MAULED BY BULL IN SHIP'S HOLD

Chronicle (Levin), 19 July 1947, Page 4

MAULED BY BULL IN SHIP'S HOLD

AUCKLAND, July 18. Scenes like a wild west rodeo delay od the aajiigg\0|;tjhe /mpdefai Noa.li.;s ! Ark ' the freigliter Wairata, with ' c j.mixed shipoient -of cattle and pouitry j for the Freaieh Govei-nment at Tahiti, j when an infuriated bull' broke loose | from a stall in the vessel 's hold and | severely mauled Thomas Spiers, foreman, emploved by the Union Company ( He was bending down to insert a wooden | rail in a slot in the stall when, with a fierce roar, the bull foreed the rail antl flung Spiers on to the floor of the hpia. With the bull threatening to ruu amok stockmen held grimly to the ropes round the beast's nerk and rei turned the animal to the stall after a grim struggle. I Mr. Spiers suffered laeerations to the , head and had to have three stitehes above the eye. The bull's attack was the highiigiu of the comedy drama which has been continning since the loading of the liveI stock of th.e freighter began. Wild eatt'le, which took a dim view of the proceedings, kept shipping and agency employees on their toes and these men have beeome known on the waterfront as "the toreadors". One voung bull, like Ferdinand who loved to sit quietly by a tre.e and smell the flowers, sat down and r-.efu.se d to move. A veteran stock expex*t twisted its tail but the young bull lay down. A watersider tried tapdancing on the animal 's back but he just looked bored. He finally lumbered into the stall under the impetus of a bucket of cold water. Oue animal broke a koru in resentment at the* prospective sea voyage am; j a stoekman •searched the city for cotton ' wool with which the wound wah staunehed with the addition of tar. The Wairata is exp.e.cted to sail -this-aft-ernoon on the eleven day voyage tG Tahiti.