"TURN ON THE HOSE!"

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1035, 26 January 1911, Page 8

"TURN ON THE HOSE!"

■ ROWDY IMMIGRANTS AT SEA. • When the steamer Mamarij which arrived m Sydney'with 490 immigrants recently reached Cape Town, a number of those on board, not content with havin" "a jolly time" there, laid in'a secret stock of liquor, on board, for-celebrating Iveiv- Yearls Eve. ••:.-' ■:':■:■.■ . ■.-,... ■ When New. Year's Eve. came.they gathered together in- the dining-saloon , , forward, where the men's quarters were and the celebration, eventually- became' so pronounced that the steward informed Captain Holmes that he couldn't keep the men quiet.. The captain visited the scene, and remonstrated with that he would have all,lights put out if they did not keep quiet. The- captain went away, only-to be called again by the steward some time later. The men had become worse, and were creating a good deal of disturbance. This timo the- captain ordered the lights to be turned off, and-at tho same time ordered the men to go to their beds "If you don't get info your berths and shut your doors," he said, "I'll have the hoso turned on you." .-. ■ . The men openly-defied him. "I'd like, to see you turn the hose on- me," said one. They refused to leave the dinin? saloon, and as the room was in darknes" and they kept striking-matches, thereby exposing the ship to the risks of fire, tho captain s next order to the steward was: "Send , for the boatswain, and tell him to get the seamen to connect tho hose." ' • . , - Captain Holmes stood on tho stairwav, and tho second officer stood by him in ctije of trouble. The hose was brought, and the captain said to tho second officer: "Tell Miem to turn the water on full as soon as my whistle goes." Ho took out his watch, and, addressing the men, said, "I give you two minutes. If you are not. all in your berths in two minutes I'll havo the .hose turned on you." The men took ilip hint and went, and as I hey were going the captain called out to the second officer: "Stand by for half an hour, and if one of them shows his head, lot. him havo it." Fortunately the trouble ended there. The men did . not. come out again. Captain Holmes said tho disturbance was confined tc: a few men, and ho did not wish tn reflect upon the immigrants as a body. "They are as fine a lot as you have had," he said, "but there are always a few rough ones in every lot." The Jlamafi arrived', ot Auckland on Monday last and is due here towards the end of this ■ week.