The record-union., 1899-06-03

SAN FRANCISCO, June 2.-There
was great excitement and CONSERVATION
on board the steamer Alameda upon her
arrival from Australia to-day, when it
was discovered that a box containing
5000 sovereigns was missing.
Seven hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in gold had been sent hitherto
from Sydney. The money was shipped
in thirty steel boxes, each containing
$4,000 in British coin. When the
steamers treasure room was opened,
upon the arrival of the Alameda at this
port, 1t was found to contain only TWEEN
ty-nine of these boxes, instead of
thirty.
The theft is apparently shrouded in
deepest mystery. To thoroughly under
stand the peculiar deftness of the crime,
it is necessary to explain that large
sums of money, frequently exceeding a
million dollars in amount, come from
Australia by every steamer. These con-
signments of gold represent the balance
of trade in favor of the United States.
Thus England owes the United States
for grain and OIL and Australia is En-
glands debtor for all kinds of mer-
chandise. 1t is more convenient and
less expensive to send money to Amer
lea from Australia than from Australia
to England and from London to New
York. Therefore part at least of the
obligations of Great Britain to the Unit
ed States are paid directly by the Colo
MES of the latter country.
So common a feature of the cargoes
on the steamers from Australia are
these shipments of gold, that each yes
sci belonging to the Oceanic Steamship
Company has special steel specie tank
constructed for the safe carriage of the
treasure. On the Alameda this vault,
as it may be called, is formed of steel
plates, each five-sixteenths of an inch
thick. 1t is located under the steerage
dining-roOm, and the only mode of en-
tering it is through a small trap door,
secured with an iron. bar and a Yale
lock. The lock was sealed with the
stamp of the steamship company after
the boxes of sovereigns had been re-
ceipted and counted by the purser and
theschief officer and the key placed in a
safe in the purser's room. The key did
not leave the Purser's possession dur
ing the voyage, and the seal over the
lock was unbroken when the steamer
arrived here. and yet the consignment
was short one box of 5000 sovereigns.
When the loss was reported to the
Captain he took extraordinary pains to
locate the stolen treasure and to dis
cover the thief. A thorough search was
made of the ship, and every passenger,
as we'll as all of the crew, was OBJ
liged to undergo the ordeal of a rigid
examination, but the stolen gold was
not recovered
The mysterious character of the theft,
the deftness with which it was accom-
plished and the cleverness with which
1t was concealed has puzzled officia S
and detectives alike. No suspicion at
taches to Purser Thomas C. Smith, who
has grown gray in the service of the
company, and who is regarded as aD-
solutely beyond suspicion, although it
would seem that he alone could have
opened the door of the specie room.
The theory of the police is that Smith
was made the victim of a film fam
game. Each box weighs ninety pounds
and as it was checked by the Pursar
and the chief officer, it was carried by
two porters down into the specie tank.
1t is thought that one of the boxes,
instead of being placed in the specie
vault, was opened and its contents d.
vided among the thieves and either
taken ashore at the last moment or Sc
GREETED about the Alameda.
The police have arrested two men
who are supposed to have had some
connection with the theft. No charge
has been placed against them. but they
are in the sweat box tonight. They
gave their names as Willard Green and
John H. Porter, but the former was on
the passenger list as Willard Reed.
After long examination conducted
by the Chief of Police, the only Tangible
clew obtained by the Chief was the in
formation that on the downward triI
Green gave his name as w. 1. Green
and on the return trip as w. l. Reed
1t was also learned that Porter went
under the name of ]. H. Reed.
The Chief admitted that nothing was
discovered by the examination. He be-
lieved that the money had been taker
from the ship at Sydney, or some other
foreign port. He will therefore dc
nothing in the matter unless there are
further Developments