UNFORTUNATE DEBUT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1863, 24 September 1913, Page 7

UNFORTUNATE DEBUT.

HARBOUR BOARD'S ROCKET MEN. Selecting what seemed to he a capital day the Harbour Board's rocket brigade repaired to Island Bay for practice yesterday morning in charge of Pilot Dawson. Tho location chosen was a hillside near the city quarry at Maranui. The first rocket sont Bkyward started trouble, which lasted for tho better part of two hours. Having described tho usual parabola through tho air the stick (with lino attached) alighted on a clump of dry crass on tho hillside 300 yards away. This at oifce took fire, and the blaze soon reached out under the influence of the morning breeze. Two of tho brigade who were deputed to see that no fire should result dashed to the spot, but by the time that they had sorambled up tho hill, a fairly largo grass fire was in progress. Tho aid of residents was acdopted, and soon all hands were engaged in fire-suppression— a very different object to that which the rocket brigade had started out to achieve —by stamping and throwing sand on to thß ilames. Tho lire was not subdued until it had crept right up to the fence of property owned by Mr. George Smith, a Public Works Department's inspector. By that time it had inado an ugly scar 011 the hillsido. After tho firo had been- suppressed tho brigade resumed practice b.v throwing linos over imaginative Devons,