M
6 Conservative *
SOME FACTS CONCERNING THE
SCUTTLING OF SHIPS.
Y LAWKENCE IUWELL.
The captain of a ship is "monarch of
all ho surveys , " when away from laud ,
and when there is no other ship above
the boundary line of sett and sky. As a
consequence , there may be said to be
comparatively little difficulty in his
x way , should he propose to scuttle his
ship , either to assist or to injure the
owners of it. For this reason , the
punishment for scuttling has always
been very severe all over the world. By
an act of congress passed in 1804 it was
F. enacted that "any person not being an
I ; owner who shall , on the high seas , wil
fully and corruptly cast away , bum , or
otherwise destroy , any vessel into which
he belongeth , being the property of any
citizen , or citizens of the United States ,
or procure the same to be done , shall
suffer death. " The British laws were
similar , and a man named Codling was
hanged on the sea-shore of the county
of Kent , about 1805 for scuttling a ves
sel , in order to obtain the money for
which she was insured. I believe that
this was the last time the death penalty
was carried out in an English speaking
country for ship scuttling , and less
drastic laws now prevail , the punish
ment being a long term of imprison
ment coupled , of course , with the can
celling of certificates when the offend
ers are officers.
A Skillful Scuttling Plot.
; In 1866 , a man named Berwick was
convicted of being accessory to the
scuttling of several fully insured sailing
ships , belonging to a firm of which he
was a member. The plan adopted by
this proficient ship-scuttler was remark
able for its extreme simplicity , and it
stood the test of many years of active
service , for he eventually confessed that
he had defrauded the underwriters , by
causing no fewer than nine ships in
first-class condition to be scuttled dur
ing the period of twenty years , immedi
' ately preceding his last venture. His
!
mind originated the plot each time ; but
sea-faring men were the necessary in
struments for carrying out his ideas. He
would prevail upon needy and not over
scrupulous officers to sink their respect
ive ships when it was , in their opinion ,
most convenient ; and he paid hand
somely for the services so efficiently
rendered in these extraordinary tran
sactions. Fortunately for the under
writers , however , this methodical ship-
destroyer either liad his caution dulled
by the unprecedented success which at
tended his investments , or else he made
an error in his calculations. The hand
of the .English law gripped him firmly
at last , and the shipping world mar
velled at the possibility of carrying out a
fraud of this character for so long a
time without detection. The chief per-
potrator and his three nautical assistants
wore given long terms of imprisonment.
A ship named the Severn was the cause
of their misfortune. She sailed from
England , ostensibly for China , in a sea
worthy state , loaded with valuable
freight ; but the crafty conspirators had
arranged to put an end to her career
long before she reached the Celestial
Empire. In accordance with this under
standing , three large holes were bored
in the after-part of her hull , below the
water-line , by means of the carpenter's
tool known as an augur , almost as soon
as the shores of England had disap
peared from sight. Wooden plugs were
carefully 'fitted into the holes thus
made , and admirably served the purpose
for which they were designed. Any one
of them could be withdrawn and re
placed at the will of the operator , con
cealed from the curious eyes of the
sailors ; and it was quite easy to keep the
spurious leak both under control and in
termittent until the time arrived which
was considered suitable for the aband
onment of the vessel by the three who
were in possession of the secret. An ac
cident , however , interfered with the
well concocted plans of these men. One
of the plugs was accidently broken , the
inrushing water could not be kept out ,
and the ship was of necessity aban
doned sooner than was proposecV One of
the men named Webb had taken an act
ive part in some of the previous success
ful scuttlings for the same speculative
owner , and after sentence had been
passed upon him , he disclosed to the un
derwriters the full details of at least
one case.
He had sailed from Glascow to Ha
vana with a cargo of coal on the ship
John Brown , which disappeared on the
voyage , although all hands were rescued
by a passing ship. She was scuttled by
Webb ; but the unsuspecting under
writers paid the large sum for which
she was insured , without inquiry. Be
fore leaving Glascow , a partition in the
hold was built by a carpenter from the
shore. In this way a clear space was
left below the mate's cabin , so that ,
after getting to sea , a hole was cut in
the cabin floor , enabling Webb to go
down in the hold , unperceived by any
body , and pierce the vessel's side below
the water-line with"an augur. A simi
lar system was followed in the other
cases , and fickle fortune seemed to
smile upon this iniquitous conspiracy to
rob the underwriters. As has been re
lated , however , the malefactors were
discovered and were properly punished.
Case of the L. B. Cann.
The next case of scuttling that is on
record is that of the Nova Scotia bark ,
L. E. Cann. It is perhaps the most ne
farious example that has come to light
during the past fifty years. In Novem
ber 1881 , this wooden sailing ship was
in the harbor Vera Crass ( Mexico ) ,
awaiting a charter , her captain being a
man named Brooks. She was in good
condition , was quite as well supplied
with stores , as ships of her calibre usu
ally are , and under ordinary circum
stances , should have carried a cargo to
any port without accident. Brooks had
held his position for about two years ,
and had riiade several satisfactory voy
ages as her commander. His uncle
owned a sixteenth part of the ship , and
covered the risk by insurance in the
accustomed manner. In February ,
1882 this part owner wrote to his agents
asking them to insure his interest in
the vessel for an additional $500 ; but
this was not done , because the agents
had just previously insured her under
instructions from the managing owner.
The L. E. Cann and her prospective
earnings were insured to their full
value , and possibly in excess of it.
At Vera Cruz a conspiracy was
entered into between Brooks and a
Spanish merchant named Compos , who
transacted the ship's business at that
port , which boded ill for the profit ac
count of such persons as had insured
her. Compos agreed to put a com
paratively worthless lot of lumber
aboard as cargo , and to insure it
heavily , as though equal in value to
similar cargoes , sent from Mexico.
Brooks agreed to take part of this
freight aboard at another Mexican
port , and then to sail towards New
York , the ship to be scuttled at the
first favorable opportunity. Accord
ingly , the L. E. Cann was loaded with
a cargo which was only worth about
forty per cent , of the amount set forth
in the bills of lading. Compos insured
the cargo without any difficulty and
awaited the course of events. Brooks ,
for his share in the transaction , waste
to receive six thousand dollars. One-
third of this sum he received on sign
ing the bills of lading at Vera Cruz ,
one-third at the next loading port ,
and the balance was to be paid
to him immediately after the un
suspecting underwriters had settled in
full.
Before starting , Brooks wrote to the
managing owner to the effect that the
ship was chartered to take a cargo
from Mexico to New York for the sum
of $6,000 , and they insured the freight
for that amount. The vessel left Mexico
at the end of March , 1882 , and a month
afterwards her master made an attempt
to carry out his criminal contract.
While in the gulf stream , the L. E.
Cann was observed flying signals of dis
tress , and apparently ina sinking con
dition. An American schooner came to
her assistance in compliance with her
request. A boat from the water-logged
bark brought all her crew to the wait
ing schooner , and the L. E. Cann was
abandoned to her fate , a dangerous
obstruction to navigation. The schoon
er brought the ship-wrecked sailors
safely to Philadelphia. Unfortunately