NIGHTMARE VOYAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22332, 1 February 1936, Page 2 (Supplement)

NIGHTMARE VOYAGE

MURDER AND WILD BULL A murder committed far out to sea at the dead of night; the ship, due to. its steering gear being broken, rolling helplessly in tho teeth of a gale; a bullock running amok in one of the holds and nearly goring several of the crew; and anxious days off the coast of Eritrea, where she was discharging her cargo—that, in brief, is the history of the last voyage of the Cape St. Andrew which arrived in Durban, South Africa, recently. She was direct from Aden and had called at Durban for a complete overhaul and survey before loading a cargo of coal for Mombasa. "This has been "our most eventful voyage," said an officer, "and I am glad that it is over at last. The murder was a most unnerving experience. At about midnight one night, when we were on our way to Aden from Merka, a Lascar bo'sun was walking from the stern to the peak of the ship. He heard a muffled thud, then a form dashed past him towards the crew's accommodation.

"In the alleyway he found a stoker lying dead with 11 stab woundß in his body. The bo'sun had seen tho faco of tho man who had run past him and arrested him immediately. He was clapped in irons and brought before the Courts- at Aden, where ho was convicted of murder." "We came with a light ship to Durban from Aden," said one of the officers, "and although wo encountered bad weather we made good time: Oft'Savora Point our steering gear jammed. High seas wore running and a terrific gale was blowing. We were tossed all over the place and had to drift with currents as our engines were stopped. At one fiime we only covered 32 miles in 24 hours."