I’M ALONE CASE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1929, Page 2

I’M ALONE CASE

SKIPPER’S DEFIANCE ON HIGH SEAS. TELLS DRAMATIC STORY OF THE SINKING. “MOST COWARDLY SINCE THE U-BOAT CRIMES.” A message from New Orleans gives the captain’s graphic story of the sinking of the I’m Alone. “You mak sink us if you like;'but you may not seize us.” This defiance, hurled by the captain of the British auxiliary schooner I’m Alone at the commanders df the coast guard cutters that sank his craft in the Gulf of Mexico when he refused to obey orders to heave to, was repeated by him half a dozen times in the course of his account of the encounter with the Dexter and the Walcott.

His narrative of this drama of the high spas which has -become an international incident, came from the lips of the 6elf-confessed rum-runner in answer to questions with which he was plied all day long behind locked doors in the Custom House. He and his crew had been brought ashore in irons. They were rushed to the Custom Souse under heavy guard. i • - BRITISH VICE-CONSUL THERE. Among those who listened to the captain of the rum-runner were Customs inspectors, United States Attorney Edmond Ef. Talbot and A. M. Simpson, British Vice-Consul at New Orleans. The British official was assigned to be-present at the questioning of the captured rum-runners by Henry Tom, British Consul of New Orleans, who said he was acting under instructions from the British Embassy at Washington. Captain John Thomas Rnndell, the forty-nine-year-old Canadian skipper of tiie I’m Alone, frankly admitted his schooner had a load of liquor aboard when it was sunk about 200 miles off the Louisiana coast. He even naively recoiiqted • tfye system of identification resorted tO',by. his employers to insure his: contrabrand cargoes would be delivered the person for whom thpy. were intended. But in the course ofi 'hjp "recital he flared out the charge that the 11 pinking of his craft was “the most cowardly crime since the German u-boat outrages of the last war.” He insisted the interview that he,wastw'ifhih;his rights in refusing to allbw ; the customs men to’ board him while ijis vessel was on the high seas, entirely outside American territorial waters.,•

Rafidell said he was fourteen to fifteen miles off the American coast when first hailed by the guardsmen. They assert-.the distance was between ten and eleven miles and thus within the twelve-mile limit of American jurisdiction. Randell and the Coast Guard officers agree that the I’m Alone, flying the British flag, was about 200 miles from the American shore when she was sunk by gunfire. CAPTAIN TELLS STORY. “About 5 a.m. on March SSJ,” Captain Randell told questioners, “I anchored about fourteen and one-half to fifteen miles off shore; roughly five miles north allowing for current. I knew positively by my distance run, by tame and by the speed of my ship that my position was correct. Shortly after daybreak we saw the cutter approaching from the westward. I immediately hove up, anchor and steered a course south by west. The cutter approached me about half an. hour afterwards, that being roughly about 6.30 0r ; 6.40 a;m. I then lparned that this was the cutter Walcott. “He ordered me to heave to.’ I replied, ‘Captain, .you have no jurisdiction over me. I am on the high seas outside of treaty waters. I cannot and will not heave to.’ “He then fired three of four blank shots at me, and proceeded toward a tank steamer which was steaming toward the westward. Shortly afterwards he returned with the signals, ‘Heave to’ flying. I replied by signal, ‘No.’

“Shortly after I should say roughly around 9.30 a.m., the cutter again came close, and the captain called to me over the megaphone, ‘Captain, will you heave to?” I replied, ‘No, you have no jurisdiction over me or my ship on the high seas.’ He then said. ‘I would like to come on board and have'a talk with you.’ I replied, ‘You may if-, you come unarmed,” Previous to this he told me he would fire at me if I did not heave to, and I replied in the negative saying, ‘You may shoot if you wish, but I cannot or will not allow you to come on board armed.’ CUTTER CAPTAIN ABOARD. “After talking with him through the megaphone for a few minutes I de-. cided to let him come on board. He came up alongside after I had stopped my engines, with his gun crew ready to fire. I told- him that I could only allow him to get on board if he came unarmed, and not to have his guns on my ship in the meantime. We stopped, and the captain of the Walcott came on board and talked with me for probably an hour and three-quarters, during which time he said to me: ‘Captain, you made a mistake this morning.’ I replied, ‘What was that, sir?’ “He said: ‘You threatened to shoot me or anybody that come on board.’ I replied: ‘Captain nothing was further from by thoughts. I did not say such words. I can give you my word as an officer and gentleman that I did not even think of such a thing or say it. and T can swear to you upon everything that I hold sacred that I did not say those words or have any intention of saying them.’

“I said. ‘Do you believe me, will you take my hand and say that you believe what I said.’ He replied, ,Yes,’ I believe it was just a mistake when you told me T could shoot if necessary.’ THEY SHAKE HANDS. “We shook hands and the captain lett. That was rouguiy 11.30 a.m., March 20. We then proceeded on a southerly course at a speed of about seven and one-half knots. About 2 p.ni. the Walcott again camp up and said with signals flying, ‘Heave to, or I fire.’

‘I replied to him by megaphone that I had no:, intention of stopping and that he could fire if he wished. “•tie said: I will give you a quarter of an hour to make up your minds.’ We still kept on going and a few moments after the time expired the Walcott commenced firing. I don’t know the number of shots fireu.

“Several shots passed -through our sails and rigging and one shell passed tnrough the flag which was flying from the time the cutter came up at first. After firing with his fourpounder a certain number of shots he opened fire from his quarter ports with a machine gun or a quick-firing rifle. I presume these bullets had been waxed as one hit me on the right leg below'Die hip and partly paralyzed it. J. then noticed that he had some trouble with his tour-pounder, as she misfired. “He then dropped astern. We then proceeded on our course with the cutter trailing us until after dark. We were still making a southerly course. During the day of March 21 we headed south and east all day, and at evening we took down our sails and headed for a position eighteen or twenty miles east of Alacaran Reef off the Mexican cast. By morning of March 22nd. the wind had increased to a moderate gale, a rough sea running. . SECOND CUTTER ARRIVES. “About 7.30 a.m., March 22. we saw another cutter approaching from the south-south-west. I was then in a position roughly estimated at latitude 25.30 N. and longitude 91 W., which was about 215 miles south by east, roughly, from the entrance to New Orleans. When the second cutter came up we recognised her as the Dexter. She, after a conference with the Walcott, came up flying the signals, ‘Heave to or I’ll fire at you.’ I replied by semaphore and megaphone that I did not consider that he bad any jurisdiction over me or my ship on the high seas, and that lie could fire if lie wished. “He then commenced to fire shell after shell. First to mv rigging and sails, and then opened fire from the bridge with several quick-firing rifles. “After about twenty sheils had been fired, several of which hit the ship, I semaphored to him after he had called to me and again said, “Now, will you heave to?” that he might fire and sink my ship, but I refused to heave to. He then opened fire again both with rifles and guns, cutting my rigging adrift, and shell after shell pluged into the ship, smashing both my bulwarks to pieces, and one shell went into the side of the ship. He again called to me. ‘Will you heave to?’ THE FINAL SHELLING. T replied in the negative. He then renewed firing, smashing our foreboom, firing through our mast, and shell after shell came on board, smashing windows, engines, and occasionally hitting the hull below the waterline. I estimate roughly that about sixty or seventy shots struck the vessel. During all the time the men kept firing closer and closer with their rifles, cutting through the cabin house, through the ports i.n the cabin, and around myself and my men gathered aft. “None of my men was struck except by splinters, which were flying all around as shell after shell hit the vessel. The engineer reported to me then that the water was over the engine room floor and that the vessel appeared to be settling. I immediately gave orders to stop the engines, and clear away the dories, which, although of no use, would be something for my meii to cling to in the heavy 7 sea. “By the time my boats had been put over the side, which, roughly, was ten minutes, the vessel’s forward decks were level with the water. I told my men to jump into the water and climb to the dories and throw overboard what would help to float them. I believe I was the last to jump from the ship. My bow was then about twenty feet under water, and the stern about ten feet in the air, and she was beginning to dive. SWIMMING TO CUTTER. \ “From that time I have no recollection of what happened to the other men, except when swimming towards the Dexter. I felt myself losing strength and gripped the cabin door which bad floated off. I remained on the doors until I had regained my strength, and then again began swimming towards the Dexter. Then I heard some men who were clinging to the door shouting to the Dexter: “Throw a line to that man, he is drowning.” He evidently had been drawn down by the suction of the vessel and was weighed down by bis heavy clothing. This was my man, Leon Mainjo.v. “I then reached the side of the cutter, and three of my men wore alongside at the same time. T called to the men aboard the cutter to throw lines to them, as they were drowning, and two men apparently wore in bad shape. The cutter threw a small piece of signal halyards and, as we wore on the windward* side, I fully expected wo would all go down because we were all trying to cling to this small line. A few minutes later they threw large

lines and took my men on board one by one and myself .as well.”

Captain Ilaudell told Customs inspectors that ever , since last October he had been running the I’m Alone between Belize, British Honduras, and other Central American and West Indian ports, with cargoes of rum. Most of these, be said, had been turned over to • motor boats at an agreed .osition of Trinity rjim&.o. lIA LF-BTLLS CR EBENTIA I.S. American dollar bil'.s, torn in half, were the identifying credentials carried .ytbe motor-boat skippers. Before sailing out of port with his cargo of booze, Captain Randell explained, lie would be given one-half of a bill by ..is employers and instructed to deliver ois cargo to any on© who met him at the appointed place and produced the otner half of the same bill bearing the same serial number.

No questions were ever asked of the man who claimed the liquor, Captain Ilaudell said. In telling of how one such cargo of liquor was delivered last December, Captain Randell said: “T again came to this agreed position south of Trinity Shoals. After a brief delay in the vicinity of that position a large motor-boat came alongside. At that time it was dark, and it is difficult for me to describe her, ex•ept that J would say she has a carrying capacity of 1003 to 1200 cases of whisky, and has a high pilot house. 1 do njt know her name. She had a crew of three aboard.

“The man in charge presented onehalf’of a dollar bill which was one of the -/ills given me in St. Pierre. As this was the agreed identification I delivered to him by entire cargo without questioning hint as to lus name or any further particulars. When lie .ante the first time he pivb'ably was able to take only about 8(a) cases.

“After delivering this load I stood out to sea, and by agreement about live days later returned to this position, where he again found me. At this time I delivered to. him the balance of my cargo.”

Captain Randoll’s recital told of a iminner of such deliveries marie" iiiuTer similar circumstances. He took over command of the I’m A.one at Lunen,org on October 30, last year, he said, and early the next month cleared in ballast of St. Pierre, Nova Scotia, where he arrived about November 10. There lie took on a cargo of about 1400 cases of assorted liquor, and received instructions to take his shin to a point about thirty"'miles due south of Trinity Shoals. His employer, lie said, was the Eastern Seaboard Steamship Agencies, Ltd., of Montreal, and bis instructions came from George Hearn, general manager of that company. HALF DOLLAR BELLS USED. ( V His liquor cargo, lie said, came lrom the Great West Wine Co. and it was an employee of this company who gave him the half dollar hills used for ideetifieation purposes.

Captain Handed said that after clearing from St. Fierce for Belize, British Honduras, lie reached the agreed point off Trinity Shoals about ivovember 18.- On that occasion' he found the United States Coast Guard cutter Walcott* in the vicinity, so went on to the Belize. He remained there two or three days and then cleared for Nassau, Bahamas. This time he succeeded in delivering his cargo. “I then returned to Belize,” his recital continued, “and took another load of liquor. This time I believe I had 2000 or 2700 cases of liquor. I discharged my load onto three different boats that came to me on three different dates. The same man to receive the first cargo was in charge of these three boats, and in like manner delivered to me the one half of a dollar hill of which I had the other half, bringing the next number in my sequence.” About March 6, after another trip to Belize, Captain Randell said he again cleared from Belize for Hamilton, and came to the agreed point south of Trinity Shoals. -