MUTINOUS CREW

Hokitika Guardian, 2 May 1931, Page 6

MUTINOUS CREW

“M YSTERA; v CARGO BROACHED. SEVEN 7 MEN CHAINED Ul\ PAPEETE, April 15. With 14,000 cases of whicky in her holds for discharge at Papeete lor il destination unknown and seven members of her crew handcuffed and chained to ringbolts in a heavily barred store room, the American freighter Lake Galewood steamed into Papeete on the morning of April 12, after an eventful voyage of nine days from Suva, Fiji. Tired and lieavy eyed from his vigil of the past fortnight, when the trouble commenced Captain McAlpine, master of the vessel, asserted that members of the crew had threatened his 1i 1« and that he had been compelbd to take drastic action. The butt of a heavy Colt automatic revolver projecting from the pillow on his bunk bore out the officers’ statement that Captain McAlpine lived in fear of his, life.

The first engineer, Mr Wakeham, told a graphic story of the most eventful voyage the Lake Galewood has had in a very colourful career. A ft: r loading at numerous Pacific Coast ports for the South Seas, the Lake Galewood cleared San Francisco with a cargo composed mainly of timber, automobiles and whisky for Papeete and other South Sea ports. At Papeete seine of -h- crew came into conflict with the French police, and as a result two of their number died of injuries received, and nine others were badly hurt and had to he taken to the local hospital. “Tt was a pitched battle,” said Mr Wakeham. “When I saw them fight that night 1 realised that wo had shipped the toughest bunch out of ’Frisco.”

“A BATTLE ROYAL.” Between Papeete and Vavau, Tonga, many members of the stokehold stall failed to report for duty and an examination revealed that a large quantity of whisky had been broached from the hold. At noon on tile same day the chief e(ngineer ) while attempting to reason with the men in their quarters, was struck from behind with a heavy, spanner and rendered unconscious. Sixteen drink-crazed firemen then started to move toward the officers’ quarters amidships. Fortunately the officers heard the commotion, and, headed by the chief officer, Air Dalton, an ex-heavy-weight champion pugilist of the Pacific Coast they repulsed the firemen, but in the fracas the wireless operator received a broken arm and th e third engineer was knocked senseless.

‘‘lt was a battle royal while it lasted.” said Mr Wakeham, a steely look in his eye. “We gof. among them and fought hard. They meant murder I’ll tell you, and were in a state where they’d stop at nothing. We got the leaders and locked them below and turned the others to work with two. armed cngiirers watching them.”

After this matters on hoard quietened down, hut there was a general uneasiness apparent all over the vessel. At Nukualofa, Tonga, the firemen stood on the.wharf and again threatened to murder the captain when the Lake Galewood got to sea. Three more of their number were imprisoned, and Captain McAlpine placed armed guards about the ship, with instructions to shoot the. first man who made a mutinous move.

WHO OWNS THE'WHISKY? It appears that had the whisky Iron discharged at Papeete on. the downward voyage there would have been no trouble, but for some unaccountable reason the “mystery” consignor instructed the agents at the latter port to discharge the cargo on the Lake Galewood’s return.

This “mystery” cargo lias brought tlie vessel very much under the public eye in every port in the South Seas where she has traded, and at Papeete it is rumoured that the cargo is intended for “somewhere in the U.5.A.,” Papeete being merely a base for operations. Although statistics show that Papeete imports more liquor annually than any other South Sea Port, there has never been an occasion in its eventful history when a single cargo of such huge proportions has been discharged here.

The Lake Galewood is a steel singlescrew steamer of 2,800 tons and was ■built for the Great Lakes Transport Company, by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Seattle. She was later purchased from her previous owners by a private individual, isaid to he acting for A 1 Capone, the notorious Chicago gangster,, and engaged in the liquoi traffic. She was later captured by a United States patrol off Key West, in Florida and after a year of idleness was purchased by her present o\\ ners, a large shipping corporation in San Francisco.