ALLEGED INHUMANITY OF A CAPTAIN.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2292, 22 July 1880, Page 2

ALLEGED INHUMANITY OF A CAPTAIN.

[By Telegraph.] (Per City of New York at Auckland.) The Victorian Steam Navigation Board met on July 7, to investigate a charge laid by Detective Mackay against John Thompson, master of the British barque Trochrague, for having while on a voyage from Java to Melbourne, run down a fishing boat abreast of the island of Madoera, and that he did wilfully and without any reasonable cause neglect to render such assistance to the boat and its crew as was found practicable and necessary, in order to save them from danger. The action taken by Detective Mackay was in consequence of some representations made to him by several of the crew of the Trochrague. Their statement is to the effect that while on the voyage from Java to Melbourne with a cargo of sugar, the ship ran down n “ catamaran” with six coolies on board. That Captain Thomson !on being asked by the men to lower a boat to pick up the men who were crying for assistance made no answer. The vessel was going through the water at about the rate of four knots an hour, aud it is said the operation of picking up the men would not have been attended with any danger or inconvenience. The men were left clinging to their boat, and as they were several miles off the island of Madoera it is probable they were lost. After the proceedings before the Steam Navigation Board terminated, Detective Mackay arrested Captain Thomson on a warrant.