The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-06-16
FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS.
CLEAR STEAL FROM ALAMEDA
TREASURE VAULT.
A Crime That Battles the Detectives In
San Francisco - Loss Discovered
While Vessel Was at Sea.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3.-The
steamship Alameda, which arrived here
yesterday from Australia, was the scene
of most sensational robbery, COM
mitted by master hands, nobody but
the thieves know when or how. The
treasure vault of the steamship, which
contained $3.50, 900 in English gold when
the vessel left sydney was the place of
the robbery, and the loot consisted of
box weighing ninety pounds and con-
tanning $4,000 worth of sovereigns, con-
signed to the London, Paris and AM
erican bank.
The loss was discovered on the morn
ing of May 30, and ever since the Ala
medals officers have been on the anXi-
Gus seat. The treasure chamber is also
the wineroom of the ship On the morn
ing of the discovery of the theft Purser
Thomas G. Smith and Chief Steward
Clarke went down into the chamber to
take stock of the drinkables, so that
Clarke might make out his requisition
for the supplies of the next voyage.
While in the vault Smith counted
over the boxes containing the gold. He
had received thirty of these boxes in
Sydney, each containing 5000 sovereigns
and had receipted for 915O,0OO. When
| he made the count four days before
reaching port he could find only twen-
ty-nine boxes. He tailed the boxes
over and over again. and, with Clarke
j
oughly examined every corner of the
chamber, but found no trace of the
missing gold.
The matter was at once reported to
| Captain Van Oterendorp, and, though
he subjected all the officers who had
anything to do with receiving the gold
to rigid examination, no search was
made of the ship, nor was any effort
made to discover the culprit until the
steamer arrived here yesterday.
The gold was carried on board
through a gangway on the port side a
few feet from the second-class mess
room. The door to the messroom is on
the starboard side.
The gold was carried up the gang
plank passed through the messroom
door, under the eyes of three officers,
and down the manhole to the treasure
chamber. Purser Smith says he will
swear that thirty boxes came on board
and went into the messroom. He was
careful to follow with his eye he says,
each of the carriers and see that he took
his burden into the messroom and
within range of the vigilant eye of Sec
ond Officer NICHOLSON, who is equally
certain that every box that came
through the doorway went into the
treasure chamber.
The vault was entered several times
during the voyage for the purpose of
! getting out supplies of wines, but ii
was never opened by one man alone
Chief Steward Clarke and Purser Smith
invariably went together and remained
on watch until the chamber was again
barred, locked and sealed. When eX-
amined by the detectives yesterday
neither bar nor lock bore any signs OF
having been tempered with. Both Pur-
ser Smith and Steward Clarke are Ger.
tain that the seals were intact every
time they had occasion to enter the
chamber.
The theory advanced by the steam
ship officials who investigated the affair
yesterday is that the missing box never
got into the treasure vault. They be
lieve that whoever engineered the thief
had confederates among the men hiret
to carry the treasure on board the
steamship, and that one of them, in
stead of turning into the meSSroom
took an extra step and marched up thu
starboard alleyway toward the aftel
part of the ship. This would take hin
beyond the observation of the officers
engaged in receiving the gold, and III
could easily have avoided the suspicion
of anybody else by covering his burden
with a piece of sacking. He could thei
have made his way without difficulty t.
the after companion leading to the up
per deck. Here a specially prepared
. trunk could have received the booty
and in the confusion of departure tn
gold could have been carried ashore b!
the passenger gangway under the nose
of the officials responsible for it's SAT-
custody.