Arrival of the Harbour Board Dredger. THE OCEAN WAIFS. Conflicting Statements by Officers and Men.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 158, 26 June 1886, Page 6

Arrival of the Harbour Board Dredger. THE OCEAN WAIFS. Conflicting Statements by Officers and Men.

Auckland, June 21. The new dredger of the Harbour Board arrived in port shortly after 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, from Greenock, She has made rather a lengthy voyage of 174 days. Early this morning a representative of the Evening Star boarded the vessel and interviewed Captain Cowper with regard to his reported refusal to take on board two French seaman named Mercier and Magre, belonging to the barque Guichen, which was wrecked on the Bird Island reef, near Keppel Bay. It will be remembered that the men had drifted 100 mile? in an open boat, and had eventually reached the Queensland coast at Pine Island lighthouse. Captain Cowper afforded the fullest information with evident willingness. He states that on the 18th May, at 2 a.m., as the steamer was proceoding down the Queensland coast, and when off Pine Island lighthouse, a boat containing two men was seen coming towards the vessel from the shore, which was distant only a quarter to half a mile. Captain Cowper gave orders for the steamer to bo stopped, and the boat came alongside. Going down from the bridge to the gang way he learnt that tht>y were Frenchmen, and, not being able to speak that language, Captain Cowpor got one of his crow, who stated he could talk a little French, to speak with them. The two men said they had been shipwrecked four daya before that, had reached the lighthouse, but could not be understood, and the men on th'i island would have nothing to do with them. They said they wanted bread. Captain Cowper himself awakened the steward to get bread for them and at the same time offoied to tow them to Mackuy, a town about 40 miles further on, and which would be reached about eighi a.m. This they refused. Offers were also made to take the men and the boat on board. But they did not wUh to go on board. Seeing that they needed nothing mote, Captain Cowper returned to the bridge, and when he reached there he heard fcomeone mention water. The captain did not know until he reached Brisbane that they were not supplied with all they wanted. The two men cast oft" the boat themselves. They had not a painter, but were mcroly attached to a lope from the steamer. It was impossible to see if the men were in a distressed condition, as it was dark at the time. In proof of this the captain produced the Almanac, which showed that the moon did not lise until 4 o'clock. Ail the light they had was from the Pine Island lighthouse, about a quarter of a mile away. The wen did not speak as if thoy were distressed, and pulled the boat as well as he could him?eli. Although the vessel was under quaiantine, still the men would have been taken on board if they had desired it, as Captain Co* per would have been only too glad to ha^e given them anything they required. When the boat left the steamer, the men pulled back inthedireobion of tho lighthouse. The engines were started going ahead until the boat was three or four ynida off the vessel's quarter. jHe was nover a-ked to be taken on board. One reason why the captain did not think the men weie in a distressed condition was the fact that they came to the vessel from the dir ction of the lighthouse, and Captain Cowper had been informed that all the lighthouse? and ships on the Queensland coast are specially provided with food for the assistance of ship-wrecked manners. As the pilot on board the diedger had informed the captain of the recent escape of nine convicts? iro»n New Caledonia, therefore it was believod that the men in the boat were two of them, and the fact of their not wishing to be taken on board confirmed their suspicions. * yen if they had been such, Captain Cowper would have taken them on board. The man who interpreted was named Edward Chadwick, and re loft the d ledger at Biisbane. When ilits boat was first seen cominy from the direcMon of the lighthouse, and desirous of sending a mail by the <*tonmer, Captiin Coup-:- stales that ho had (o depj! d en .toy upon the interpreter, as be is emiulv unncquainted with the French laiit_juaa;e. Ho complains that he has been yearly fioubied by the men on the voy»go out At Sin^-i-poie, five of the fiiemen weie before tho magistrate for b<.in<2 absent without leave, and weio ordered to refum to their duty, and p,iy the expense of the proceedings. At the tame puit, two of rhe sailois wsie taken up by the pjlieo and «ent on boairi. Until they leached Singapore, he had vo trouble with the crew, but since that affair thoy had declared that they would givo him all the trouble they culd. Ever since then thero had been trouble every day. The captain pioduced the ship's log signed by the ma^htrate in evidence of the accuracy of his sratomente. He did not hesitate to say that Ranott was the cause of tho men refusing to £0 to fea at Biisbnno. and had been the principal cause oi all the trouble Captain Cowper admits that he rang tho telogiaph himself to asrain start the when ho thought that (,b« Frenchman had received all the relief they "f>ad a-ker] for. "With regard to tho crew, the captain sajs that tlioy ixerely wanted to work their pa^sng-e out, and he promised them *10 e>tra. lie could hive m-inned the ship on the .same term 1 -, as hundieds of men who woro walking about at home wero willing to work their pa«?age to tho colo'iie-?. A=? to the waste- of time complained ofc by Hie men, Captain Cowper siys that he could not alfer that, as he was always reirlv to stait directly the vessel coiled, but it was tie ongine room requirements that detained him Ho did not piomiFO the men half-nay whou waiting in port, aa he was only empowered to draw enough to pay tho vessel's disbursement It is entered in the log that the men refused to co to sea until the ship was eurvoyrd. This was done, and Captain Cowper advanced money to pay the men's expenses whilo waiting in Briebane. This the men have since lefuced to refund to him. With regard *o the boat thab the m^n state was out of Older, the captain points out that the vessel had its full complement of boats without it, a? it v/a? n drpdge boafc to bo used for the purpose of running out anchor? in the harbour. Still, it was n trended to as Captain Tyt-on, the marine surveyor, recommended him to do the work in order to get the vessel away. As an instance that the work wag not leally necessary, Captain Cowper states that the surveyor did not even visit the ve*«el prior to sailing to see if their suggestions had been carried out The Government purveyor left it entirely to himself whether ot not the work should be done. In answer to a question regarding the mouldy biscuits, the captain stated that tho«e were pot used on the voyage. There* was any quantity of good ship's bread. The mouldy biscuits were thrown overboard last night. Captain Cowper is no new hand in these waters, as he has already made 17 voyages to New Zealand and New South. Wales as

_——f_. . —__ mate and master of various vessels. H& last visited Auckland thirteen yeara ago. The mate, Mr Anderson, stated that all he knew oi the affair was the captain ordering him to tell the steward to supply the men with biead. The steward,,upon being questioned, said that he was" asleep when the boat came alongside. The,captain called him, and Mr Anderson directed him to supply bread to the men. i j

The Men's Statement. Our representative then visited the men's quarters, where twelve seamen and firemen were assembled. They decided that one of their number, Mr J. B. Barrett, should act as spokesman. Their statement was as follows :—lt. was about 4 a.m., not 2 as stated by the captain, when the boat came aloDgside the steamer. The men had a white shirt flying either as a sail or a signal They were sure it was 4 a.m., as all the hands were on deck, as it was time to change watches. It was clear moonlight, and the men in the boat could be distinctly seen. When the boat came alongside the two men were in a sad plight, hardly able to move, and, in answer to questions, told a most pitiable tale Captain Cowper was on the deck standing at the gangway, and spoke to the shipwrecked men. They told the captain they were shipwrecked sailors, and nearly perishing, and asked to be taken on board, but the captain refused. They asked, or rather made signs for the captain to hoist the boat on boaid, or to tow it along, and, as if anticipating that the latter would be done, one of the two men proceeded aft as it to use the oteer oar to guide the boat; the other man was in the bow of the boat ready to pay out the painter as tho vessel went ahead. This man was crying like a child, but Captain Cowper himself let go the painter of the boat, at the same time giving oiclers to the pilot to go "full speed ahead." Piior to this the castaways asked for bread, and the captain told Mr Alexander, the mate, to give them some biscuits. This was done, but they weie mouldy, the same as the crew had been living on. They also asked for water and the captain wanted to know of them where theyj could put it if given fcucm. None, however, was given. The men -aid they had been living on nothing but shellfish—one ot them holding up a shell to show the kind they had. The captain of the _ steamer did not go on to the bridge ttntil after the engines were moving again.. The cicw of the steamer had seen the two Frenchmen's* statement published in the Brisbane papers (aheady published in the Stak), and fully corroborate it, except where they say that none of the officers were on keck They affirm that the officers were un deck, and Captain Copper himself questioned the men who could speak a little broken English. The men appear very dissatisfied at their treatment on the voyage, They say they were led on mouldy biscuits, and produced a sample which they had saved. These w ere perfectly alive with insecto, and most decidedly unfit tven to feed animals with, much less human beings. The lemainder of the biscuits were, they state, thioun overboard last night. With icgaid to theii engaguiient, they say that they came by tho run, and have worked as if tney were engaged hy the month. fhejM\eieto be paid £10 each, and they consider that a gieat amount of unnecessary time Mas wasted at the diiiercnt places visited, which they think \ery unfair to them. Again, they weie piomUed that on anival at tiingapoie they were to have halfpay, so that those mairied coo Id send some money home to their families; but on nirival at Singapore the captain would not gi\e them an v thing. They deshe to contiadict the statement that they refused to proceed on w ith the \ e.*sel at l>i isbane, and that they w ished to get clear of her. They only asked that ceitain nece-saiy repairs should be done, the principal being the lep.iiung of a bo it and its being slung in a moio handy position. The surveyors at Brisbane had all the work wanted of the crew done ; in fact more was done than was a>ked lor. jhe men are positive that the captain told the wait* to cast themoff. The steamer went full speed ahead befoie the men staittd away in their boat. 'ihe spokesman Barrett traces that he was in Auckland 23 >eais at_;o, and can, if necessary, produce local certificates to his ehai actor. The greater number of the men ln\o also visited New Zealand many times boloie, and all declare that they can all pioduce certificates. They all feel highly indignant at the captain's treatment of the two shipwrecked Frenchmen, and in fact there appeals to be a vciy strong teeling against the captain, and the men throw out lv.it- that, once clo<u of the boat, they will make tullei revelations on this and other maiici- connected with the voyage.