STEAMER SCUTTLED.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14328, 19 October 1910, Page 6

STEAMER SCUTTLED.

MASTER HEAVILY PENALISED. 1000 GUINEAS COSTS. A remarkable Board of Trade inquiry, lasting a full fortnight, ended at tCardiff, amid considerable excitement, in a finding by the Court that the new and over-insured steamer British Standard foundered through human agency. The Court suspended the- master's certificate lor 18 months, and ordered him to pay £'10o!) towards the costs or the inquiry. The chief engineer was suspended for V2 months, end ordered to pay i'C'O. and the third engineer was censured. Tho inquiry marks a record in the history ct such proceedings. The bliii) was launched in Sunderland in March last. She was built to the order of Messrs Drown, Son and Co.. Cardilf, and the British Standard

Steamship Company was formed to : lake over the vessel. Messrs Brown and Co became the managing owners. Messrs Brown and Co. counted of . Mr Frederick Brown, of Penarth. and his .-.on. Mr. Thomas Brown, of Peuarfch. They had offices in Cardifl'. The capiain of the vessel. Mr Paul j Braun. ihuivgli he snellod his name i d:sfer..-«Hv. is the brother of Mr. Fred- | eriek Drown. After his nanus had I beer, submitted to Lloyd's for np- | jproval as master of ihe % : es=ev!. i::.v!.-- I ! men was effected, tet.illing £;V,.:V>-'). j 1 y;,„ cost Jl:S3,2fi.". and of this i f'vM.so',l remained on :■ ortgage with . the builders on acceptance ever a period or four years. The capital of the company formed to take over the vessel was -CS-t.OOi), and the total paid-no capital at ri.e fb.--> she sailed was £«G!0 made im of f>lß shar-s. of wlvch M"essrs Brown. 50,,, and Co. and Mr Paul lirauu held i a?G between them. j STEAM Fll SCUTTLED. ) j The vessel was making her maiden ! : vertigo from Cardiff to Bio Janeiro I j with a cargo of coal and patent fuel, j and v.as only about K, miles otf Negro i Iro have struck a submerged rock not j j marked on the chart. I j The caotain and crew cf 20 hands j | took to the boats and rowed away, the j vessel foundering some hours later. ! The crew wore nicked up by a. Brazil- | ian s-hoor.er, ar.d eventually lauded at i Bio Janeiro. * I OFPIcTSS OF 15P.18F.5. < Members of the crew came I'.p at Lhe i inquire to sav that the shii) w;ij do- I liberately sunk. Alfred Page, the ! second mate, declared that the capta:n | had offered him £IOO, which ho :n- ; creased to £'3oo r.t Southampton, to i induce him to support the captain it: ! his account of the less of the. vessel, j and he also said that he had heard j the captain offer two Greek sailors £3O | a-piece if they made certain state- | men is. I i The crew was a very mixed one. j The captain was a Germ in. the chief officer a Norwegian, and others were | ! Greeks. Austrians, Italians. and | ! coloured men. Only the second ofue.er | and the first and second engineers i \ wo.e Knglishmen. At the time (he i vessel was said to have struck the snn- • merged rock, the master, the chief L I officer, and t-hsee teamen \wrc on ' watch, and in the engine-room vere the third engineer and two coloured firemen. It was stated by these -hat they felt a shoe!-:, and heard a girting ' sound, that the engines refused to ! work for a time, and thata the v.heel ; Jammed. Other members of the crew, ' however, said they fell no shock, and The Pies dent, in living iudtrmeut, > s,id that the prospectus of"the coia- ' pauy showed that the position of the • sharehold ".•> would lie entirely different • \o and considerably Letter than that of '" shareholders in mo f. other steamship companies. 'Jlie promotion of the 1 British Standard ."-'.: -.uiship Company 1 was not a financial tircee.--. L The -managir-g owner did not oiselose to the underwrite s his relationship to the master of the vessel, and - the fact that the latter had lost J other vessels. There was an uver-in- - snranoe on the ship amounting hi c £*,9cJ2. It left Cardiff in a seaworthy 1 condition, and v.as navigated with :i reasonable care to Cane Negri;. The J Court found that the ship did not • strike a derelict, submerged wreckage, ? or a rock, but was sunk by human • agency. Messrs Brown and Sons have already d entered an action for the recovery of the insurance from the underwriters, r and an aopeal to the Admiralty is to s' be lodged against the deecsioii of the 9 Hoard of Trade inquiry. 1 In order that the underwriter's may r legally decline to pay the in-urauce L- thev roust connect the owners with the [ alleged scuttling: of the shin. haira'.rv 1 (to give the eli'ence it- technical uamJi -' j being one of the risks an owner ine | sitres again- 1 when he takes out a. '-! Lloyd's"policy. .'•' j Hence, if the underwriters decide to '-' | defend the action which has been i<o- '"' ; gnu- against them they would have to :_ | allege a conspiracy between Me:sis t j Brown and Sons and the eaotain. '■- i _ In view of all the circiivrctiuu'es. the >' [ judgment is to be submitted to the > j Public Prosecutor (Sh' Chariei : - I. M'athews). f Cantain Paul Braun. the master. and Mata.thew Bichmond. the chiefengineer, are allowed 2S davs in which | to anneal to the llii'h Court of Adj i'.:t>a.!ty. Tlie former has declared his s . I intention <.f avaiiinr; himself of this ; i r: S bt.