RUAHINE FROM HOME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 259, 2 November 1931, Page 3

RUAHINE FROM HOME.

LARGE PASSENGER LIST.

BATTLE AT SEA WITNESSED

STOWAWAY FROM PANAMA.

Fine weather practically all the way favoured the New Zealand Shipping Company's Ruahine on her voyage from London to Auckland. The vessel had a larger number of passengers than any other arrival here for many months. There were 322 on board, included amongst them being the New Zealand cricket team, relief crews for H.M.s. Laburnum and H.M.s. Veronica, and several wool buyers. In addition to tho naval ratings in the third class, there were 65 passengers, most of them being women and children. Tliero were 44 first saloon passengers and 42 in the second, including 16 naval chief petty officers.

Southampton was left on September 25 and calls were made at Curacoa and Panama en route. A stop for about three-quarters of an hour was made at Pitcairn Island. Although it was nearly midnight and raining very heavily, most of the passengers remained on deck to welcome the islanders, who came out; in the pitch darkness in their boats. So thick was the weather that the island could not be seen from tha ship.

' Swordfish Versus WhaleWhen about 800 miles off the New Zealand "coast the Ruahine passed large shoals of whales for two days, and about noon on Saturday those on board got a rare thrill. They witnessed a right between a large swordfish and a whale. According to those who saw the fight it was terrific, and the ocean was tinged with red. How the battle ended could not be seen.

'. Soon after the liner left Panama, a stowaway was discovered, a Spaniard named J. Cardo. He was found calmly sitting in a deck. chair on the upper deck reading a> newspaper. The ship was too far off shore to turn back so he was put to work and brought to Auckland, where he was hauded over to the police.

Stowaway's Story. Cardo had an interesting story to tell when interviewed. He said he and his people left Spain for the United States when he was -16 years of .age. For several years he had been employed in and about hospitals as porter, orderly and on odd jobs. His mother and_ sister left the country and went to- live in Bombay, and he became a "hobo. He wanted to follow his mother to Bombay, so he set out from San Diego for Panama, 4000 miles away. He traveled about 150 miles on foot, and for the rest need railways and steamers—without .payment. Like other hoboes he travelled underneath and on top ot freight cars till he was caught and put off Then he simply walked a. little and waited for another-train to come along. At last he reached Panama and seeing the Ruahine lying alongside he rust walked aboard, thinking she was bound for San Francisco, where he might stow away on some ship bound for India. His luck was oui>-not that he minds very much, because, as he eaid in broken English, "I have not lived so well for months. I've had three meals a day and a bed to sleep on. But I do want to get to Bombay to my mother and sister.