SLASHED WITH RAZOR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 174, 24 June 1926, Page 11

SLASHED WITH RAZOR.

ENGINEER’S CLOSE CALL.

FIREMAN FOR SENTENCE. BRISBANE, June 15. Charged with doing grevious bodily harm to Andrew Rankine, second engineer of the Orient liner Orvieto, by slashing him across the cheek with a razor, a fireman of the vessel, William Walton, 25, to-day was committed for sentence to tho Supreme Court. He pleaded guilty. The incident took place while the vessel was coming up' the Brisbane river yesterday, Rankine stated. About 8 a.m., when he was in tho en-gine-room, defendant complained about having been put in tho stokehold. Witness told him that he had to obey orders, and defendant then slashed him twice in the face with the razor. Witness ran behind the evaporators, and tho defendant followed him. Witness rushed from the en-gine-room and went to the doctor. The eighth engineer and a greaser grappled with the defendant and took the razor from him. Witness could give no reason for the attack, as defendant had been given no provocation. Dr. Geoffrey Godd, surgeon on the Orvieto, saifl that Rankine received two cuts on the face almost to the bone, and the facial artery was severed. Witness inserted ten stitches, and while he was attending him Rankine collapsed from loss of blood. Only for tho prompt action on .tho part of witness, a dispenser, and a steward, who held cloths to Rankinc’s face to prevent the flow of blood, it would have been tho cause of Rankine’s death.