By Huw Carnaby Wright
Lloyd’s of London Investigate Fraud
Discreet
Investigations:
Reports
are spreading in London about a possible conspiracy to commit Insurance Fraud
in relation to the alleged sinking of Fraser, Tenholm & Company Steam ship
the Herald. We understand that a senior assessor of ‘Lloyd’s of London’,
Sir Leigh Brut, has been despatched to the Bahamas and Bermudu while meetings
have taken place between officials and senior management at the Fraser, Tenholm
& Co. office in Liverpool.
Suspicious
Circumstances:
There
is concern regards the seaworthiness of the Herald. It passed an
inspection in January last year, however the Assessor’s concerned, Isle, Turner
& Blindeye have since been bankrupted following their negligence costs over
the Pacific Mail steamship Golden Gate, the Anglo-Saxon and RMS
Bohemian cases. The Golden Gate was particularly suspect as Isle, Turner
& Blindeye had no inspectors based in the United States.
Sir
Lou Pole, head of the ‘Claims Assessment Department’ at Lloyd’s of London
confirmed that, “Investigations are continuing in relation to the Fraser,
Tenholm & Company Steam ship ‘Herald’, but in view of which he was
unable to make further comment on an individual case”.
 |
| RMS Bohemian |
High Risk Trading:
Insiders
reported that Lloyd’s have been increasingly concerned by inconsistencies in
the shipping manifests of a number of Fraser, Tenholm & Company Ships over
the past few years. It is no secret that this company is almost exclusively
involved in the potentially lucrative ‘blockade-running’ trade with the so
called, Confederate States of America. As the United States Naval blockade of
Confederate ports has tightened, the risks of this trade have increased dramatically,
putting off many investors and causing those who remain to demand ever higher
returns.
Plantation
Owners Willing to Pay for Luxuries:
The
very nature of the cargos being shipped from Liverpool to Charleston, chief
amongst the destination Southern ports, leaves much scope for abuse. Aside from
firearms and other military hardware, the ships carry low volume but high value
luxury goods. This makes the temptation to ‘lose’ valuable cargoes in transit,
claim compensation and then arrange for the same cargo to be delivered by
another vessel very attractive to the unscrupulous.
Lloyd’s of London’s ‘Big Nose’:
My
secretary, Phyliss Inkwell, recalled that my predecessor once wrote describing
the Lloyd’s of London Underwriting Room: ‘Not a breeze can blow in any
latitude, not a storm can burst, not a fog can rise, in any part of the world,
without recording its history here.’
Sir
Leigh Brut has a nose for sniffing out illegal activity so if anyone can
resolve this mystery, he can.
