DAY OF ADVENTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 September 1925, Page 1

DAY OF ADVENTURE

CHEAT’ (iI.ASCuW I'lllL

AUCKLAND. Sept. 17

A young Londoner, -Mr A. C. E. Hol'd, need twenty-seven years, who armed at Auckland a lew days ago as iii'ciiiau on the steamer .Malakaua, is the proud pox-.c,-sor of the Royal .11 lima im- Society’s mold medal. ;iw tried him just lielure he lift England, lor bravery di-played during a dma.-tr n.s tire which destroyed Etlo l i.liUO worth ol properly in Dla-govv last duly. Kur hi- gallantry and his service- in assisting tin’ lire brigade. he received tile eoiigraudai ion- . I' lie' hold .Mayor of Clasgow and d. nation- iroili various -eiirc. - totalling £-!ljo.

It wa.- mi the evening of duly 7th. a few hours after the Alataknita had put in at Clasgow to load cargo for Auckland. that .Mi’ Hol'd observed from the deck of the shin the first trail oi’ smoke rising from the roof of Kelvin Hall. Cla-gow'- huge Olympia, reputed to lie the largest building in Scotland. As he was piepnrcd for shore leave, he took a traiucar to see the -peiiaele at clo-e (|Unrter-. hut had hardly reached the spot when he saw from the ear w indow , a pud’ of -moke issuing from the roof oi the l nitod Hive Church in Kelviugrnvo Street, situated some distance from Kelvin Hall. As there was no brigade in the vicinity, Mr Kurd jumped oil the car and broke 'lie glass ol an alarm box with Ids lirst. which "a- badly cut. Entering lhe church, he informed t lie a-loni-hed earclaker that lhe building wa- on lire, having apparently become ignited h\ drifting -parks. ISctwccti them I hey -retired the Ivy-, unlocked Hie vest r\ loot and set to work (o remove all valuables that lay within l heir real'll. including Hie pulpit Lihlo. They had -nv< d many pounds’ until ~|' ornamental and p.'i'-onal effect-. and were iihoiit C enter the ■ hoi" I, In- .note when the whole roof fell ill with a deafening crash, sending up a 1 r.'nieiid"M- llnro. A moment l iter 1 11 - 1... de.-t ! Hat- on the .it h.-r side of I lie 't reel ci light lire, and • t wa- Mi Kurd who first notified i h.’ i<_ r m.l• - si-tiei intend, ut. Be'nro a single lire man eeuld he relieved to H tend to III!- I’-i-h «' iiiptiKut, ihe vomit; so.'ininil had secur-

ed a lead of huso. ~<llllll clod ii with Lau-le I l.v hi- earlier ed’orl-. had earlhe hose lo Hie top of the building whir-, he again ill'iired hi- hand ’ll hrenkiit'. ihr .iidi a glu-s -kyiigi t ■ll ■ i. .. ■I ■ ■ v. a - i u>t rumen: al. Iluue 1 . el'. I!■ l lie I. i llg I lie lid VII l|. e ol : ; ,■ il ame - In ; i • l lie lireim n ail ;. • I -n|• p‘ • -' I t' lE'leak. \ Her loin i.. ui •' c.'-rl ion and 10-.-Ill:, 111. M I I' Old’ - w I.lllld- vv , re iLe-x •d at '.lie l^-pi: al. A grate! id Cla-gow |.ublie suh-erds id £tf.li) in ieeogniti.ui ol his gallaniry and he roe. i \ etl. in addition. Ell'.' fiolil Ha- iII -II I’ll II e compiling-, being cue-hall per cent, of tile total value of ti;,' cal v age. (Ello.UlU I. .while a donation ol L'llHi va- inaiie oy iik* London ••Daily Mirror." Mr Eon! ha- mil spent a penny of ail I Ills money . which lie- to Ins credit in a Loudon hank. The mil alive hi played l.v lhe y oung .ealiian i- al! Lite more creditable in view Ol the I act that ill' .suffers -el - i..w-lv from deafness, im Hi red during , | file vv il h a band oi lon mail "rough-" m Hamburg I o year- ago \t that lime he wa- a member ol 111.) new of the Ordlllia. and. vv U h two I’ngli-li companion-. wa- pa--mg through tin- hack street- of tin- city when he was approached hy a young (I. 1111.111 who asked lor a cigarette.

This, apparently, was a ruse commonly adopted towards foreigners, as a prelude to demanding money. The tlu-ec. EnglKlimon declined to oblige, whereupon She man who accosted him Idevv a whistle which, in an instant, brought a dozen armed cut-throats to las side. There was a tussle, during which the Englishmen, outmiml>ered. and without weapons, found themselves defenceless. One id' them was killed outright by a blow from a knuckle-duster, another received a severe gash in the throat from a knife, and Mr Lord himself was stabbed by a similar weapon just below {Tie left ear. A- a result lie practically lost hi- lien ring, and hear- the .-ears of the wound to tin’s day. The young seam.'in i- among the menders of the Matakana’s crew who are on shore as Hie result of the strike, and lie is apparently not at all anxious to go back in the ship. “1 like tin’s country,'’ he .-aid. “and ] am Imping to stay here.’’ In the ordinary course of events, lie believes he would have obtained his discharge, hut. in view of the strike, l-his i- likely to he a remote dispensation. lie is a haii'dre-ser by trade, but is looking at present lor anything he can turn his hand to. “Tf I am able to slop here," he said. “1 vvon’i be long hol’iire 1 have that L'ltio in an Auckland haul;.”