CITY “FORTRESS”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11450, 26 February 1931, Page 6

CITY “FORTRESS”

DETECTIVES THWARTED. STEEL-LINED DOORS. SYSTEAI OF SECRET BELLS. SUSPECTED OPIUAI DEN. ;Adi 'detectives found" when they raided premises in Grey Avenue. Auckland, 011 Sunday evening was a blasdng benzine , tin, with flames leaping to the ceiling, and ten complacent Chinese. It took four detectives. worlcng with a pick, a tomahawk, and marlin spike, almost an hour before they broke into this Chinese fortress. It is suspected .that the premises were used as an opium den. but no arrest was made. Possiblv the blasuing tin contained the evidence Detectives Aloon, Aloore, Mills and Hayes found their wav blocked by heavily barred doors and windows. They attempted to get in by the front door. A system of secret bells apparently warned the Chinese, for inside there could bo heard the scampering of feet and much : e,xcited chatter. Eventually the detectives managed to break open the fro 111 door' and found themselves in a deserted front room. The coininuidea ting • door to the next room was even more heavily barred than the front door, and again they were frustrated. • ■ ' •••! - Both .the - front and the hack of this column nf:eating door were lined with steel, bolted .with over 20 halfinch bolts, and barred .with 4in x 2"n" wooden struts, and thick .iron bars. It. was • impossible at. this stage for the'detectives ■ to break through the harrier ? .Cdnsequeutly, deteetiwos were statiom.'d a t ■ points whore it was thought the occupauts would fry to geL away. Two detcct;;vbs raced ,-to the back door in an attempt to break in tliere. 'but the back door was.* even • more > heavily barred. 1 There Ayere 33 nuts . and bolts'in the door, it was'treble-barr-ed .an padlocked. . , , ■ Their way barred b.y_both back and front doors, the .detectives next -mado an • attack on a sid e window, which thov quickly smashed. But still tliey could not" get in, because, on the inside tbo. .window , was barricaded by ..six-by-oiio and fouivby-two bars'Reed Together, witli jieuvy . wire upd .rt’einforeed: by. iron bans. Eventually they smashed down 1 an; obstr.uct‘on .at; a baqk window and. got in. Ten Chinese ,'wer© seated ground a table, unperturbed by the din,. .“No savee,” they said. '• •, •. ( .