Dollar Line Captain Charged:
U. S. Commissioner on Gravity of Offence Capt. Jones Pendlebury, master of the Dollar Line str. President Adams, was charged before Mr. Lurton'at the U. 8. Commissioner's Court last Friday with polluting the Huangpu with fuel oil. Mr. Addis and Mr. J. B. Brown, instructed by Maritime Customs, prosecuted, id Major C. P, Holcomb defended.
The defendant pleaded guilty.
Addis, for the prosecution, had spread over the water, and stated the dangers to which the Se. tlement was menaced by oil in the viver.
Tt was not necessary to proceed with evidence, as defendant had pleaded guilty and made a statement to the effect that he was unaware of the escape of oil, but that upon his attention being' called to the fact, he found that a fireman, who was cleaning the boilers, had opened an oil valve by mistake, instead of a water valve.
'Major Holcomb told the Covrt that' his clients, the Dollar Line, were doing everything possible to cooperate with the harbour autho les in keeping the river clean, hav. ing gone as far as to request each master before his vessel reached port to use every, age. Defendant, of ledge, was unaware of the loss, but as master of the vessel, must be held responsi!
The Commissioner imposed a fine of $100 (U. S. currency) with costs and in the course of a written judgment snid:—
The defendant has pleaded guilty and the facts of the case show that this is an offence of a very grave and serious character, due to. the danger to the water supply of the city of Shanghai becoming serious. ly impaired. "It also shows that the discharge of oil in the river would seriously menace the shipping of this port, due to the fact that there is a possibility of oil catching on fire and being carried to the vessels in this port.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.