A STOWAWAYS TROUBLES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12091, 13 January 1905, Page 2

A STOWAWAYS TROUBLES.

THE RANGITOTO INCIDENT.'

CAPTAIN HAYWARD'S EXPLANATION.

(SPECIAL TO "THE PBESS.") AUCKLAND, January 11.

After the mail steamer Ventura had left Auckland for San Francisco on her; last trip on November 25th, a stowaway was discovered by tho crew of the Harbour Board's -dredge on Rangitoto. He said he had tried to get away in the; Ventura, but had been discovered, and rowed ashore. Ho also said he was left, without food or water, being practically marooned on Rangitoto. , Captain Hayward, when seen on the Ventura to-day, gave quite a different version of the story. • "It was' reported to mo by the purser,", ho'said, "that a _aan had stowed'himself'away j on the Ventura, and that ho hadrinoneyj —some £10, he said. The purser stated' that tho manWefused'to pay the £10; towards his passage money and works the balance out. "Wh.nthe option was, given him, he; was told that he would have to go ashore, and he defied'tho purser to put him ashore, believing that the ship was out in tho blue water and' too far .off land to permit of his being landed;- as there in!.ight from the side, of tho shij) *oh which.he : was standing. The' option. - was again put to- him of paying what;money lie had for his passage and working out. the balance for/the cost of the thirdclass faro. This he refused to do, and he defied the purser to have him put. ashore. I then gave orders to the mate to lower, the - boat. .The r steamer, was' stopped and the man was rowed ashore,; much to his astonishment, for.: he not think we were so/near Rangitoto.; He had a' bottle of whisky, a valise, s and his overcoat with "him,'and, v moreover, he offered £1 to the m6ii who had rowed him askore. I was under the impression," added Captain Hay-; ward, "that the salt/works at-Rangi-toto were running, knd anyway' I knew there would be exctrsion boats running to Rangitoto next day (Saturday),' and I thought it <would:'do so independent a gentleman no hsVm:if he put up with a little. inconvenience for a few nottrs.? He told .the men frho rowed him ashoro that he would W all right, and would: camp ( out for thb. night, ,he supposed. Now,-1 would /tiot have landed the meanest creaturi on earth on. a desert island without food or drink.' Such-a thing would be/most barbarous, and Iwould not do it however .bad a, man! might be. but (in future when I havo V any stowawaysbn board from Auckland I'll land . than anywhere there is a: house, even ie it is on Great of Little ; Barrier. If I had known that this man could not havi got water, I would have . seen that he had some, and some food: too, butl knew he. would not be longer on the island than-would have taught: him a lesson and my. surmise was correct. .He wjls taken off next day.; We - "have stowaways on board a*i tuTibs; buY, they are ufflally dead-beats, without''a cent, in thi world, and we give them food, for vhich they hay« .to ; work, on-, "the passag/, but we do not meet anion.'.» them gentlemen with £.0 in gold and a good quipment of .clothes ". in* *a r i Valise." ./■ • ■.:>'< ■■-.-'7 s .■■/■■■^