RECALICTRANT FIREMEN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 160, 6 January 1914, Page 5

RECALICTRANT FIREMEN.

SENSATION OX A MAILBOAT. ' FIBHMEN* ( OWED BY A REVOLVER. j By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Particulars of a sensational incident in ' connection with the R.M.S. Aovangi's last i voyage from Wellington to San Francisco were fathered by a pressman today. It will lie remembered that the. Aorangi left Wellington for the Oalifornian port on December 7 last, when the strike was still at its height. A'.t: was subjected to a delay here throug'.i eargo operations being slow, but after ; loading flax, butter and general merchandise. she eventually got awnv at < (1.30 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, two (lay!- -late. Great trouble was experi- j enced before her departure in bringing 1 her stokehold complement up to the re- ! quired number. She reached here with 19 Sydney firemen, who expressed their \ willingness to go from Sydney for £lO j a month. Fourteen firemen and trimmers were engaged at Wellington, some J of these being "green" to the work. ' The voyage out from Wellington start- j ed well. The vessel, in spite of sea- j sickness in the stokehold, was able to ] keep lip a snood of 12'/, knots when 1 the weather was fine, but there was grumbling amongst the firemen, and one j or two of them, who are said to be Sydney men, spoke openly of leaving the | vessel at Papeete. It is said that on j the morning before arriving at the Island port some of the firemen had an , altercation with one of the engineers, 1 and feeling was running high. Papeete 1 was reached on December 13. and, no ' trouble being suspected, the men were allowed shore leave. I When the time eame for the vessel's ' departure, however, some of the firemen were missing. A search was made, but in the meantime the .men decided to go and tell those still on hoard that they were not going back on the ve s sel, l\t is said that several of their number were intoxicated, and when remonstrated with they became violent. The end of it was the appearance on the scene of the French Commissioner of Police and several Tslaiid Constables. The men were told that (bey would lnvw. to get on board, bit threats seeme.l to ho of nn I avail, and the passenger- on the mail | steamer to dream prolonged stay at Papeete and the all their plans. , , N W;,?t recognised by the ship's authorities that drastic measures would have to be fiiken ii the vessel was to resume her and keen within sight of her time-iablo. After further delay and mor" squabbling between the French police and the stokehold men, the f'ommisH'mer, it is said, drew his revolver, and ordered the men. one by one, up the gangway. The sight of arms was snfficlenl. The firemen scuttled aboard, to the great relief of the passengers, and soon afterwards the Aoransri was able to resmr.. her voyage. Although no particulars are available .yet, the vessel seems to have made a slow passage fr >lll Papeete to Sail Francisco, where she arrived hist Tuesday (December HO), five <lnv f , laic.