SAVED SEVEN LIVES

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 October 1929, Page 2

SAVED SEVEN LIVES

GAOLED FOR TWO YEARS. VANCOUVER, September 13. Captain Robert Pamphlet, the skipper who unwittingly landed himself in a United States prison for two years through his promptitude in rescuing seven men from a sinking United States steamer, has completed his term and has returned to his home in Vancouver. Few international cases arising from the United States prohibition laws have drawn as much attention as that of Captain Pamphlet. A former member of the British Navy, who rendered valiant service against German U-boats during the Great War, he was proceeding south in a Canadian steamer with a large cargo of liquor well outside United States waters ,two years ago, when he ran into a ‘storm. In the midst of it he discerned a United States freighter in distress. After a little time the crew sent out calls for aid, and despite the fact that he was risking capture he ran his boat into United States waters; rescued the seven sailors from the ship which sank, and headed for the open Pacific again. Before he had time to get far enough away to make his departure from United States waters beyond question, he was hailed by a United States coastguard vessel, his ship was boarded and seized, and the whole crew was placed under arrest. Captain Pamphlet, who took full responsibility and thereby won the freedom of the remainder of the crew, maintained that his vessel, when boarded, was well outside United States waters, and members of the crew corroborated this. The coastguard officials swore that the vessel had entered United States waters, and Pamphlet was sentenced to two years. The fact that he had only violated United States laws to save the lives of seven United, States seamen was ignored.

Irony was added to the sentence by the fact that the owners of the doomed ship, from which Pamphlet rescued the sailors, presented him with a valuable gold watch for his action. Captain Pamphlet on his return here declared that he will resume his occupation as master mariner; and if, as before, his duties call upon him to handle a liquor cargo, he shall do so. “But,” he added, “the next time I find a United States vessel in distress I shall call upon the United States coastguard to do the rescuing.”