Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-31
400 SAILORS STAGE !
FREE-F0R7ALl FIGHT.
Sighting Remark Passed by
"Cob" Causes Ships Crews
TO Clash on Market st.
RIOT CALL IS TURNED IN

Four hundred sailors from four ships
now Mt the Philadelphia Navy Yard
stoeed a free for all battle on Market
street between Eleventh and Thirteenth
streets after midnight.
Heads were broken. clothes torn
noses and fnces battered. policemen
manhandled and riot call sent in.
Several hundred civilians lined the
sidewalks watching the melee. Net re-
u,lts from the police viewpoint, one or
rest.
The war OF the gobs" had Its in
eeption several weeks ago from slight
ipr comment declared to have been
nassed In n, Philadclphia amusement
mace BY sailor from the Columbia.
Rip wars have started on small causes.
hut every sailor on the Minnesota felt
.ho Comment .of one member of the crew
of the Columbia was meant for MIN.
Hence, the war.
THE Columbia man hinted that some
of the men on the Minnesota were vel
INV" A Minnesota man overheard the
slurring remark. and n six man hght
roa staeed in the amusement place,
ending when all we're elected.
Decided to Fight 1t Out
Ar the navy yard the story was
smnjified until every man on the Min
nesota believed every man on the
Columbia had made the comment. with
,neciaI reference to every individual on
the Minnesota.
The crews decided to fight 1t out
American fashion. Fists TO be the only
weapons. And the best man. or crew,
IN win. Place of battle to be deter
mined later. 'The Battle of Market
Street" be It understood, was not the
result Of concerted plans but Just
happened"
happened to be in the vicinity of the
Reading Terminal late last night. From
trolley cars another hundred men from
the Columbia disembarked. The lead
ers of both contingents had issued n
call to meet at central point to dis
euss the i'll feeling between their men
and both leaders had happened to select
Twelfth and Market streets as meet
ing place. Purely coincidence.
No Prelimlnaries
The detail from the Minnesota saw
thc detail from the Columbia, and with
out further preiminaries the fight
started.
Pntrolmcn Van Horn, NPagoletti and
Schercr, from the Eleventh and Winter
streets station. hurried down Twelfth
street to try to stop the battle. The
gnbs had no grievance against the pa
trolmcn. so they pushed Van Horn and
Schcrer aside, and picked Pagoletti up
( bodily, carried him across to a restau-
rant on Market street above Twelfth
md deposited him-not too softly-on
the tiled floor.
4 riot call brought twenty patrolmen
md a number of reserves and the fight
was broken up. An hour later smaller
contingents. still looking for fight, re-
turned and started to pimmel each other
q second time.
Again the fighters were subdued and
T., r. Anderson. twenty-five years old,
o sailor of the Minnesota. and said
tn be ringlcnder, was arrested.
Anderson had hearing before Mag
istrate Grelis at the Eleventh and Win
Ter streets station today. and was held
in $500 bail for trial at court. He had
nothing to say in his defense at the
hearing. and Patrolman Schcrcr tcsti =
fed he was one of the leaders in the
fight.
The only time Anderson exhibited any
interest in the proceedings was when
Schercr said he had learned from other
sailors that "the end of the bnttle will
b. staged at the Navy Yard tonight.
Then Anderson looked up and grinned.