he tanks. In rooms occupied by Fay and
Scholz were dynamite and trinitrotoluol (known as T-N-T), many caps of
fulminate of mercury, and Government survey maps of the eastern coast
line and New York Harbor. The conspirators' equipment included a fast
motor boat that could dart up and down the rivers and along the water
front where ships were moored, a high-powered automobile, and four
suit cases containing a number of disguises. The purpose of the
enterprise was to stop shipments of arms and ammunitions to the
Allies. The disabling of ships, said Fay, was the sole aim, without
destruction of life. To this end he had been experimenting for several
months on a waterproof mine and a detonating device that would operate
by the swinging of a rudder, to which the mine would be attached,
controlled by a clock timed to cause the explosion on the high seas.
The German secret service, both Fay and Scholz said, had provided them
with funds to pursue their object. Fay's admission to the police
contained these statements:

"I saw Captain Boy-Ed and Captain von Papen on my arrival in this
country. Captain Boy-Ed told me that I was doing a dangerous thing. He
said that political complications would result and he most assuredly
could not approve of my plans. When I came to this country, however, I
had letters of introduction to both those gentlemen. Both men warned
me not to do anything of the kind I had in mind. Captain von Papen
strictly forbade me to attach any of the mines to any of the ships
leaving the harbors of the United States. But anyone who wishes to,
can read between the lines.

"The plan on which I worked was to place a mine on the rudder post so
that when it exploded it would destroy the rudder and leave the ship
helpless. There was no danger of any person being killed. But by this
explosion I would render the ship useless and make the shipment of
munitions so difficult that the owners of ships would be intimidated
and cause insurance rates to go so high that the shipment of
ammunition would be seriously affected, if not stopped."

The Federal officials questioned the statement that Fay's design was
merely to cripple munition ships. Captain Harold C. Woodward of the
Corps of Engineers, a Government specialist on explosives, held that
if the amount of explosive, either trinitrotoluol, or an explosive
made from chlorate of potash and benzol, required by the mine caskets
found in Fay's possession, was fired against a ship