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SECOND SECTION

I'm Alon

By PAT USSHER Canadian Press Staff Writer The schooner and the coast guard cutter faced each other across the heaving waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Then the wind-swept March air was punctuated with gunfire as the cutter opened fire with her four-pounder.

Within minutes the schooner was sunk and one of her crew was drowned.

The victim was the I'm Alone, a Canadian-registered rum-run- ner, Her attacker was the United States Coast Guard cut- ter Dexter. The date was March

1929,

The sinking blew up a storm between Ottawa and Washing- ton. Sharply worded notes were exchangec

The United States claimed the I'm Alone was first intercepted in American territorial waters. Her master, Capt. John Thomas Randell, maintained that he was on the high seas where “none has jurisdiction of my ship but me.”*

CHARGED PIRACY

Canada branded the sinking an act of piracy. Washington contended that the action was justified on the grounds of hot pursuit,

The I'm Alone, out of Lunen- burg, N.S., was flying the Cana- dian Red Ensign,

Andrew Mellon, wealthy sec- retary of the treasury of the United States at the time, sai the I'm Alone had been a notor- ious liquor smuggler for years and was designed and built for that trade,

Eventually an international ar- bitration commission of two ju- rists, one from each country involved, was established, And six years later, when the inci- dent was almost forgotten ex- cept by those directly involved, it issued its findings.

The outcome: The United States formally apologized to the Canadian government and $25,000 compensation to to Capt.

Randell and his crew, The sinking was a highlight of the lawless prohibition era in

the United States. a 13-year period lasting from 1920 to 1993 during which supplying thirsty

Americans with liquor became a career for many Canadians. AMERICAN-OWNED

The I'm Alone got into the picture in 1928 when she was purchased at Lunenburg by an American named Big Jamie Clark, acting for two New York hootleggers, The cost was $18,-

Randell, a dark, dapper, con- fident, excitement-loving ' skip- per from Newfoundland, was hired to command the schooner t $400 a month. The captain, then nearly 50, included a din ner jacket, a tail coat and six jackets in his baggage when he went aboar

The first voyage was in Oc-

tober of that year. Randall loaded the I'm Alone with liq- our at St. Pierre, the French

island in the Gulf of St. Law- rence, and sailed for the Gulf of Mexico. He had orders to rendezvous with launches oper- ated by bootleggers 30 miles southwest of Marsh Island off the Louisiana coast.

While Randell waited at the rendezvous Nov. 28, the Coast Guard cutter Wolcott came up and circled around. He evaded her after nightfall and headed into Belize, capital of British Honduras. He set out again Dec. 7 and this time the mission was completed

The I'm Alone made a second delivery Dec. 31. 1928, this time after loading at Belize, and car- ried out several similar trips without incident during that winter.

REJECTED ORDER

‘The climactic episode began

when Capt. Randell took aboard

larch. The I'm Alone with her 11-man crew approached the Louisiana coast March 20. While Capt. Randell waited at the rendez- the Wolcott ap- proached. This time the captain of the Wolcott ordered the I'm Alone to heave to fot boarding. Randell refused. The Wolcott trained her gun on the schooner, After a lengthy verbal exchange across the water, the Coast Guard cutter's captain came aboard the I'm Alone. He main-

Charlottetown, Tues. March 13, 1962. PAGES

e Issue Recalled

In Hectic Prohibition Era

| tained the schooner was within | country had the right to chal-

territorial waters — 12 miles| lenge any ship suspected of from the coast by United States | smuggling, provided it was interpretation. within one hour's steaming from retorted on the high | shore,

seas, about 15 miles from shore,| Eventually the {ple matic The parley ended inconclus-| storm calmed and in August, ively. , five months after the sink-

countries

A few hours later the Wolcott ing, the disputing again ordered the I'm Alone to named Eugene Lafleur, heave to. Once more Randell of Canada and Justice Willis refused. The cutter started fir- van Devanter of the United ing at the schooner but a shell | States Supreme Court to inves- jammed in her four-pounder tigate and submit recommend: gun. Observing this, Randell ations. Later Chief Justice Ly- headed the I'm Alone south, man Duff took over as Canadian away from the coast, commissioner.

OPENED FIRE Randell gave up rum-

‘The Wolcott pursued the rum- TUMIng as a career after t runner for the next 36 hours, 1™ Alone was sunk. He took a

a ss series of marine jobs, eventu- wok, Capt Rene berks a feared to, Nova ea ? J with his family and died in Hall- second Coast Guard cutter, the faxin the winter of 1944, eaed Dexter, approaching. ae

The Dexter's captain ordered | NorHING FOR OWNERS he Alone to halt. ieat,” | The two commissioners issued Raadall tected * | their findings on the incident on

en the firing started, Shells 28%. 5, 1935. They held that the whistled through the sails and sitking “‘could not be justified Tigging of the T'm Alone and PY any principle of international law.” They also concluded that then into her hull, some below the I'm Alone, despite her of- the water ine, Machine-gun or ficial papers and registration, deck, showering the erew with bef iaisire ieee splinters. a , aged’ by persons who were all, oan pean ane, sma’ or almost all, United States cit. Lifeboats were lowered and the Zens and who, employed Ih crew abandoned ship, Randell yr "jultive” wan Devanter and Chief justice Duff called on the United States to apologize to the Canadian government for the sinking, to acknowledge that it was illegal and to pay the government — $25,000 in compensation.

Additionally ‘they awarded compensation totalling $25,668 for Captain Randell and mem- bers of his crew or their iegal heirs. The sum of $7,906 went t $10,185 to

a a

Jumped just before the I'm Alone sank,

The boatswain, Leon Mainguy from St. Pierre-Miquelon, was drowned in the turbulent seas.

body was taken aboard the cutter. The other shivering crew members were picked u

Randell and the survivors were taken to New Orleans and held in custody for two days at [ the U.S. customs house there Amanda Mainguy, widow of the before against them vr neler ™ drowned seaman, for nerself

pped for lack of evi- dence of criminal activity Seber s aes cule eey aoe . smaller amounts to seven other FILED CLAIM seamen or their heirs. The com-

Vincent Massey, then Cana- missioners ruled that no com- dian minister in’ Washington, pensation should be paid the filed a claim for $396,000 against owners for loss of the ship or the American government. cargo.

Canada’s formal protest in Sixteen days later the U.S effect asked the United States complied with the findings in a to prove that the Coast Guard note from State Secretary Cor- had not commited an act of dell Hull to William D. Her- piracy. The U.S, insisted that ridge, Canadian minister in the Coast Guard had done its Washington, duty. The long-drawn-out _ incident

It” cited an _anti-smuggling finally was closed. The first treaty negotiated between the was uttered with gunfire. The United States and Canada in last one was written with pen 1924 which stipulated that each and ink.

23 2

He stressed that strengthen- ing Russia's defences was most Important — “we shall plish it unflinchingly.

the bedrock of the existence of our socialist state, of its devel- opment and its successes."

The session approved a plan to establish regional director ates at all levels headed by local party secretaries. The ef- fects of this is to place state and collective farms under the same administration for the first time in Soviet history.

MOSCOW (Reuters) — Nikita | Khrushchev now believes Russia can produce both guns and but- ter following a meeting last week of the Communist party central committee and farm ex- perts, observers said here.

The Soviet premier is appar- ently relying on a combination of youthful enthusiasm, stricter party control and a more in- tensive use of existing resources to double or triple food produc- tionin the next 20 years

In a wind-up speech Friday on the five-day party session,

Khrushchev said th 5 ; Kirashchey tit ter ane (Radio Stations Being Sought

it plain that increased agricul- tural production would have to made without detriment to OTTAWA (CP)—Nine bids to

the present huge allocations for establish new radio stations im defence and heavy industry. seven Canadian centres, includ- Western experts here bel ing double applications in Cal- the Soviet agricultural problem gary and Fort St. John, B.C., is such that big new investments will be heard by the Board of would be needed to make it Broadcast Governors at a Win- more productive, nipeg hearing opening April 3. Khrushchev now {s saying The other centres for which farms must increase food sup- there are applications to set up plies from existing equipment, new AM (Amplitude Modula- though he appears to acknowl: tion) radio stations are Chom- edge that substantial improve- edy, Que. — where a French- ment will take years. language outlet is sought— ‘The Soviet press has reiterer- Winnipeg, and New Westmin- Soviet denials of a farm ster, Langley Prairie and Ab ‘and Khrushchev's own bottsford in British Columbia in the Friday speech Applications for power in creases included

Bathurst, N.B. — By radio station CKBC Bathurst to 10,000 watts from 250, with change te 1360 on the dial from 1400.

3

red crisis words were:

“Let the capitalists yell about a crisis, We, comrades, know we have no crisis in agricul- ture.”

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