The sun., 1890-08-19
rHR shrDeEKA1na sErsURE,
a HsaAortous Search Fer Remedy IN =
Gaze OF AanaltteA MardshIP.

a HsaNortous Search Fer = Hsmeay n =
Case or Aanaittea Hardship.
wAsHrNoToN. Aug. 18-The rejection by the
Dominion Government OF the modified claim
brought By the American ship Bridgewater for
III treatment at Shelburne has again called
public attention to that strange affair. Mrs.
Allen, whose husband was managing owner OF
the vessel has offered to compromise for one
half OF the damages originally demanded by
her. but the Canadian authorities throw her
back upon her suit at law. and will do nothing
satisfactory before decision IL reached In
the courts. Since. moro than two years ago,
the Canadian Minister OF Justice rendered an
opinion that the claimants could not recover
against any oflcer Of the Crown for damages
sustained in consequence OF the seizure" the
purport Of adequate redress there Is not brill
liant On the othOr hand, the State Depart
ment at Washington 10 said to have informed
Mrs. Allen that It can do nothing for her, as
the case 80 far is not one for international
diplomacy.
The BridRewater, while on voyage from
St. John, N. B. In April, 1887. for Penarth
Roads, for orders, laden with lumber, put into
Shelburne. Nova Scotia, for shelter and repair.
having become leaky in stormy weather. and
entered at the customs rs required by law.
Surveys were held at the masters request and
tho surveyors recommended that the cargo
should be landed and the ship condemned on
account OF the high cost OF suitable repairs.
This being reported to Capt. Allen, the manag-
ing owner In New York. ho teleRraphed the
master his disapproval, and on learning that tho
latter had nevertheless rendered the abandon
| ment OF the vessel. he went to Sholburne and
made an agreement with all concerned In the
venture by which the cargo should be trans
ferred to another ship, and the voyage thus
completed In unloading her the probable cost
OF repairs, instead Of amounting to $4,000. as
the surveyors had thought was found to be
only $1,000 But since i was said that e,
British sSp MT % All Alien feaessd osred Rsr sr
at apction; Finding that $3.llo " as the high
worth isoooo he had her BID in for the owner:
The repairs were then begun and proceeded
the Collector of the Port % 'Ssi seized her on % the
ground Of the non payment Of q 26 per cent.
be the duty payable on importations Of an in
defneblo character, and he said that the
hsd bSSHme mere I'm meFehnndiSe
duced 70 1o.P per cent bT sending TO New York.
said, had arssdy dosssSsed Ssr eharSctsf as as
under instruction from the Department OF
Customs Of ottawa
fer his % Vessel to the British flag. holding that
he had never accepted the eondemnation that,
in fact there had never been an official con:
domination. but only recommendation, and
bad yiTtSsiiy TithdraWn It BY By biddins Il In
had nearly COM mpletsd Them m whom first sa6,eet-
@ seizure leaving The the vessei % in the Coliootors 10
hands ne % appealed to the United ~ states Com
son As9n s Re state M
sssnsii %Ess5sr '1$; A.
SRo?tly aiierWsrd Sonsui, General @ phSian at
he could not see that the department would
be warranted in interfering. II the owners Of
6S eapS Rse s69d nn
INFORMED Mr.. Robertson that ~ the owners
they should seek redress through the colonial
courts. which are open to them"
for permission to have the cause tried In the
Exche9ueT Court 30 as to make the Govern
denied. However, a local action was begun In
Nova Scotia against Collector Atwood. In the
time the 99mnon
led the release Of the BridEeMster on
pson 81 the sr on psyne
the, seizure. and after having formally
withdrawn the protests made and glven writ
ton abandonment OF all claims upon the Gov
soizpts" Mr.. Alien naturally refused these
conditions i had by this time become proba-
BILE that the difficulty was due to an unfortu-
this conditional release had been promptly or:
Customs, on his own return from British Co.
| lumbia; while three weeks later. on the 18th Of
| October the Minister Of Customa Mr.. Bowel,
| on arriving In Canada from England directed
the immediate and unconditional release Of
| the vessel. which accordingly sailed from Shell
| burne under her American pagers.
:, By that time the season was 30 far advanced
that, in addition to the 81, days Of detention
| which the release practically acknowledged to
be unjust, the BridRewater also lost q voyage
which che had arranged under charter party
for taking cargo OF deals from Bersimis, In
| the Province OF Quebec to Liverpool. The tes-
| timony shows that she sought to roach the
| port OF Bersimis. but was prevented from do
| Ing 30 by storm and fog, These, and all other
Matters thus proceeded until May. 1888, Mr..
Allen endeavoTinG to procure settlement
| we'll as by suit. when he was informed by Min
| lister Bowel that the Minister OF Justice was Of
opinion that he could not recover damages
| he applied to the State Department, and MIR.
Bayard presented his claim to the British
| Government. through Mr.. Edwardes The re-
ply was made that. since an action at law was
still pending "the Canadian Government Is
unable to express an opinion on the claim until
the settlement OF the case in the law courts"
| Since then this case has been banded about
| without arriving at any conclusion. Apart
| from the personal question of compensation 1t
derives public importance from the attempt
to levy heavy customs duties as an imported
nondescript upon an American vessel that puts
into Canadian port In distress. and there re-
Quired costly repairs, although she never for
an hour changed her ownership.
| OrRnnlzad Labor and tha Fair