TARARUA GOLD ROBBERY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18613, 8 July 1930, Page 6

TARARUA GOLD ROBBERY.

SENSATIONAL CRIME OF THE ’EIGHTIES. DISASTROUS WRECK RECALLED. One of the early steamers connected with the Australian shipping that gained more notoriety than other vessels was the Tararua. which arrived in Hobson’s Bay, straight from her builders, on the 29th January, 1865. She was barque-rigged and had beautiful lines, and was the admiration of all interested in shipping. She had been expressly built for the Panama line, and soon proved a welcome addition to the few steamers trading between Australia and New Zealand, says a writer in the Melbourne “Age.” In the ’seventies and ’eighties a considerable amount of gold was sent from New Zealand to Melbourne, and the several vessels of the company had special rooms built for such cargo. The Tararua left Port Chalmers on the sth November, 1880, for Melbourne and carried a large number of passengers desirous of seeing the International Exhibition. A shipment of gold, comprising eleven boxes, each valued at £SOOO, and containing five bars of gold weighing 12550 z., had been transhipped at Dunedin from the steamer Hawea. These were stored in the bullion room situated at the stern of the vessel under the saloon. When the steamer arrived at Queen’s Wharf, at the foot of William street, on Saturday evening, 13th November, the passengers at once disembarked and three hours after officials of the Bank of New Zealand came on board to take delivery of the gold. When the ship’s officers entered the strongroom there were only ten boxes, and as there were no signs of the door or lock having been tampered with, doubts began to be expressed as to the number shipped, and a cable was dispatched to New Zealand for confirmation. In the meantime inquiries among the crew were made and the police informed. The detectives u r ere not long in endeavouring to solve the mystery, and all the movements of the officers and crew were closely watched as they went ashore and mingled with people during the steamer’s stay in Melbourne. When inquiries were made it was elicited that twelve months previously one of the duplicate keys of the strongroom, which had been hung up in the bar room, had disappeared, and apparently no steps had been taken to have a new lock substituted. It was evident the missing key had been used for the robbery, and the thief was cognisant of the fact that an unusually large quantity of gold was stored there. I The Union Company then offered a reward of £SOO, which was increased to £IOOO shortly after, for the recovery of the gold and conviction of the thief, but weeks and months went by and there was no news of the gold. The steamer was returning to Melbourne and had left Dunedin on the 28th April, 1881—her last voyage—when about 5 o’clock the following morning she crashed with great force on Wsipapa Reef, near Bluff, and was soon a total wreck. On that voyage, she had a large number of passengers, among whom were three Wesleyan clergymen and several well-known people. Soon after the vessel struck the rocks a huge sea broke over the ship, sweeping many of the passengers and crew into the angry sea, and drowning them before they could be rescued. A boat while being lowered was broken to pieces as it reached the water. Another was launched and managed to get within 50 yards of the shore, when it was overturned. One of its occupants, however, managed to swim through the breakers to reach the shore, where he met a settler, and the news df the disaster was conveyed 35 miles distant, and transmitted to Bluff and Dunedin. The steamer Hawea was immediately despatched to the scene of the wreck, but all was over on her arrival. About 2 o’clock in the afternoon the vessel rolled over and 17 persons were drowned. The rest then took shelter in the forepart of the wreck, and. others took to the rigging. About 20 people were fortunate in reaching the shore, and the poor creatures on the wreck could see the fires prepared for their comfort in anticipation of their rescue, which never came. Early the following morning those on shore heard a terrible noise and shrieks and then there was a great silence. As daylight dawned there was nothing of the Tararua to be seen excepting her broken foremast and bowsprit. All on board had been drowned and their bodies were being washed ashore. Within ten days about 70 bodies had been recovered, including that of the captain. The vessel was valued at £19,000 and insured for £14,000. In her bullion room there was a shipment of old silver coins valued at £4OOO, belonging to the Bank of New Zealand. Not one saloon passenger was saved and the total number of lives lost was 102.

The appalling disaster had the effect of practically obscuring the gold robbery, and the mystery connected with it seemed not likely to be solved. After the robbery one of the stewards, Robert Hinton, who had left the company’s service, went to live in West Melbourne, and in March, 1881, joined the steamer Otway, then trading in West Australia. He left that vessel in August the same year and settled down at Hindmarsh, near Adelaide, where he worked at a tannery. He was married and had a wife and daughter. He never seemed to be short of money, and appeared to be an industrious worker. He had only a few, friends, mostly shipmates, who visited him at hit home. Although under the surveillance of the police, Hintop, who was an American by birth, behaved in a most respectable manner, so that any close - watch by the police was relaxed. His wife left him in 1882, and his daughter was left in charge of a friend. Later, in consequence of ill-health, he was unable to follow his usual occupation, and his employers made him a small allowance. He had some money in the savings bank, from which he withdrew £2l. He developed consumption, and when on the point of death was questioned concerning his wishes respecting his young child and his belongings. A clergyman attended him right up to the time of his death. He never seemed inclined to make any confession, though he appeared to have something always preying on his mind.

After Hinton’s death, which occurred on 14th January, 1883, one of his friends had suspicions regarding a chest which had been addressed and

requested to be sent to his brother in California. The chest was opened and on examining the contents a hard substance, closely bound with leather, was discovered. This small package seemed rather heavy and the two friends uncovered it, and to their amazement it proved to be an ingot of gold weighing 276 ounces. They immediately acquainted the Adelaide police officials, and then a diligent search was made among Hinton’s papers and chattels in the hope of tracing the remaining gold bars, but nothing was found that could give any elucidation. After the chest had been in the custody of the police for nearly a fortnight, they decided an the 31st of January to empty the box, which had been papered inside. When the box was divested of its contents it still

appeared rather heavy, especially the lid. When stripped of its interior decorations it disclosed a recess, and on breaking the covering two more ingots of gold were found. These had been very cleverly inserted in the false lid. The startling news that a further find, making in all £3300 worth of the missing gold of the Tararua, was then circulated throughout Australia, and surprise was expressed that the discovery had not taken place long before. One of the ingots bore signs of having been partly melted by a fire insufficient to obliterate the bank initials stamped thereon. It seemed obvious that there had been more than one individual concerned in the robbery, though nothing was afterwards discovered regarding where the gold had been secreted after it had left the vessel until it was found at Hindmarsh. What became of the two other ingots had never been revealed. Hinton had been closely questioned at the time of thp robbery and admitted having had charge of the key of the strongroom and knew of a big shipment of gold being stored there. Had his home been searched it is probable he would have been incriminated and received a sentence of several years In prison.