communication has been maintained, they could not know definitely whether the station was In touch with German submarines unless the navy’s own operators were in charge of the plant. State department officials said no complaint regarding the neutrality wf the Sayville station had been received officially from the British government. They said that the state department merely had been consulted by Secretary Redfield In reaching his determination to refuse to Issue a license. Erected Since War. Secretary Redfield, In a letter to Secretary recommending that the United States take over the Sayville station, said investigation had shown that the new sending station, for which license was asked, had all been erected since the beginning of the war with apparatus mado In Germany, that the company was entirely German owned, working with stations in Germany under government control, and that Professor Zenneck, a captain of marines of the German navy and wireless expert, had been assigned by the German government to conduct experiments there. To grant a license to such a station, Secretary Redfield said, the department had concluded would be an unneutral act.