The Washington times., 1922-12-10

900. and actually considerably more.
This amount the British agents
contributed directly between $4,000
and $4,000 a day Tor every day the
Westchatala was held up through
inability to obtain fuel oil.
my next ship was the Eastern
Pilot. chartered to the Oriental
Navigation Company, and which
sailed from New York In September.
1920. for Morocco and ports on the
east coast Of Africa. This ship was
commanded by Capt. A. H. Gray,
Of Staten Island. N. Y, typical
Yankee skipper Of the old school.
occurred at Mompasa, q port on
the East coast. where I refused
to recognize the British agent ap-
pointed from London and appointed
one who I believed best served
American interests / notified the
Shipping Board Of my action. Ny
reason was this:
The English agent appointed
in London to represent the Eastern
Pilot had turned a previous ship or
the Oriental Navigation Company
over to an agent in Mombasa, who
also represented the Clan Line. the
competing British line. This agent.
found. had given profitable car.
goes to the Clan Line and left the
American vessel to return to the
United States In ballast. -
"Inasmuch AZ a merchantmen
away from his home port il at the
mercy OF its agents. / decided that
II we must have British representa-
tives we would at least have one
of our own choosing and In whom
we could have confidence.
CONTRACTS CANCELLED.
Captain Gray continued the
ships course down the East Coast
and In the different ports we were
faring quite well. booking profit
able cargoes. All went well until
at Lourence Marquis. in Portuguese
East Africa. We were ordered by
the London agent to cancel all book
ings and proceed In ballast across
the Indian ocean to Bombay, and
pick up q cargo Of ore that would
not net more than nineteen shill-
with the British pound con.
siderably below par and taking
loss OF actual booking and other
things into consideration I replied
that this would entail loss of ap-
proximately 100000 to the Ameri.
can vessel.
"As additional argument. stress.
ed the point that to sail across the
ing Monsoon, q treacherous trade
wind encountered there In certain
seasons. might prove disastrous. Our
course to Bombay would be headed
against the monsoon.
The British won the battle OF
the cables, for by some mysterious
agency the message came from the
shipping board to obey orders
Il next made arrangements &c
return by another American vesse
n port there at the time, and no
titled the Shipping Board that I WA
leaving the Eastern Pilot to report
tfrst hand OF the situation arisine
because OF the British agents hav
ing charge OF American ships.
Meantime Captain Gray wa.
1prced to abandon our profitable
cargo and proceed some $500 mile
IN ballast to Bombay to pick up 4
cargo Of Questionable cargo In place
OF the one abandoned.
SEEKS 10 AID PUBLIC.
my experience In India when
British agents contributed to the
loss OF our trip through the refusal
OF providing necessary fuel oil and
again In Africa when q profitable
cargo was lost to an American
snip through q British order to can.
eel bookings instilled in me the
resolution to bare these facts wher.
ever possfble to awake the public
to the dangers that confront the
American Merchant Marine"
The above is a tsns report oJ
my srperisncss on tsco Apsrican
yessels az recall them. They can
be verified bv comparing the 40
twdl reports made By me to che
Shjppix0 Board whenever I found
Bvitisk fNflHsncs scorkinG against
The Interests of these vsssela
| (SiOmed) Robert Barr Deans.
| State Of Nep York, county OF
Eric, %. Robert Barv Deans, q
resident Of the city Of Buffalo, N
the county of Erie, State Of Nesc
York, appeared before me Decsm-
ber 4, 1877, and being duly ssOorn
states that the report by him e ID
HE best knowledge and belief trxs
and tls sionatssrs is his.
] (SssD Fsy s. Hissy,