ALLEGED UNSEAWORTHY VESSEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 204, 27 August 1909, Page 5

ALLEGED UNSEAWORTHY VESSEL.

; "?■ ~:'''■■. .'■-••••••■■•■ ; (By Telegraph,—Press Association.) i WELLINGTON, Thursday. At the Supreme Court to-day Sebastian I Newsoh, who chartered the scow Rona for 1 salvaging operations at Palliser Bay, wo» charged with having sent tbe scow, to sea in an unfit "copdition. When" the Bona was sent on the expedition she had nine persons aboard.. Sne leaked badly, and went ashore in Palliser Bay'and broke up. The not concluded, when the Court rbgip. 1 ■:;""^- In explaining' the case, Mr.' Myers, Crown Prosecutor, Bald that it was a somewhat peculiar one. Indeed, he had never heard of such , a case before the Courts of New Zealand. It WOW, pot under the Crimes Act, but .under the Shlpping-and Seamen Act. The facts "pf the case were that/on. the beach at Palliser Bay there was a vessel ashore during March last. The accused thought he would make an attempt to. salve the wreck. He therefore chartered a ketch named the Rona, which had been lying on the beach at Bona Bay for some months. There had been in the vessel an engine, which had been taken, out carelessly. Then the, prisoner got together a crew, under an able seaman, -and the Bona was brought off the beach round to Thorndon, and after a wait the expedition started. As she went down the harbour she began to leak. She made more water outside the heads, and the crew had to bale* The pumps were broken down, and the baling appliances were uncertain. The boat was not capable of carrying more than three, though there was a crew of nine aboard. The vessel sank on the beach in bad weather.