Taahington Post,November 9,1939,
Flint Ordered
To Unload and
Sail forHome
To Avoid War Zone;
Shippers to Be Paid
From Cargo Insurance
By International Seas Scrclcu
The United States Lines has in-
structed Capt Joseph A. Gainard of
the freighter City of Flint to dis-
charge his cargo at Bergen, Norway,
and return to New York with empty
holds, it was learned last night.
An authoritative source said or-
ders cabled the line's London agents
for transmission to Bergen directed
Capt. Gainard, on the homeward
voyage, to avoid combat areas de-
lineated in President Roosevelt's
neutrality proclamation.
The proclamation forbade the en-
try of American vessels into waters
of the British Isles and any Nor-
wegian port south of Bergen. It ex-
empted vessels whose voyages com-
menced before the proclamation's
publication, but officials said the
U. S. Lines had decided to observe
the restrictions.
Official sources said the London
and New York underwriters who in-
sured the Flint's cargo had agreed
to Capt Gainard's invocation of a
"war risk** clause, permitting dis-
charge of cargo consigned to a bel-
ligerent nation at the "nearest port
of safety." The Flint's cargo was
consigned to Manchester.
Shippers Not to Lose
The underwriters, it was said, ex-
pect to realize sufficient sums from
the cargo's sale at Bergen to satisfy
the shippers' claims in full and leave
a small profit for themselves.
Dispatches from Capt Gainard, it
was learned meantime, have estab-
lished that Soviet claims of ma-
chinery repairs to the Flint at Mur-
mansk rested upon the fact the
master took occasion during the lay-
over there to shut down and clean
two of the fhip's three boilers.
The Soviet authorities advanced
the contention o£ Machinery dam-
age" in vjusfificaflon; of the vessel's
five-day stay at Murmansk, a lay-
over  this -.government contended
obliged them~ to restore the -Vessel
f to its American crew under inter-
national law raH
Officials said toe master's reports
Indicated Germany - advanced an
"equally flimsy^Tpretext.^when it
said a stop the German prize crew
ordered at Haugesund was necessi-
tated by the "illness'*' of a member
of the American crew. 9
The seaman's "ailment,*', officials
said, was a barked shin;. /
May Remain Several Days
Bergen, Nov. 8 (#).—The Amer-
ican freighter City of Flint will
remain here several days, it was re-
ported today.
The United States'minister, Mrs.
J. Borden Harriman. called on the
British naval attache (presumably
to continue negotiations in regard
to disposition of the vessel's cargo.
Says Russians Chased Flint
Bergen (Thursday) J Nov. 9 (U.R).—
William Nahcr, a seaman aboard the
City of Flint, said today thatthe
German prize crtfw/ mobilized all
hands "for resistance" whprf a Rjis?
sian armed trawler pursued the>ves-
sel out of Munnanskydn thovmorh-
Sjfcof October 29/the day after
.Russian authorities permitted the
ship to sail;   S 7^
The Germans, finding the armed
gwawler^elos/ behind/were said to
{have taken/the City of Flint dan-
rgerously in toward shore and to
have shaken off pursuit,
/