The Washington times., 1929-04-08
AT SHIP
UNJUSTEIED,
PILOT SAYS


BALTIMORE. Md. April 8 tI.N.s).
Firing OF six shots BY coast Guard
cutter 1Ss at the Norwegian
freighter. Juan. was branded as .'un.
tustifIable and high.handed" today
BY Paul II. Kesterson. Chesapeake
bay pilot who was bringing the
freighter into port.
Kesterson explained the whole in.
cident and charged that the two
Coast Guard men who boarded the
Juan looked like "hoodiums" and
that they didn't know how to read
a ships papers.
Saw Boat Nearby
Kesterson said he boarded the yes.
sci from the pilots boat early Friday
to bring her into the United Fruit
Company dock here.
II noticed the Coast Guard boat
nearby but failed to pay any atten.
tion to It except to notice that 1t Vas
too close for safety" Kesterson. who
has been plotting In Chesapeake Bay
for % years. said
Il brought the boat through the
Capes about IL miles an hour when
suddenly heard three shots.
raid no attention to them and then
heard three more and ! threw her
over to the starboaId. IL / hadn't
have thrown her over sharply the
last shot would have struck US.
Then two men dressed in dun.
garses and looking like hoOdlums
boared us. They had big guns
strapped to their waists.
Couldn't Read Papers
They asked for the ships papers
and the captain handed them to
them but they couldn't read them.
Then they said they suspected
there was liquor aboard and the
banana cargo was shown them.
Finally they left after q casual ex-
animation" /"
KestePsen said the Coast Guard
vessel made no recognized signal te
heave to except firing the shots. He
said both the Coast Guard aud the
Juan were equipped with radio and
that the commander could have sig
nailed them by radio to halt.
He said the commander of the
his head above the deck Of tbs
Coast Guard cutter.
1T was the most high-handed
action have seen in my Is years
in Chesapeake Bay" Kesterson
said. and the most unjustifiable.
A Banana Carrier
The Juan is registered at Oslo
and Is chartered by the United
Fruit Company to carry bananas,
Formal complaint was lodged
with the Norwegian vice consul BY
Capt. Kari Andersen. master Of
the Juan and Johann Bovin. secre
tarY TO the vice consul said full
report. including the pilots state
ment. would be forwarded to the
Norwegian consul at New York and
from there to the proper authors
, ties at Washington.
Another controversy with a
foreign government over the "nerv.
Gus trigger" Of the United States
Coast Guard appeared probable here
today because Of the firing on
the Norwegian Steamer Juan In
Chesapeake Bay. Friday
A search of the Juan. disclosed
no liquor other than that carried
in medical stores.
A report has been made on the
Incident to the Norwegian Legation
here. and also TO the Norwegian
Consulate in New York.
A wide discrepancy IL noted In
the statements of the vessels
master, Capt. Karl Anderson, and
the Coast Guard officer. Anderson
asserts that six shots were fired
at the vessel, one failing only three
lengths astern, and another would
have struck the ship had not the
pilot quickly thrown the vessel off
her course. pilot Kesternson corro-
borates The skipper.
Boatswain Michael Micahelson,
commanding the patrol boat, de.
clared only five shots were fired.
one a blank and then four solid
shots. none of which came any.
where near the ship. lie said they
were fired as signals to heave to,