AORANGi ARRIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 188, 11 August 1930, Page 8

AORANGi ARRIVES.

INCIDENTS OF VOYAGE. STOWAWAYS TRANSFERRED IN MID-OCEAN. DEATH OF POPULAR STEWARD. With 436 passengers in all classes the Union Company's Aorangi arrived in the stream at Auckland at 6.30 last evening from Vancouver. There were 280 passengers for New Zealand, and the vessel berthed at Prince's wharf about 8.30. It being a line Sunday evening, there, was a large crowd on the wharf to see the travellers disembark. Most of the passengers were returning from a round trip to Honolulu. These had 20 days in which to "do , * the Hawaiian Islands. Included among the through passengers were several Australians who had been to England or the' United States.

Two unusual incidents occurred on the run ■ south—the death of a well known and popular steward named Albert Prettejohn, who died yesterday, and the transference of two stoAvaways in mid-ocean from the Niagara. Stowaways From Suva. Some time ago two young pressmen from Perth, West Australia, arrived in Auckland with the idea of working their way round the world. They managed to pick up a job or two here and then went on to Suva. Evidently their luck was out at the island port, because unknown to anybody they secreted themselves on board the Niagara when she left Suva for Honolulu on Friday week last. The next day they were discovered, and a wireless message was sent to the Aorangi acquainting her skipper of the fact and asking that he . make towards the Niagara. j About noon the Niagara was sighted well down on the horizon and the passengers on .both vessels became very interested. Meantime word had been sent round both mail steamers that mails would be transferred also between the two. Then there was a rush to write letters.

The two mail steamers approached to within a quarter of a mile of each other, lhe weather was fine, but .the ocean was bumpy/' A boat was lowered from the Aiagara, containing the two stowaways. Wliile the .distance between the two ships, was being covered, huge sharks

swam round the craft. Passengers and crew on the' Aorangi spent much time in throwing bread and the monsters came to the surface-and snapped it up. There was much excitement on board. The two men were taken by the Aorangi to Suva, where they were handed over to the police. The transfer took 40 minutes to effect. Steward Died Yesterday. Mr.- Prettejolm, who died yesterday afternoon, had beeu four- years on, the Aorangi and 12 years with the Union Company. -He was 47 years of age v and was born in London. His home was in Victoria, and he is survived by his wire and a son and a daughter. The funeral took place in Auckland to-day and was largely attended by his fellow shipmates. >'