STOWAWAY STRIKES FAST WORK.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 March 1938, Page 8

STOWAWAY STRIKES FAST WORK.

This is the sad story of a stowaway U who found those on the Awatea too A fast for him. Captain and purser conspired against him, and sent him r . ashore with his own “death warrant” L in his pocket. The tale was told when the Awatea returned to Sydney from Wellington last week. One of the pursers detected the stowaway among the 430 passengers just as the Awatea was leaving the wharf in Darling Harbour the other day for Wellington. The purser, Mr. R. Pirani, telephoned Captain A. H. Davey, on the bridge, and it was decided to show the stow-* away speed in landing him. In a heavy blow, with torrential rain, the Awatea moved down towards the Heads, Captain Davey trying to hail passing launches from the bridge, but the storm and . the noise of their engines drowned his voice. He had instructed an order for ten shillings to be written out on the Union Co., to be paid to the driver of the launch which eventually, it was hoped, w r ould take off the “free tripper.* The stowaway, a young man, who could not think of a cabin number quickly enough, when asked by the purser, v was led to an open gunport door. Captain Davey, below Fort Denison, made his voice heard >to a launch driver, who ran his craft alongside. The stowaway did not want to go, but Mr. Pirani was firm, and edged him to the rope ladder and the launch below. Mr. Pirani also shoved the letter, in- 1 structing the Union Co. “to pay bearer ten shillings for landing stowaway” in the pocket of the man. “There’s a letter for you in his pocket,” yelled Catpain Davey from | the bridge. )' The launch driver nodded, not par- , ticularly interested, but he searched the pockets of the stowaway, and ' opened the envelope. His face beamed and he nodded sev- ! eral times, vigorously. Then he gave : the Awatea the most enthusiastic wave she has had since she broke the record. ! I ]