SUNK SCHOONER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 83, 26 March 1929, Page 5

SUNK SCHOONER

A DELICATE QUESTION

ALLEGED FRENCH SUBJECT DROWNED.

FURTHER PROBLEM INVOLVED.

[United Press AMoeiation—By Cable— Copyright.] (Argue.)

(Received 26, 10.15 a.m.) Washington, March 25.

The sinking of the schooner I’m Alone continues to be an extremely delicate subject here with a third nation now involved, due to the fact that one member of the crew who lost his life when the schooner went down was allegedly a French subject, namely Leon Maingay. of St. Pierre Miquelon. It is maintained in some quarters that Maingay was a naturalised British subject; nevertheless the French Consul at New Orleans duly made representations to his Embassy, which is also investigating. In the meantime, there are two factors of prime importance in the situation, which must still be decided—(l) whether the vessel was fourteen or fifteen miles out at sea, as Captain Randall vehemently affirms, and therefore outside the treaty jurisdiction of the United States, and, (2) whether the schooner was in truth a British ship or merely a rum-runner masquerading under the British flag. Steps are now being taken to decide these two points. CAPTAIN'S WAR DECORATIONS. [Australian and N.Z. Press Association.] (Received 26, 11.5 a.m.) Halifax (Nova Scotia), March 25. The captain of the schooner I’m Alone is known to British Admiralty circles as Lieutenant-Commander T. Randall, D. 5.0.. Croix de Guerre (two palms). He has had wide experience in the Arctic and commanded the auxilliary schooner Moso on an expedition to Hobson's Bay last summer. He is a resident of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and was born in Newfoundland. I’m Alone was registered at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, ACTION FULLY JUSTIFIED. U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY’S STATEMENT. [Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) (Received 26, 1.5 p.m.) ' Washington, March 25. Mr. Andrew W. Mellon held that the United States’ action in sinking the I'm Alone was fully justified under international law. The Secretary of the Treasury has made public the report on the incident received from coastguard headquarters, which reviewed the history of the I’m Alone and repeated coastguard contentions that she was a notorious rum smuggler,

[See page 8 for earlier cable.]