GUNBOAT V. TRAWLERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3862, 4 October 1899, Page 2

GUNBOAT V. TRAWLERS

EXCITING .CHASE IX THE ENGLISH. . CHANNEL.-.' A DVEii TUROtTS FRENCH''- POACHER-, BROUGHT 1 TO .Avlm.. BALL* CART-■■-ridge., v /v y ax ■ AT UN AT THE WHEEL KILLED WITH ■ 'TV A RIFLE - SHOT/- . : ' ) August C, For some months past French fishing vessels have been constantly-found within the three-mile limit of English fishing grounds in the neighbourhood of Dnngeness, laughing rules and gunboats to scorn. : Now retribution steps in. and the owners of the French smack L'Etoile de Mer are likely to be sorry she left her native .waters. The gunboat Leda, sighted her about ten o’clock on Tuesday’ night within a mile and a half of Dniigehess Light, and hailed her. She refused to heave to; and was chased by the aid of search lights lor an hour and a half. ~. ; . • , 1 TACKING AND DODGING. As she still continued tacking and dodging, six or seven rounds of blank cartridge were fired from three-pounder guns and about fifty or sixty from rifles. This was misunderstood, innocently said the master of the lugger, -.lean Francois Dclattro at yesterday’s police court proceedings at Folkestone. They were sailors, used to the sea from their youth -up, hut bad no idea what the blank cartridges were fired for. He seemed, in fact, to lake it as a gratuitous fireworks display, so sterner measures had to he taken, and with the object of cutting away the trigging of the fishing smack ball cartridge was then used. HELMSMAN SHOT DEAD. : Unfortunately both vessels were rolling in a rather rough sea. and the French helmsman was shot dead. This brought the trawler.do, and the gunboat took her in tow to Folkestone. The little' town - was greatly excited. Groups of fishermen louhged against posts and discussed the question wrathfully and with much emphasis, the general opinion being " that it served ’em well right. They come and take our fish, the very bread out of our months,, they do.” i The master of the fishing boat appeared at the police court yesterday afternoon on two charges—first, of fishing in prohibited waters,, and secondly, of refusing to heaveho on being hailed.'

FINES AND PENALTIES. He was found guilty and .fined; ,£IO on the first count, and £5 on the second, the gear, probably worth .£SO or AGO, to be given up to the English authorities. The money was pa.id.nnd as the friends of Jean. Auguste Loth, the dead man, were anxious to take the body home, the inquest was held after six yesterday evening. OA ~ A .‘I 'A A A THE INQUEST. --AIt was a .solemn little court, with an extremely solemn jury.' - They evident ly felt that the first discord in the European concert might be the result of their deliberations, and sat like so, many Simon'-Tnpper-tits, hoping that* if 'ahything'came- of it ; it might “ not be human gore'.” 1 ' Captain Yermon Maud, ,of the gunboat Leda, looked rather bored; arid there was some whispering and subdued laughter at the back'of the court 1 which was sternly repressed by officials. : The master of the vessel, a brown picturesque figure '.of -a'typical / French, sailor,, still knew nothing of the tactics of gunboats. He spoke no English, and his dark eyes roved'round the -court: anxiously. ’- . IN ENTIRE IGNORANCE "Ask him . if. he expects, me to, believe that as a sailor heMiad iio’lnioivledge’of the meaning of the gunboat’s firing v said the coroner to, the interpreter. . An. expressive 1 hidvetnen't of Hite hands’; the muster was as ,an .angel in. ignorance of such things. ■ , "-Did he. not . hear when .he,.was haijed within speaking'distance 1 ?” ' " ' ■ •' ! Again .tlm,expressive hands-, .He was a poof sailor'who'knew ho English. " “Ah, hut .you .were, failed in French by the : captain- of '■-bite ‘ gunboat.'* ' • : Evidently the 1 Bbhlcjgne fisherman held the captain’s French in. contempt. He did not understand. ' ‘ ... .. CHASING,THE- POACHER, , , The captain himself gave evidence, that he had chased the poacher for cohSide'rably ovgr.an hour, apfl the,a,fired fifty or, sixty rounds of blank cartridges with no effect. i " They tacked and . dodged- just , across my bows,” he said, " and the Leda being a long boat could not turn quickly enough to grapple her, though we had the grapnels ready. They were .smart,; I never, had niofe troulile’ih, catchiiig 'a'boat.”' ' ‘ |The French;fisherman-had stated that the vessels were only two yards apart at the time of thei-ibUllieactridgeAfiriiig, but the commander of the gunboat said it was fifty yards .at—the-very-least, - - | The coroner reminded, him of the Frenchman’s -statements.' ■ The English «?[)tain ? s eye fired;, one .knew:, exactly - lie lyahted A’o' say. >• - But' fhosb’dlireA words gave way to "He does.. not,, speak; the truth.” ’■ ■ 1

j ACCIDENTAL DEATH. I The three men whtf>.firedathe ball cartridges were called, ana"g3yfeefidence that the orders were but owing t|i the rolling ’bfAi&iiAvSsefo't'fie bullets found a billetjlowerfjtlfan, rv ; {found” V.. verdict of accidental death; : | -J J AfR-THEoFOKEIG-N' OFFICEIV’ f ’ i ; : A J ; r i the French at j&ie’Tdreign Office yea-tef<la^rAft’eruoph,v>-3t ■%“explhineartfnal:' jwJugh ‘H.'M.'S: Led%firecl' nppn .the’;Frencl{ Aiiggec' plat&l by, the -treaties governing the 1 fishing limitsf him 'it French” boat’s- 'crew knew’ the 'jiilue, and '±M‘ risk they were nuining. and. thereby the.ipT with tmolnH nc/t tohrvow ■ [The Frenchf.Gos.'ermnentrtiydte fully cog! meant ofitJbMfßtaitaHOAlsfV-atitl it HKBojikd that no ugly conaeqliefffeSrWill carfao from whabifoiregfiCdediat aitr4gxettabla»episodei AN., OLD,. I The incursions of Vremclufißliermeivtipon the English within the three-mild.: Hfii itisftetegft lihstaFcorrespony rlelrtt, have increased .Very.:much;in recent years and have been the cause of very frequent and loud complaints from English fishermen engaged in the English Channel.

’The greatest offenders are the fishermen of Calais, Boulogne, and Treport, where there are very/large fleets of fishing craft engaged in trawling, drift net, and line, fishing. „ ~ “ ’ ~r . -T , ..... The ‘faVourite* places- of rendezvous for these French boats are the bays on the west side of Dungeness point to the Porelands, although they are mostly to befound in the neighbourhood of Dnngeness. where the capture was made yesterday, and where most of the recent captures- have been made. At times’, especially during the mackerel and herring season, ' these. French - craft literally sWarm over to our fishing grounds, the favourite method being to slip across Channel into the: forbidden area and fish under cover,of the night. In this way. great numbers of them elude’ the vigilance of; the'/English fishififpprotectiori- boat J-um