The Skipper And His Boys.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4893, 29 December 1888, Page 3

The Skipper And His Boys.

“A FLOATING- HELL.” Captain Nowgreen, of the ship Dumbartonshire, is in some ill odor at Napier. It ia stated that his crew had been working hard all the week unloading the vessel out in the bay, and on Sunday were washing decks and cleaning the ship till after breakfast time. Tho Captain called on two of tho men to form part of a boat’s crew to pull him ashore, and they refused to go, saying they ought to have a rest. Captain Newgreen for this had them put in irons and, it is said, triced up to a beam, and next morning he took them ashore, in irons, they were sentenced to a week’s imprisonment, and were then returned to the vessel by a policeman. The News published a complaint about this, which brought out a reply from five members of the crew (two of them being the steward and cook) denying that the capta : n was cruel or unjust, asserting that he was a gentleman, and the two sailors Queensland larrikins who got no more than they deserved. The News added a footnote to this reply, saying : The above is all humbug. Anybody who knows anything about merchant sailors knows they will sign anything-under pressure. Tho fact remains that there is a man on. board the ship, in irons, ‘ triced up to a beam,’ This faettho brutal skipper openly boasted of in town on Saturday. Ho has boasted about the street that he would make the ship a perfect “floating hell" for the men who had disobeyed his orders. The ea e should bo enquired into by tho proper authorities. The crew of the ship number 17—of these five have signed the letter, and both letter and signatures appear to have been written by the same hand! Captain Nowgreen has proved himself to be a truculent ruffian, a brutal braggart; bo has grossly broken the law by keeping a man in irons in a British port. We do not attach the slightest importance to this testimonial of character, and we recommend the Custom authorities to warn men not to ship in a vessel whose captain has behaved in such a blackguardly manner. A man who flourishes his revolver about and threatens to make his ship a “floating hell,” should not be, employed by respectable owners.