The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1906-12-19
SHIP INSURED AND SUNK.

SHIP IN RED AN II 81 ~
VICTORIA. B. C, Dec. News has
been received from Yokohama that AL |
bert A. Lewis. Charles A. Hill and F. i
NJ. Howard were tried there for forg- |
ing and uttering private documents
and sinking the ship Agenor of Seattle. /
Lewis was chief clerk of Sale & Fraz- !
er, a Yokohama export firm, and con- |
ceived the scheme. He arranged |
charter for the Agenor which was ac-
quired by Sale & Frazer on her arrival
at Kobe from Seattle. to carry wheat
to Kobe from Yokohama. Represent
ing that he had sold the wheat to a |
Kobe firm, he then cabled proposals to
IIoyd's at London for the insurance of
the cargo.
Lloyd's not knowing the conditions at
the time, refused the risk. Then Lewis
arranged with Capt. Topple, retired
mariner, to survey the vessel, and
when this was forwarded to Lloyd's
they cabled, accepting the risk at $780,
600. subsequently he wired Lloyd Tor
a further $4,000 risk, saying additional
cargo was being shipped.
BY manipulation small quantity OF
wheat was shipped and false bills or
lading covering a full cargo were made
out. Then Lewis and Hill took passage
on the Agenor, the latter as pilot. and
they made false entries in the logbook
steering the vessel toward places
studded with rocks off Yukiura, in the
Tokushima Prefecture.
The vessel at last struck a rock, sus-
tanning small damage. AS the preme-
ditated total wreck had not been et-
fected the schemers bored holes in the
hull to complete the sinking OF the
ship. The holes We're bored by How
ard, the ships carpenter, and the
pumping apparatus was destroyed by
him to prevent the ships being saved
The Agenor foundered during the
night all hands having reached the
shore easily in the boats, and Lewis
gave Capt. Mowatt and the mate $4,000
and let them proceed to the United
States before reporting the wreck. This
aroused the suspicious of Sale & FraZ-
er, who caused the police to arrest
Lewis, and the barratry was then ex-
posed.
WILL LOCATE SHERIDAN ROCK.
Acting on request from the Super
intendent of transportation at San
Francisco, the Navy Department has
ordered a survey made of the waters
around Barber's Point, for which pur-
pose the U. S. S. Iroquois, under com
mand of Captain Carter, will leave for
Barber s Point on Friday next.
While there is nothing known by
Captain Carter officially as to the
reason for the survey, it is supposed
that the uncharted rock upon which
the transport Sheridan was stranded
will be the principal point to be locat-
ed. This knob of the reef has been
prominently mentioned in connection
with the stranding of the big trans
port, an investigation into which has
been going on within the past two
weeks at San Francisco.
The fact that the point upon which
the transport stranded is isolated from
the main reef and in what is given
on the chart as supposedly safe water
is the main defense of Captain Pea
body in the investigation. At the time
of the Sheridan IS stranding it was re-
called that some years ago search
had been made for such an uncharted
rock by a British government vessel
stationed here.
The surveys made at the time of
the Sheridan s pilikia have pretty
definitely fixed the location of the point
and the other work to be done by
the Iroquois will not keep her out long,
the expectation of Captain Carter be-
ing to be back in the harbor by Sat
urday night.
FALLS OF CLYDE IN GALES.
For forty hours on November 2S and
after the elements had inflicted con-
siderable damage to her rigging, the
big ship Falls of Clyde was hove to,
head on to one of the worst northwest
gales that Captain Matson has expert
enced on this coast Not only was the
gale raging high, but the sea was
tremendous and swept the ship at
brief intervals. The jigger staysail, the
main topmast staysal, the foretop
away. and the foresaiI was split. More
damage would probably have resulted
if the ship had not been put about.
The Falls of Clyde was twenty days
on the way from Hilo and brought
As. 900 bags of sugar.-Chronicle, De
cember g.
NOVEMBER SHIP BUILDING.
During the month of November six
tv-six sailing and steam vessels We're
turned out from American shipbuild-
ing yards, representing gross ton
mage of 34,2S4 Of these only four yes