DOWN TO THE SEA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 277, 27 November 1935, Page 11

DOWN TO THE SEA

OLD SAILOR’S TALES LIFE OF ADVENTURE MUTINY ON WINDJAMMER ROUGH JUSTICE IN EARLY DAYS An old sailor of the,, days of windjammers, Mr. A. Bowen, of Boston, Massachusetts, who is at present living in Wellington, has roughed out the story of his life, and hopes when it has been rewritten and revised, to publish it in the form of an autobiography, , states the Pominion. It makes an enthralling and romantic tale, taking the reader to the furthest corners of the earth and recalling the great days of sail. Much that is seamy and crude has perforce found its way into these > glimpses of the world through a forecastle porthole by a seaman serving ’ before the mast, but they arc convincing and obviously authentic. Mr. Bowen says he shipped in the square-riggers as a mere boy, his father being a noted Boston sea captain. On one of his early voyages the crew of the ship, oppressed by a drunken master, mutinied, and the ship was taken into port bv the chief mate. Another episode narrated by the seafarer describes a fight with Asiatic fiwemen of another ship berthed close to his at Rosario, on the River Plate. Aveording to Mr. Bowen’s account, in the heat of the moment, he snatched a gun from the captain, who had come to quell the riot, and shot one of the firemen dead. For this he served two years in a South American penitentiary, without the formality of a trial. In those days rough justice prevailed in South America. In the South American Prison For a prison murder, committed while Mr. Bowen was there another of the prisoners was executed out of hand by a firing squad in the prison patio. In proof of the veracity of this part of his tale, Mr. Bowen exhibited an ugly scar on his forearm, stated to be a knife wound received in the fight with the firemen. “If you get in touch with i the- Rosario authorities they will tell you,” he said, “they have my fingerprints and measurements on their files. ’ ’ During the war, Mr. Bowen says that he served with a line regiment in France, and after the Armistice again ‘ took to the sea. He spent some time in Mexico and had a narrow escape from death in desert country of the interior, in the ranges known as the Sierra Madres. Travelling across country on foot, he lost his way and ran short of food ami water. Tormented by thirst and clouds of mosquitoes in the daytime, unable to sleep for the howling of coyotes at night, he w T as in a bad way when at the end of a couple of days he stumbled on the abode hut of a Mexican woodcutter. “Bootleggers’ ’’ Trick An amusing incident of the days of prohibition in the 1 nited States is told by Mr. Bowen. At the time he was picking prunes at San Jo e, in California. Numbers of tramps used to gather for the fruit-picking to earn monev to tide them over the winter months, which they were used to spend encamped in the bush. The usual diversion of these men during their leisure periods in the picking season was to gamble with dice on the pavements. While they i were at this game one day, a lorry loaded with water melons drove past As it did so. one of the melons fell off and cracked open near the footpath. An odd aroma attracted the gamblers and they found that the melon had ’ been filled with liquor; this was one of ' the tricks used by “bootleggers” for the illicit transport of akohol. Mr. Bowen remarked that he had seldom seen men so keen to get a slice of water melon. NORFOLK (Federal Co.), left Livei pool Oct. 7 for Auckland (arr. Nov. 17). Napier (arr. Nov. 24). Wellington, (due Nov. 28), Lyttelton. ’ Dunedin and Timaru. RANGITATA (N.Z.S. Co.), left Londox 1 Oct. 17 for Auckland (arr. Nov. 20) and Wellington 'due Nov. 25). LOADING FOR OVERSEAS ’ MAHANA (Shaw, Saviil) at Wanganui : thence Auckland. Gisborne and Napier; thence Dec. 14 to London, via Cape Horn and Montevideo. PORT CAROLINE (C. ajid D. Line), at Napier; thence Nov. 27 to London, via Gape telton; thence Wellington; due there Nov. Horn and St. Vincent. PORT HUNTER (C. and D. Line), at Lyt--24; thence Nov. 27 to Auckland; thence Dec. 4 to London. Avonmnuth, Liverpool and Glasgow, via Panama Canal. RANGITATA (N.Z.S. Co.), loads at Napier Nov. 29; thenee to Auckland. Tokomaru Bay. Gisborne. Wellington ; due there Dec. 16; thence Dec. 20 to London, via Panama Canal ROTORUA (N.Z.S. Co.), loads at Port Chalmers Nov. 21 : thence to Bluff. Wellington : due there Dec. 2; thence Dec. 4 Auckland and Napier : thence Dec. 14 to London. via Panama Canal. TAINUI I Shaw, Svill). loads at Lyttelton Nov. 25; thence to Wellington: due there Nov. 26; thence Nov. 30 to Auckland; thence 1 Dec. 7 to Southampton and London, via Panama Canal and Kingston. TROJAN STAR (Blue Star Line), loads at New Plymouth Nov. 30; thence Dee. 4 to Auckland. Napier and Wellington ; due there , Der. 18; thence Dec. 21 to London, via Panama Canal. WAIPAWA (Shaw. Saviil). load* at New Plymouth Nov. 27 ; thence to Napier, Gisborne. Auckland and Wellington; due there Dec. 13; thence Dec. 18 to London. Avonmnuth. Liverpool, and Glasgow, via Cape Horn and Las Palmas. OVERSEAS VESSELS DOMINION BOUND CANADIAN VICTOR (Can. Nat.), left Montreal Oct 11 for Auckland (due Nov. 24). Wellington (due Nov. 29) and Australia. NIAGARA (Union Co.), left Vancouver Nov. 8 for Honolulu. Suva, Auckland (due Nov. 27) and Sydney. GOLDEN COAST (Burns. Philp), left Ix>s Angeles Nov. 1 for Auckland Idue Nov. 27), Wellington 'due Nov. 30) and Australia. MONTEREY (T. & W. Young and Burns. Philp), left San Francisco Nov. 12 and Los Angele* Nov. 13 for Honolulu. Pago Pago. Suva. Auckland (due Nov. 29), Sydney and Melbourne. PORT HOBART (C. and D. Line), left New York Oct. 31 for Auckland (due Dec. 1), Wellington (due Dec. 5), Lyttelton and Dunedin. TROJAN STAR (Blue Star Line), left London Oct. 12. via South Africa, for New Plymouth (due Nov. 30). GALE (A. H. Turnbull and Co.), left London Sept. 25. via Durban, for Dunedin (due end Nov.) and Lyttelton. HAURAKI (Union Co.), left Los Angeles Nov. 4 for Papeete. Apia. Auckland (due Dec. 2), Wellington (due Dec. 4), Lyttelton, Dunedin, Bluff and Australia. amaißow d!9Piva n TAMAROA (Shaw, Saviil). from London, left Southampton Nov. 1 for Wellington (due Dec. 5) and Auckland. NEW ZEALAND (Texas Oil Co.). left San Pedro Nov. 10 for Auckland (due Dec. 41. Wellington (due Dec. 8), Dunedin and' Australia,

MELBOURNE MARU (Federal Co.), left Moji Nov. 3 for Australia, Wellington (due Dec. 9) and Aucklanl. HUNTINGDON (Federal Co.). left Liverpool Oct. 28 for Auckland (due Dec. 6), Wellington (due Dec. 12), Lyttelton, Dunedin and Bluff. MAUNGANUI (Union Co.), left San Franc'sco Nov. 20 for Papeete. Rarotonga, Wellington (due Dec. 91 and Sydney. CANADIAN SCOTTISH (Can. Nat.), left Montreal Oct. I for Australia, Dunedin (due Dec. 8), Lyttelton and Wellington (due Dec. CANADIAN HIGHLANDER (Can. Nat.), left Montreal Nov. 1 for Auckland (due Dec. 111. Wellington (due Dec. 16) and Australia. RANGITANE (N.Z.S. Co.), left London Nov. 14 for Wellington (due Dec 18) and Auckland. PORT WYNDHAM (C. and D. Line), left London Nov. 8 for Suva (due Dec. 9). Lyttelton (due Dec. 16), Dunedin and Bluff. TA I ROA (Shaw, Saviil) left Liverpool Nov. 17 for Auckland (due Dec. 27), Wellington (due Jan. 2), lyttelton and Dunedin. CANADIAN CHALLENGER (Can. Nat.), left Montreal Oct. 27 for Australia, Wellington (due Dec. 30), Lyttelton and Dunedin. CORNWALLIS (Can Nat.), left Montreal Nov. 23 for Sydney. Dunedin (due Jan. 16). Lyttelton, Wellington (due Jan. 21), Auckland, Napier and Wanganui. gWVELOPES. —Buy your envelopes by the box of 250 and gave money. We recommend any of the following brands: “Club Parchment.” 2/5; “Progress,” 2/2; “Thames,” 2/8; and our famous “Top Notch,” at 3/-. The I above prices include sales tax; postI age, 8d extra. The Wanganui Chronicle Co., Ltd.