Shark Devils— mid Gods 153 



The Witness Was a Shark: In November, 1915, the U.S. Government 

 brouoht to trial, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of 

 New York, four executives of the Hamburg-American Steamship Com- 

 pany. They were charged with violation of U.S. customs laws. But, in 

 effect, they were being tried to put on record Germany's use of neutral 

 American ports by falsely registered freighters that were used to carry 

 supplies to German U-boats and raiders. 



In his openino statement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert B. Wood 

 told how a Norwegian ship, the Gladstone, had been given a provisional 

 registry as the Costa Rican ship Marina Quesada and, on December 16, 

 1914, had sailed from Newport News, Virginia. Ostensibly, she was 

 headed for Valparaiso, Chile. Actually her mission was to rendezvous with 

 German raiders. 



Early in January, 1915, Wood said, the ship's Costa Rican flag was 

 hauled down and a Norwegian flag was run up. The name Marina Quesada 

 \\as painted out, and Gladsto?ie was once more painted on her bows and 

 counter. And, as the Gladstone, after some minor adventures and misad- 

 ventures, she anchored in the harbor of Pernambuco (now Recife), Brazil. 



"And there," Wood recounted, "the customs authorities demanded 

 the ship's papers, and the Captain, after giving several excuses, put the 

 papers in a leather pouch and got in a small boat and dropped the papers 

 overboard. 



"Now, gentlemen, I do not vouch for this story, but one of the wit- 

 nesses says that the crew of a Brazilian warship lying alongside the Marina 

 Quesada killed a shark, and in the belly of the shark they found the 

 ship's papers. At all events, we have not been able to get hold of the 

 papers." 



The witness was John Olson, chief engineer of the ship. He told, on 

 the stand, the story of the ship's masquerade and its arrival in Brazil. He 

 said that the captain of the ship had dropped the papers as he entered 

 a small boat that was to carry him to shore. Later, Olson testified, the 

 captain told the first mate about the incident and said: "Did you see 

 the trick I done?" 



"Did you see any of the ship's papers again? Olson was asked on the 

 stand. 



A. I seen the handbag; yes, sir. 



Q. Whereabouts? 



A. In a news office in Pernambuco. 



Q. Did you ever see any of the papers? 

 A. No, sir. 



Q. Did you leave the ship there? 

 A. Yes, sir. 



