New-York tribune., 1888-08-28
SCUTTLING A BRITISH BARK.
GRAVE CHARGES AGAINST A CAPTAIN.
THE CREW TOO FRIGHTENED TO kEMAfS WIN
rurrn OFFICERS on THE SHIP.

rrIrIR nrFtcgRs on THE SHIP.
The Wis Line steamer Persian Monarch,
which arrived hero on Sunday night brcushs
twelve OF the crew Of the British bark Gyfe, wi,
abandoned their vessel $50 miles east Of 5 John,
Newfoundland and were taken board IL,
steamer, having refused TO remain By thei. shi.,
which was vaterioggcd. The men made swoI |
statements yesterday before the British Cons l
here charging their captain with cndcavoring -
scuttle his vessel Their story, told and swor
TO by the bark's boatswain, Bergquist is As TO-
lows:
The bark sailed from Quebec on July 8, bour q.
for Grcenocl with cargo OF lumber. Durni (;
the passage down the Guif OF s.. Lawrence, s.,
met with rough weather and sprang leak. Ca
tain Gitters at once ordered the vessel TO BE- p,
about and run for St. Johns ai'hou n the moi
protested that they would keep on the voyage AMI
work at the pumps. as they did not think b,
leak sc:ious In St Johns the vessel was owe =
hauled and the leak stopped. and she saFlcd fro 4
that port on August g. When only three da'
out, the called togethe- and told that H.,
leak had broken out again and they were ortcrct
to the pumps. They succeeded in keeping u,
water down, but on the morning of August 20 the
discovered that the pumps would not work az |
they swear that they had been Intentionally di~-
abled. The men became suspicious of the captaii
and instructed tie steward to watch his mevc-
mcnts
THE CAPTAIN AND HIS AUGER.
The steward swears that on the morning OF
August 90 he saw the captain and first mate go
down the fore hatch, and the captain bored hol3
in the vessel with an auger. The crew said noth-
ing TO the captain officers but in short timo
after the two men came up from the vessels hold
they found that she had made seven feet Of water.
On the same afternoon the captain and mate went
down through the after hatch and the mon sus-
peet them of having bored another hole in the veS-
eel
On the same night the Persian Monarch was
sighted and signals Of distress were made by tho
hark's crew By the captains orders n beat with
the boatswain and six men went TO the steamer
and reported that they wanted to be taken ul
board there fifteen feet OF water in III,
Irwin. of the Pcr.ian Monarch, told them 20 60
hack and send their skipper or some Of the bark
officers. The captain Of the bark then boarded
the steamer, accompanied by the mate, and r,-
pestod the story. asking that all hands DC taken
on hoard the steamer. Captan Irwin
picious that all was not right or. as he said yc,
tcrtlay, that there were some h3nky panky'
tricks going He therefore sent his third off,
Ger, bOatswall and "arrentcr 90 examine the bark.
SATURATED WITH KEROSENE.
They found all the stores, sails and fittings OF
the bark saturated with kerosene oil, which, the
crew stated, had been spilled by order Of the cap
iuc CIrpcHtcT TVpOrttu Only Ten leu OF
water, instead of fifteen in the hold as was stated
by the captain. After thoroughly searching the
bark they pulled for the steamer, when, just rs
they started Robinson, the second mate OF the
bark, appeared deck and shouted he would
shoot the first man who came on board, as lie
in sole charge Of the vessel and intended to take
her into port alone. lie had previously told Cap
tain Gitters that he would not be party to aban-
donng the bark, as she was seaworthy. When
the officer of the steamer reported this on board
his ship, Captain Gitters and his first mate re-
solved TO return 70 their vessel and not abandon
her The captain asked his 70 return, but
they declined saying that knowing what they did,
they would not trust themselves in the vessel
again. Capain Irwin told him that he could
not spare ally Of his crew and the two men eos
into boat and were towed close To the bark and,
il is thought, boarded her.
Captain Irwin yesterday took the bar<s crey
before the British Consul and will to-day mako
his report 20 that official, after which Evesti-
CATION will be held before the men are sent homa
to England The GylC is 9si tons measurement,
and when last seen on Tuesday was in latitude I :
deg. 2 min. North: longitude "A deg 80 min.
West Ii her captain ever reaches any port hc
will be summoned before the Admiralty Court 10
explain the charges made agans him bv his crew.
Captain Irwin said yesterday the mate of the bark
had no certificate