A SHIPS STORES

Southland Times, Issue 19553, 29 June 1922, Page 2

A SHIPS STORES

THEFTS FROM THE SUFFOLK.

BLUFF SEAMEN CHARGED WITH RECEIVING. The broaching of a quantity of ship's stores was at the bottom of lengthy proceedings at the Invercargill Magistrate's Court yesterday against two Bluff seamen. The 6.5. Suffolk has been berthed at Bluff for some days past and during the past few days a large quantity of paint and other materials has disappeared from the ship’s stores. As a result of poEce investigation, two men named Robert IHuerty and Richard George Ryan ware charged with receiving at Bluff on June 27 two cwt of red oxide, one cwt of white zinc, half a cwt of red lead, half a cwt of shore coloured paint and 15 pieces of steam glass packing, of a total value of £5O, knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. SeniorSergeant Scandrett conducted the prosecution, and Mr Eustace Russell defended the accused.

John B. Mackie, second engineer on the ship, said that on Saturday night he turned out of bed about 11 o'clock on hearing the ash winch working on deck. He found three firemen in the ash house who had no right there. He ordered them out. Beside the winch house he found Fluerty with one of the firemen, McCabe. He then went to the engine room where he found the tunnel door open. He closed it and then locked the ash house, besides giving certain instructions to the engineer in charge. Fluerty was the only stranger on the ship. It was not unusual for shore men to visit the firemen in their quarters, but no person from the shore had permission to go down into the stokehold. Next morning witness examined the stores with a stoker and found cwt of red oxide in a drum misting. He identified the drum produced in court as the one. The drum had been taken from the tunnel which was closed at mid-day on Saturday and witness first saw it open again when he went down at 11 o’clock that night. After the door was closed at that time it was not. opened till Sunday morning, so that the drum must have been taken on Saturday prior to 11 o’clock at night. On Tuesday morning he opened the tunnel door and went to the store room, which was situated in the tunnel, and found the storeroom door wide open, the door having been burst open. Two covers, one containing packing and the other electrical gear, had also been forced open and the locks sprung. There were missing from the store various goods set out in the information. The articles in court were the missing property. The pobce were then called in. As a result of inquiries, he found on Tuesday that the tunnel escape door to the deck was open. This door was kept locked and witness had the key. A night watchman was kept on board.

To Mr Russell: In the first case (Saturday night) the goods in his opinion, went out the tunnel door, through the engine room and then up through the ash room. There was always an officer in the engine room who usually went away for supper somewhere between 10 and 11 at night. During that time there should usually be a greaser in the engine room. It was hardly Ekely that the stuff could be taken through the engine room without being seen by tjie greaser or engineer if he were there. The paints that had been taken were practically all they had on board. He recognised the goods by the maker’s name but he could not positively identify them as the goods stolen from the Suffolk, although he had every reason to bebeve they were. It was quite possible that a drum could be removed without it being noticed by the engineer or greaser. Frederick G. Halls, sixth engineer, said that he was on duty from 6 p.m. on Saturday till 7 p.m. the next day in charge of the engine room. He left for supper about 10.45 p.m. and was away for about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. The tunnel door was closed when he went for supper. On his return the door was open, which did not surprise him as just before he went down he was informed by the second engineer that the ash winch was working. It should not have been working. Acting under instructions from the second engineer he made a search and found Fluerty in the stokehold with another shore man. He did not know who the man was. He asked the men who they were and a fireman, McCabe, claimed them as friends. He ordered them out of the stokehold. The ash winch was not work ing for any ship’s purpose. The men were standing within five yards from the place where the winch was working, being right underneath it. It was quite possible that a drum of lead could be taken through the engine room without the greaser seeing

To Mr Russell: He was not sure of the other shore men in the stokehold but he did not think Ryan was the man. He was standing within a foot of them. Fluerty was with a fireman, McCabe. Henry J. Roderique, master of the Britannia schooner, said that on Saturday night the vessel was moored inside the wharf. He did not sleep on the vessel when it was in port. He was on the vessel about twelve on Saturday and on Sunday at 4 pm. The next time he visited the vessel was about 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday. He had no knowledge of the goods produced being on the Britannia and no one had authority to take them on board. He had no dinghy but had two big whaleboats on deck, where they were when he went on board on 'Tuesday morning. The articles which were found on the boat were lying in the hold covered with fishing aprons.

To Mr Russell: If there was no one a)x>axd the ship, it was quite posable for anyone to liavc placed the goods in question in the hok! of the Britannia without the master or crew knowing anything about it. From where the goods were stowed he would probably not have noticed them if he had gone down the hold twenty times unless he suspected anything was wrong. It was quite possible that goods stolen from the Suffolk or any ship could be pot aboard his boat to hide and be removed later. He had known cases at the Bluff of goods being put on small craft in a similar manner. Usually when the boat was in port, Ryan slept at home. There were three other members of the crew with him on the last trip, including the other accused, Fluerty. Constable White said that on Tuesday after inquiries he went aboard the Britan nia accompanied by Constable Cooper and the Customs Officer. In the hold they found the paint and packing produced in Court, covered with coats and canvas. When arrested in the main street, Ryan said he knew nothing about the theft until some person told him about it. He said he went to bed at his home at 10.30 p.m. on Sunday and was never on board the Suffolk. He said that on Monday night he and Fluerty slept on board the boat. He went to bed at 10.30 pun. before Fluerty arrived. On Tuesday Fluerty was arrested on the Britannia. He, too, denied all knowledge of the affair. When asked by Sergeant Brooks what he was doing down the hold of the Suffolk on Saturday night, accused said he was on board the ship but was never down the hold. Ryan said he was asleep when Fluerty came aboard, but it was sometime after eleven, Ryan thought. The goods produced could hardly be got into the boat without anyone on board being aware oi it.

Constable Cooper corroborated the evidence of the previous witness. Mr Russell submitted that at that stage the information should be dismissed. The men were not charged with theft and rightly so. Tliere was not a tittle of evidence against Ryan and the only evidence that had been brought against Fluerty was that he was on the Suffolk on Saturday night. The position was that the goods could have been dumped on board the boat at any time after dark if no one was aboard the boat. There was not the shghtest evidence of the accused having received possession of the goods. His Worship said he thouglu. he must have some explanation from the accused before he would be justified in dismissing the case.

Robert Fluerty, a fisherman and a member of the crew of the Britaamis said he v <^ > GlBpt aboard every night si’ice Friday

when the lx>at came into port. He knew one man, McCabe, on board the Suffolk. On Saturday evening he was down the engine room and the stokehold. Ryan was not aboard the ship. He was ordered off the ship by an officer and went at once. He was on the Suffolk on Bunday at 4.30 p.m. Witness detailed his movements from Saturday till liis arrest. He knew nothing about the theft. Croas-examined by the Senior-Sergeant, witness said he did not hear the ash winch working when he was in the stokehold. He would not know an ash winch, in any case. He did not have time to tell the poEce that he had been in the stokehold. The goods could have been put on board the Britannia without his knowledge, or that of anyone on board the boat. Richard George Ryan said that the only occasions he was on the Britannia since she arrived in port were when he slept on the boat on Monday night and for a time on Sunday afternoon with the master. He did not think the dumping of five cwt of goods on board from a dingh> would awaken him. They were used to boate bumping up against the vessel. Cross-examined, witness admitted six previous convictions since 1909, comprising theft, breaking, entering and theft, obscene language and assault on the police. Wiffiam Spencer, grandfather of the last accused, said Ryan had slept at. the house on Saturday and Sunday nights. On Monday witness had a man from Greenhills at his house and Ryan, at witness’s request, agreed to sleep on the boat and let tbe viator have the bed. Ryan left about half past 10. He had known cases at Bluff of goods being planted on fishing boats without the crews or owners knowing anything about it. This closed the case.

His Worship said he was more favourably impressed with Ryan than the other man. He could not clear his mind of the impression that the men knew something about the goods getting aboard the schooner. A jury might acquit them, but a prims facie case had been made out and there must be a committal for trial.

“Is Ryan to be committed?” asked Mr Russell.

“The case against Ryan is not strong," said His Worship "but I think he ehould be committed.”

The accused were accordingly committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court, bail being allowed in one surety oi £lOO in each case.