Biffs, Blows, Bolts and Bottles

NZ Truth, Issue 443, 13 December 1913, Page 2

Biffs, Blows, Bolts and Bottles

Rimutaka Trimmer* and Firemen Fight Liko Fiends.

(From "Truth's" Dunedin Rop.>

A lively and exciting fray occurred on Saturday night at tho wharf, In the courso ot which three firemen were knocked out and o. big Bluftito seriously injured by a blow from a looded boor bottle It appears that only one liatch of tho Rlmutuka was bolngr worked on Saturday night, and as some feeling existed between the ftremeu and the local waterald«ir« It did not take much to cau»o a petiy riot. The Bluff folk had not struck as ordered by tho Federation, and some liquor and an exchange of complimentary greetings served to bring the trouble to a nasty head at pub closing time. Somo of the llremen. went on board and others remained on tho wharf, where, a« is apparently customary*, a large crowd of Idlers had OMsembled. It is lUIcRQd that a Cock* ney fireman, m addressing a Blufflto In No. 1 hatch, used tho opprobrious term "scab." and tho man from Bluff j used m reply something as weighty, but more naughty. The gauntlet was | thrown down, and tho men cleared from th«s vesacl, hotly pursued by U»p infuriated Saxons. The battle tftArtw) Rtrcnucnmly on tho wharf, r»p<m«d by a ftfaon waterglder KtretchIng a Cockney badly. The firemen were m a minority, but PUT UP A TKRRIFtC FIGHT.Alt tho lat«t>t London Kaj<t Kod nnd !£rahankm<mt tlp« and JolU w«ro introduced \o tho evident discomfort of th<! wntcrstdcrH. Rome oatjtide friendli<*H jolne<l the whorn>». nn«l t.hr«« pnmc flrom<>n w«nt -Jo.vn and out. Uno UtuffHo got a thumplnicjab— un^

the point and heeled tip, lay dreaming of home and mother for quite a while. The firemen retreated to^the vessel, and canister-shot, m the shape of bottles, bolts, nuts and scrapiron, tore m among the watersiders. The on-look-ing crowd werfc now becoming excited,; and a charge on the vessel was seriously under contemplation, when the "foorce" blew along, and the majesty of the uniform quieted things. What might have become a very ugly riot was thus happily averted.