A GISBORNE SENSATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9045, 3 February 1908, Page 5

A GISBORNE SENSATION.

FIREMAN ASSAULTS AN ENGINEER. STEAMER'S MACHINERY SERIOUSLY TAMPERED WITH. GISBORNE, February 1. The machinery of the Union S.S. Company's Tuatea (which conveys passengers from the wharf to intercolonial steamers) was tampered with last night. The engineer, on visiting the vessel, found in the engineroom a fireman who had been charged that day, and accused him of tampering with the machinery. The man said he was only looking for some clothes, and on being ordered from the ship, he refused to leave, and sttuck the engineer. At four this morning it was found that emery powder had been poured on the bearings, a sea-cock had been opened, and the dynamo put out of gear by the parts being saturated with oil. At the Police ' Court to-day, James Campbell, recently employed on the Tuatea as fireman, pleaded guilty to assaulting the engineer. He stated that he had only gone to pe 4 - a towel he, had left in the engine-room and had been aggravated by the way ha was spoken to. He was fined £2, and remanded to Friday on a charge that he did wilfully damage the steamer Tuatea with the intention of rendering her useless. In his evidence the engineer stated that the accused knocked him insensible, knelt on his chest, and tried to throttle him.