Q. How much did the machinery cost?
A. Roughly speaking, $150 or $200.
Q. What would be the cost of making one and filling it with explosives?
A. About $250 each … If they had given me money enough I should simply have been able to block the shipping entirely.
Q. Do you mean you could have destroyed every ship that left the harbor by means of those bombs?
A. I would have been able to stop so many that the authorities would not have dared (to send out any ships).
It was proved during Fay's trial that his bomb was a practical device, and that its forty pounds of explosive would sink any ship to which it was attached.
Fay and his accomplices, Scholz and Daeche, were convicted of conspiracy to attach explosive bombs to the rudders of vessels, with the intention of wrecking the same when at sea, and were sentenced, on May 9, 1916, to terms of eight, four and two years respectively, in the federal penitentiary at Atlanta. Dr. Herbert Kienzle and Max Breitung, who assisted Fay in procuring explosives, were indicted on the same charge. Both were interned.
Another plan for disabling ships was suggested by a man who remained for some time unknown. He called one day at the German Military Information Bureau, maintained at 60 Wall Street by Captain von Papen, of the German embassy, and there gave the following outline of his plan:
"I intend to cause serious damage to vessels of the Allies leaving ports of the United States by placing bombs, which I am making myself, on board. These bombs resemble ordinary lumps of coal and I am planning to have them concealed in the coal to be laden on steamers of the Allies. I have already discussed this plan with … at … and he thinks favorably of my idea. I have been engaged on similar work in … after the outbreak of the war, together with Mr. von …"