The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1909-12-08
INJUSTICE DONE
To CAPTAIN Of
TUG BOAT C0NEY
BRUNSWICK FRIENDS DENY THAT
THE DOUGHTY SEA DOG
WAS AT FAULT.

coney-owners VIII Fight Case in
United States Court.
Following the libeling of the tug
Edgar F. Coney, of this city, on Mon
day, under proceedings issued out
through the United States court. due
to the wrecking of the schooner Marie
Palmer on December 1, there appear
ed a story in the local columns of
the Savannah News cf yesterday,
which, it is claimed, does serious and
grave injustice to Capt. Leo Lomm,
master of the Coney, and Capt. J. w.
Myers, of Jacksonville, a coast pilot,
both of whom were serving as master
and navigator of the Coney on the
evening of the disaster in question.
That portion of the published state
ment to which most serious exception
is taken is as follows:
The libel also alleges that after
getting the schooner aground the tug
continued to pull on the hawser at
tached to the schooner until the
hawser parted. 1t was again made
fast, and other efforts made to pull
the schooner from the shoals. The
following morning the tug, with the
assistance of the United States rev.
enue cutter Seminole again endeavor-
ed to pull the Marie Palmer from the
shoals, without success. The same
evening the tug Alexander Jones went
to the aid of the schooner, and joined
in the efforts to pull her into deeper
water.
"A hole in the schooner allowed
such quantity of water to get in that
it was found impossible to do any
thing further. The pumps were choked
up and could not be worked. The
| libelant, with his crew, and the crew
of the tug Alexander Jones then be
gan the work cf salving the tackle
apparel and furniture of the schooner
continuing this work until about II
O'Clock on the morning of December
3. They were compelled to leave the
ship then to save their lives. They
went to Wilmington. 1t is alleged
that the tug Edgar F. Coney, her mas
ter, pilot and crew refused and ne
elected to aid in the salvage work
leaving for Brunswick.
1T is further alleged that when
the schooner was stranded and for a
considerable period thereto, the wea-
ther was clear, the wind light, blowing
at a velocity of not more than eight
miles an hour; there was no sea, and
the light at Cape Fear was plainly
visible to those aboard the schooner
and tug.
1T is said in the libel that those
on the schooner followed every d.
rection given by the tug. The libel
ant AYERS that the stranding and all
the loss and damage resulting was not
caused in any manner by the schoon-
er, her owners, the libelant, cr by any
members of the crew. 1t is said that
nothing could have been done to pre-
vent the stranding; that the strand
ing, together with the loss and dam
age, was caused solely by the negli-
gence, carelessness, want of skill, stu
pidity and ignorance CT the channel On
the part of the tug Edgar F. Coney
her owners, master, pilot and crew. Il
is alleged that the tug was improp-
erly and insufficiently manned and
equipped
Captain Leo Lomm is known as one
of the safest and most skilled steam
boat masters from New York to Key
West and so is Captain Myers, who
was serving as navigator when the ac-
cident occurred. The Office of Coney
& Parker, owners of the tug Edgar F.
Coney, was asked for statement OF
the accident yesterday, but they stat
ed that beyond the fact that an in
justice had been done Captains Lomm
and Myers, they did not, at this time
care to go into the matter, as they
had not as yet employed attorneys
to resist the ljbel proceedings sued
cut in the United States court at Sa
vannah.
II was stated, however, that the
statement that the tug Coney refused
10 assist in the salvage work is wholly
untrue, and that as matter of fact
the Coney was the very last tug to
leave tine abandoned schooner. Bruins
wick friends of Captain Lomm. who
are acquainted with his splendid abil-
I ity. Utterly repudiate the allegations
made in the libel and are quite per-
/ suaded that the evidence in the case
will not bear out the charges.
! The Ceney is still in charge Of 8
custodian OF the United States court
but her owners win today probably
give the required bond and later vii
employ attorneys to defend theil