SHIPPING: Heart’s Desire

A handsome young man was an officer in the Imperial German Navy when war broke out. He was Count Alfred Niezyzhowski, known to the smarter Berlin set as “Al” or “Nizzy.” He was not really a “Bosch,”but a fine gentleman from the Polish part of East Prussia; and his uncle, Baron Hengelmuller, Austrian Ambassador to the U. S., had long been the popular dean of the diplomatic corps at Washington.

Count Niezyzhowski was assigned to the Kronprins Wilhelm, a destroyer of Allied shipping. On Apr. 11, 1915, his ship was forced into Newport News, Va., for fuel and repairs, was interned. The Count was sent to Fort McPherson, Ga.

After the War, he came to Washington, was introduced by the old friends of his uncle into the best social circles. To earn a living, he proclaimed himself a Pole, applied for U. S. citizenship, accepted the Presidency of the Polish-American Navigation Co., which had a claim* against the U. S. Government. The Shipping Board refused the claim. But the Company had 30,000 stockholders and the support of 4,000,000 Poles throughout the U. S. The Count, their champion, got 25 Harding administration Senators to back his claim. With their signatures, he admonished the Shipping Board to deal justly, not legalistically. The Board would not relent. The Count appealed to the 4,000,000.

Vice Chairman Plummer of the Shipping Board, last week, granted a rehearing. All is ready for a happy ending.

*The U. S. Shipping Board seized three of the Company’s ships for nonpayment of notes. Since the Company had paid $2,000,000 on the notes, it demanded a bill from Congress returning the ships outright, or on return sale from the Shipping Board at a price which would make an allowance for the $2,000,000.