STORMY VOYAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21560, 3 August 1933, Page 6

STORMY VOYAGE

GIRLS CARRIED TO SEA KEEN THIRST FOR TRAVEL c SHORT-LIVED ADVENTURE \ [from otra own correspondent! MELBOURNE, July 26 Two little Melbourne girts set out yesterday to see the world. They had only lOd between them in money, but they had an abundance of optimism. 'Australia still remembers the remarkable adventure of a young Sydney girl who was discovered as a stowaway on a vessel proceeding from Sydney to 'Auckland, but the latest " stowaway " incident is -easily the most remarkable on record, for the chief actors in it were but twelve and nine years of ago respectively. Agnes Bowler was the elder, the other being Lena Frances Delaney. Agnes was escorted half-way to school by her mother on Tuesday morning, and did not return home. Lena had been kept at homo because she wa;3 not well. Lena's mother left home for a. few minutes and when she returned her young daughter was missing, As there was no sign of her two hours later a frantic search of the neighbourhood was made, but without success. Then the police were called in, and while the search was at its height a message came from the captain of the Orsova, then on its way to England, thai; the two missing children had been found on board the steamer. They would be put off the liner at Adelaide and sent home by train. Lena's mother said that the news astounded her, more particularly because her daughter was very nervous at the best of times, and usually refused to go a m<*sage unless someono accompanied her. She lived next door tq Agnes, who was her playmate. Lena's sister said that she saw the two girls together during the morning. They did not seem to want her and when she approached them they ran away. Agnes had 10d" and she had bought some lollies.' Agnes had often said she was sick of Australia and that she wanted to go on a ship and travel around the World. The Orsova had a very rough trip between Melbourne and Adelaide, and perhaps the little girls are glad after all that their adventure came to a sudden conclusion. A message from the steamer before reaching Adel aide stated that the adventurers were too sick to tell their story. When the girls reached Adelaide toiday they stated that they went aboard the ship at Melbourne with passengers, and began to look around. While enjoying themselves with the hot and cold water from the taps in the bathroom'they looked out of a window and found that they were at sea". ' They were met by women police and officers of the Travellers' Aid Society at the Outer Harbour at Port Adelaide. Later ;they were charged in the Children's Court with being destitute children, and were remanded to 'a children's home pending advice from their parents.