VAGABONDS OF THE SEA.

Waikato Times, Volume 117, Issue 19565, 2 May 1935, Page 13

VAGABONDS OF THE SEA.

INGENUITY OF STOWAWAYS. LITTLE CHANGE OF FREE TRIPS. Since the earliest 'times , luokless wanderers have resorted to “stowing away” in ships, but in reoent yeans only the specialist has succeeded in evading the Increasing vigilanoe of captains afid Customs officials. The “bagman of the sea” has 'little hope of free voyage nowadays unless he ban conceive some most ingenious plan. Adventurers concealed themselves In ships’ funnels, tanks and ooal bunkers, among the cargo in the hold; and on one ship, which was 1 carrying a circus, even in the animals’ cages. 'Bringing in his train expense and complications for the shipowner, the stoWaway, however, is an unwelcome passenger, and before a vessel leaves port the" “stowaway gang” „In the crew makes a thorough search of every nook and cranny for non-paying passengers■

Would Go In a Box. ■One remarkable example of the ruses adopted by a determined stowaway was' reported recently from France. A Parisian youth named Louis Chiane'se had frequently asked his parents, for money to travel to the United States. When they refused to give him the necessary funds the parents were perplexed by the boy’s reply that- he would “see America even if I have to go in a box.” Heveral days later Louis disappeared from home., and the police, who were called in, were baffled in their efforts to trace him, until a‘mysterious bill for transporting a- package-case abroad the steamer, Lafayette,.bound for New York, was delivered to ‘ the parents. A message was immediately sent by wireless to the liner, then ‘in midAtlantic, and the search which followed led to the discovery of the youth in a case among the cargo. He confessed that he had concealed himself in the case, and addressed it to a merchandising firm in New York. Several years ago no fewer than 15 ■stowaways were discovered on the Union freighter Wainui, which formerly traded across .the Tasman 'Sea. They had taken advantage of the ■transport of a circus to slip up the gangway among the crowd and oonceal themselves in the ship- Before the vessel reached the Australian coast the adventurers were discovered, ■some In the hold, and others In tanks and lifeboats. Three men, hoping ■that the circus animals would b.e left alone during the voyage, had concealed themselves In an empty monkey cage which had been placed next to the temporary home of a fierce leopard. Amusing but Successful.

An amusing but successful attempt to reach London was made in the steamer Anglo-Peruvian hy two Sydney men. Carefully wrapping his body in newspapers, one man hid in the coal bunkers, burying himself to the neck in the coal and covering his head with a black coat. The other man hid beneath the boilers, and underwent a prolonged Turkish bath. , Although there are captains who will treat a stowaway kindly after his discovery, there is no man in conmand of a ship who is glad to see one aboard. The captain of an American steamer which left Portland (Oregon) recently on a voyage to New York direct treated two stowaways with scant respect. They were brought before the wrathful captain, who threatened to throw them overboard. Tho men took the liberty to laugh at this threat. The’ captain decided that he would keep his word, lie sent a message by wireless to a vessel of the same fleet which was steaming for Portland only a few miles away, telling the master that he was throwing two stowaways overboard. The captain of the other steamer agreed to pick them up and return them to Portland. Tho two men were then fitted wilii lifebuoys and losscd over the side. An hour later they were dragged aboard the passing ship and taken to Portland, where they were imprisoned.

International Organisation,

Evidence of the existence of international organisations for assisting siowawnys was obtained in Berlin in 1931, when several members of the crew of. the trans-Atlantic liner Bremen were convicted of having belonged to an international smuggling gang. It was proved that the men bad made large sums of money by having arranged for “conducted parties'’ to travel across the Atlantic in special hiding places. Stewards had been bribed to provide the stowaways with bedding and meals, and there was an organisation in New York for the disposal of the “parlies" after their •surreptitious entry' into the country. Through this organisation hundreds of Chinese had' been smuggled across the Atlantic in the Bremen at a fee of li iO each. Under Australian law the arrival of

all alien stowaways must' be ■ announced to the 'Customs Department, and 'the ship's oaptaln who fails to conform to this l law Is liable to a fine of £IOO. -The -stringency of the laws against prohibited Immigrants has kept Australia remarkably free of these undesirable adventurers.. Severel years ago the master of the old Dutoh steamer Almkerk was fined £SOO when his vessel arrived at Fremantle with no fewer than .50 Chinese concealed in one of his water tanks. His oase \is hot likely , to be forgotten by other captains In the Australian trade.