Credit River - I'm Alone Traditional Cache
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Credit River - Shipwreck Series
I'm Alone
March 22, 1929
There are many shipwrecks around the world. Some very famous and others not so. Each however has it’s own story to tell. As you travel along the Credit River doing this series of caches, we have highlighted a number of these shipwrecks. During low water levels on these parts of the Credit River, you need to be careful in a canoe or kayak so as you don’t wind up in your own shipwreck. Besides the many large rocks along the way, there are also some other obstacles such as dams which should be avoided. All of the geocaches in this series have been placed by tubing, inflatable boat or on foot by walking in the water along the Credit River. Whichever way you choose to search for these caches, use caution and common sense.
More information about this series can be found here: Credit River - Shipwreck Series
I'm Alone
On March 22, 1929, the American Coast Guard cutters, Dexter and Walcott, created an international incident with the sinking of the rum-runner vessel, I’m Alone, 200 miles off the American coast. At the center of it was of it all was Jack Randell, Captain of the I’m Alone and a native of Port Rexton, Newfoundland.
In November 1928, Capt. Jack Randell took command of the two-masted schooner, I’m Alone. The ship was some 200 tons gross weight, capable of carrying 6000 cases of liquor. The American authorities were familiar with this vessel’s history as a rum-runner and were keeping an eye out for her.
During the first few months as captain, Randell was successful in bringing liquor from Saint-Pierre and Belize (British Honduras) to waters outside American territorial waters. There cargo was unloaded to ships that came to meet them in what was called “Rum Row.”
It was on March 20, 1929, that the US Coast Guard cutter, Walcott, came upon the I’m Alone outside American waters and asked Capt. Randell to “heave to.” He did and proceeded to have conversation with the captain of the Walcott who had boarded his vessel. Capt. Randell advised the cutter’s captain the he was in international waters and the American authorities had no jurisdiction over him. Furthermore, he told the American captain, since he had not broken the Rum Running Treaty between the US and Britain, he would not surrender his ship. Following this discussion, the cutter’s captain returned to his ship and proceeded to follow the I’m Alone. It was during this time that the Walcott fired several shots at the I’m Alone. There was little damage done to the I’m Alone, and Capt. Randell was not about to surrender.
The next ship to come upon the scene was the US Coast Guard cutter, Dexter. After discussing the matter with the captain of the Walcott, the captain of the Dexter asked Capt. Randell to stop his ship. When Randell gave a negative reply, the Dexter opened fire on the I’m Alone with rifle and machine gun fire, followed by four-pounder explosive shells aimed at the water line of the rum-runner. All the while Capt. Randell and his crew remained at the stern of their ship.
Finally, the I’m Alone succumbed to the attack and the vessel sank bow first. The crew jumped overboard and clung to the wreckage. The boatswain of the I’m Alone drowned. The rest of the crew were hauled aboard the Dexter, and Capt. Randell was placed in leg irons.
While onboard the Dexter returning to an American port, Capt Randell managed to get on deck one day. He noticed signals being passed between the crews of the Dexter and the Walcott. Being a master mariner and a former lieutenant-commander in the Royal Navy in charge of warships, Randell could read the signals without difficulty. They were discussing how to explain the sinking of the I’m Alone some 200 miles off the American coast in international waters.
The sinking of the I’m Alone caused an international incident. When the hearing took place in New Orleans, the district attorney dropped the case against the captain and crew of the I’m Alone because they were wrongly arrested outside American waters. In addition, the United States government awarded the owners of the rum-runner $25,000 and the Captain and crew $25,000 as compensation.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnzzbrq ghor. 8 srrg nobir gur jngre, 6 srrg nobir gur fyvtugyl uvture cvrpr bs ynaq. Unatvat ba n pheirq gerr oenapu. Fubhyq or rnfl gb frr. Vs lbh ner ghovat, vg jvyy or ba gur evtug fvqr bs gur evire. Vg'f ba gur fvqr jvgu gur iregvpny pyvss.