GUN-RUNNING IN FICTION AND FACT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5737, 4 November 1905, Page 11

GUN-RUNNING IN FICTION AND FACT.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, September loth. The gun-running adventures of the steamer John Grafton in the Gulf of Finland last week recall an episode in the late Mr Seton Merriman’s novel "The Vultures.” One of the most graphic chapters in that story is the description of the transhipment of Captain Cable’s cargo of cartridges in the North Sea, with half a gale of wind blowing. The John Grafton seems to have been on a cruise very similar to the Minnie’s, but she met with a different fate. The vessel was wrecked some days ago, within sight of her goal, grounding on a sandbank in the Gulf of Finland during a gale and fog. The day after the Customs’ officers went on board to examine her cargo. They were met at the gangway by some of the crew, apparently English, who informed them that they could choose between being blown up or returning to land. The Customs officers returned to land.

Shortly afterwards, when the crew had left in the ship’s boats the vessel blew up. It seems improbable that any part of her object was achieved. An early message announced that the Russian authorities seized 5,000 rifles from people in the neighbourhood. “There were 5,000 rifles on board,” says a Reuter’s cablegram from Helsingfors, dated yesterday, ‘and watchmen have been posted on all the Skjold Islands in tbe vicinity of the wreck to prevent the stealing of weapons which are being washed up for a long distance along the coast owing to the storm. Many cases of revolvers have been thus picked up. The whole whereabouts of the crew (who took horse and made for the interior of the country) is still a mystery.

The divers state that there are still 1,000 rifles in the hold.” Such is the story, and the newspapers are busily supplying additional in forma tion to clear up the mystery. The vessel has been identified as the John Grafton a well-known London collier, which traded between Shields and the Thames, but which disappeared from that trade early iu July. After passing through various hands she arrived at Flushing, and on August Ist she was observed transferring cargo to a 5,000-ton steamer off the Island of Sark, outside the threemile limit. Then she disappeared again, to emerge into the full light of publicity this week as a gun-runner stranded within sight of port. The owner of the vessel and the members of the crew are evidently “sitting tight” after the pattern of Captain Cable before mentioned. “Of course, I shall hold my tongue.” said that worthy in Seton Merriman’e novel. “That's agreed—we all hold our tongues, whenever the newspapers may be likely to pay for a word or two. Often enough I’ve read things in the newspapers that I could put a different name to. And that little ship of mine has had a hand in some queer political pies.” One wouldn’t he surprised to hear some “queer political pie” in connection with the vessel now stranded in the Gulf of Finland.