SOLDIERS BREAK SHIP

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 136, 4 March 1919, Page 5

SOLDIERS BREAK SHIP

INFLUENZA INCIDENT IN SYDNEY

Great excitement prevailed. on Sydney narbour on a recent Sunday afternoon, when some fifty soldiers on the troopship Argyllshire, in quarantine, left the ship. The men had threatened to break ship on the Friday night, hut were deterred by the police. As promised, the Acting-Premier, Mr. Fuller, referred the men's grievances to the medical consultative council on the Saturday, but council intimated that it would be impossible to relax the minimum requirements of four days' In the ordinary .course of events the men would have been released on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, however, when the medical officer examined the troops on Sunday he discovered a suspicious case of illness on board. He then informed the men that the vessel would- have to remain in quarantine. A section of the troops became very restive, and efforts on the part of the' officers- to control them were unavailing. At 3.30 p.m. matters assumed such serious proportions that the luspector-Gcneral of Police and the transportation officials were communicated with, and all the available metropolitan police were ordered to various places along the harbour foreshore. In the meantime the soldiers had already taken charge, of the. vessel. They first attempted to raise the anchor, but were unsuccessful. They then managed to lower two of the ship's boats, and the soldiers in them rowed off in the direction of Nielson Park and Chowder Bay The men landed at Nielson Park first, and scattered in all' directions. The boat going to Chowder Bay- was chased by a police launch, but the men gained the 6hore first and disappeared. During the excitement a third launch was manned, and commenced its journey towards the shore. ' It was! however, intercepted by the, police, and the m<m were sent back to the" ship. Up to midnight on Sunday 42 out of the 50 escapees had been, captured. They were found- mostly in the northern suburbs Ihey were taken to police headquarters and were later-sent to the North Head Quarantine Station.