THE ONLY RUSH.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1892, 29 October 1913, Page 8

THE ONLY RUSH.

CROWD GATHERS AT S.S. NIKAU. Never has the arrival of the little Nikau attracted such a crowd as that w liich assembled at the head of the Ctnccn's Wharf yesterday afternoon iTho vessel had come in from Nelson eailier in the day, but had remained at I anchor in the stream till nearly 4 p.m. The news that the vessel was coming alongsido spread quickly, and as her bows touched the whi\rf a crowd of 2000 peoplo were there to meet her. Strikers and pickets showed up in numbers, but the police and Harbour Board officers were meroly represented by a handful of men. Strikers and pickets alike wanted to board thfl Nikau, and sei.rch for cargo free-labourers—in fact, anything at all. Presently Mr. Munro, wharfinger, put in an appearance, and assured the crowd that there was no cargo on the vessel. He stated that the reason why she had come alongsido was to land and tako in Nilson passengers and mails. With' the help of pickets and police, tho wharf was soon cleared, passengers and mails taken on board, and within -half an hour of berthing tho Nikau left on the return trip to Nelson. Subsequently to these happenings it was reported that the Nikau had been the centre of tho strikers' attention while she was at anchor off Kaiwarra. It seems that.the pickets on duty at this particular portion of the waterfront wero caught napping to a certain oxtent, with the result that five bags of_ fish were landed per medium of a fisher-' man's boat.