FORTUNES LOST ON BIG LINERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2230, 24 October 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

FORTUNES LOST ON BIG LINERS.

HOW GAMBLING liS CARRIED ON. AT SEA.

The other day (says an English writer) when the Mauretania reached New York, three Americans' . were promptly ’arrested on a charge of swindling. Three Englishmen had been led into gambling by the men, and they had been bled copiously. After they had parted with a large sum of money in cash and lOU’s they disco \ r ered ill at they had been swindled. .

A quarrer ensued, .and tho fighters in the smoking-room used all manner of articles as ammunition, from ‘chairs to -match-stands, and the officials on board had a lively time in quelling tlie riot. A REGULAR PRACTICE.

There is n 0 doubt that an enormous amount of gambling takes placo on board tlie great liners, despite all that has been done to stop it. The officials can do .little to check tho gamblers, as they cannot interfere with tlie liberty of the passengers. It is impossible to prevent gentlemen from playing at the cardtables if they desire. Many attempts arc made to shut out the sharper, lint somehoAv or other some of these hawks manage to hook passages. On all big liners great prominence is given to notices regarding and the officials Av.arn the passengers if a suspected character is on board. It is wcll-knoAvn that a .number of men make their living by gambling on liners, crossing .and recrossing the Atlantic. 1250 LOST AT “BANKER.”

Some time ago a sensational gamble took place on the Campania, when a former British naval lieutenant lost about £250 at a game called “Banker and Broker.” "The captain of the liner at once heard of it, and threatened that if the gamblers did not deliver up their winnings he would have them arrested and Avould debar them from travelling in Cuuard steamers in future.

Curiously enough, tlie lieutenant from whom the gamblers had obtained money suffered from being brought into notoriety in America owing to the gamblers having to refund him the sum of £2OO. 'The 'police heard of the affair, and found uut that the lieutenant was .a man they wanted for cashing bogus drafts upon the house of J. P. Morgan and Co. As a sequel to the gambling which took place on hoard the Campania, this man was arrested by the American police

A £I,OOO “POOL.”

On the steamer Deutschland, when she lowered her own westward record by six minutes, her passengers also lowered all records for gambling on Transatlantic steamships. It was reported that over £IOO,OOO/' changed hands. It was a brotherhood of Pittsburg millionaires who initiated the gambling. The average pool on a fashionable liner is £100; in this case, however, they multiplied everything by ten ,aiul so made .a pool of £I,OOO. After this, and for the whole of the voyage, a £I,OOO pool was an everyday event. A well-known jockey who was on board lost at tlio pools, but won nearly £2OO at bridge. It is the same on all Atlantic liners. For instance, on the Kaiser Wilhelm der Gross© heavy gambling has taken place- in the smoking-room. Poker was played for almost unlimited stakes and one jackpot contained considerably. over £2,000. This game had a very sensational ending, for four of the" players were professional cardsharpers. WHEN PLAY WAS ABANDONED. All of a sudden a cry was raised that some persons in the crowd were cheating. Passengers closed the doors of the room, and it was declared that unless the four men turned up their money the captain would be called in. As a result of this action the money was properly divided and play abandoned. There was an exciting scene on hoard the North Gorman Lloyd liner Kronprinz Wilhelm. A large number of millionaires were returning from a European holiday, when, op the second day out, Messrs AY- K. Vander■bilt, jun., G.H.P. Belmont, Robert Goelet, and T. Jefferson Collidge, jun., entered into a game of poker with a couple of men. These men were of good address, and they began to win easily from the quartet of rich men. Unfortunately for them, however, they were recognised as card-sliarpers. One of the stewards in the smoke-room had detected cheating. It was while in the middle of the game that Captain Richter appeared on the scene; he stopped the game and ordered the gamblers from the cabin. CARD-SHARPERS’ GAINS.

Two Transatlantic steamship cardsharpers were arrested in New York on the charge of fleecing (Mr Charles J. iStrome, a wealthy Scotsman. Mr Strome resides in Yokohama. It is estimated altogether that these two sharpe.rs cleared upwards of £2,000 from the passengers during a single voyage. - A well-known American steel magnate who came to England some time ago lost £BO,OOO during one week. Lie came.to London on a mission for the Steel Trust and went to the races every day. The previous year this steel magnate won £300,000 on the race-courses of this country and America, hut afterwards did very badly In business and : betting. In one day he backed a horse ail over England which lost him £40,000. A man came to London from New York some little time ago with £4O and has now £60,000 to his credit. This is due to the fact that when lie boarded the liner at New York he turned to good use his knowledge of card manipulation. » ’ , -" -