The Portland daily press., 1878-12-09
An Important Claim.
AN OUTEROWTH OF THE CAP
IURE OF TIE CHESAPEAKE.
Portland Merchants Seek to Recover
100000.

1t is only short time ago that the capture
| Of the steamer Chesapeake, of the Maine
Steamship Company's Line, by members OF the
| Confederate navy, on her passagel from New
York to this port during the rebellion, was
| brought to mind by the recent proceedings
against one of the Confederate officers in the
United States Court at Boston. When Brand
and his band, who had taken passage on the
steamer, felt the proper moment had arrived,
they rose upon the unsuspecting crew and COOK
possession of the vessel aud carried 1t into
| Canadian waters The Chesapeake carried
very valuable cargo, which belonged to Pott-
land merchants, aud a large proportion OF
which was sold or used by the captors, before
the remainder was returned to the owners.
The wines were consumed, dry goods, leather,
boots and shoes, tin plate, sheet iron and other
articles sold, or appropriated to other uses, and
but very little of the property ever reached
Portland Those who were go fortunate as to
recover back any portion of their goods had to
pool in to the general average, so that under
the circumstances they were in several in
stances worse off than if they had been so uu-
fortunate as those who lost all.
When the claims for losses, under the Gene
va award, were made, by some accident the loss
of the Chesapeake was not included. A bill
providing for the distribution of the balance of
the Geneva award will come up in the House
next Tuesday, known as the Knott bill. 1t
provides that all parties claiming to be entitled
to any portion of the award shall sue for the
same in the Court of Claims at any ii me with
in one year from thu passage of the bill,
In determining the amount for which judg-
ment is to be rendered 10 favor of any claim
ant the bill provides that interest shall be al
lowed at the rate of per cent. per annum from
the date which the court shall decide in each
case that the loss out of which the claim arose
was sustained by the claimant; and in enter
ing Judgment the claim and the interest shall
be given separately. Both claimants and the
United States may appeal to the Supreme
Court from the judgment rendered by the
Court of Claims
The parties interested in the Chesapeake,
embracing some fifty of our merchants, and
including many on the line of the Grand
Trunk Railway, will hold meeting at the
Merchants Exchange in few days to take
proper steps to recover the value of their prop
erty lost, the interest since 1868, and the costs
of detention. They will engage counsel
to properly present theic claims, which orig
inally amounted to about $25oOOO but which,
with simple interest alone for fifteen yeats,
will foot up to 100000.
There are at least sixty vessels and cargoes
whose owners are placed In the same condition
as those of the Chesapeake. The insurance
companies, who realized no loss but large
profits by over rates, are trying to take the
bread out Of the mouths of honest losers by
making claims under this bill which makes no
distinction between classes of claimants. Mr..
Frye of this state has sought TO remedy this
defect in the bill by proposing an amendment
which provides that in no case shall any claim
be admitted or allowed in behalf OF any insur-
auce company or insurer, unless such claimant
shall show to the satisfaction of the court that
during the rebellion the sum Of the claimants
losses in respect to war risks exceeded the
sums of premiums and other gains upon such
war risks, and in case of any such allowance
the same shall not be greater than such excess
of loss. This amendment, should it be adopt
ed, would give the actual sufferers 10y losses the
advantage in court and enable them to secure
partial reimbursement and that measure of
justice their due, bat of which they have SO
loug been deprived by the persistent efforts of
the insurance companies.