The Crane

From The Great Outdoor Fight

"The Crane" is actually a series of derricks operated along the fence of the Great Outdoor Fight, standing prepared to extract downed fighters from the Acres. While there are several derricks in operation, the Fight has referred to a single "Crane" for years. Men may be knocked down, knocked out or even killed, but in the eyes of a fight a Fighter isn't eliminated until the Crane removes him.

Removing defeated fighters from the Fight grounds has always been a concern and came to a head in 1880 when winner Scot Dickinson used the bodies of his victims as an artificial island to aid his victory in the freak flood conditions. For decades after this incident a cadre of men stood by the stockade with gurneys, and waited for a call down from Tower One. Dressed in white smocks with blue logos, the "Gurneymen," as they were called, were supposed to be strictly inviolate as they ran on and off the field collecting the unconscious, the injured and the dead. However, accidents would happen and a number of Gurneymen were injured during the performance of their duties.

Further, some fighters would wake up while being transported off the field and insist that they could continue, sometimes becoming violent in the process of their removal. Still others, even while injured, would insist the Gurneymen hang back "to let others through first," thus improving the standings of their passengers. Bribery and coercion would sometimes come into play when defeated men became desperate to improve their standings, and at least once (in 1903) two moderately healthy fighters, both eliminated, sprang from their gurneys and attacked each other in an effort to drive the other man through the gate first.

In 1919, the gurneys were replaced by sidecar equipped motorbikes. These motorbikes, driven by the Gurneymen, had specially designed racks which downed fighters could be strapped onto on the far side. A single motorbike with a crew of two Gurneymen could therefore retrieve three different fighters at one time. This was considered an acceptable solution for six years, until Bigger Bill Kayser hurled future Fight Champion Dylan Berkheimer underneath an oncoming motorbike as it did its rounds, eliminating him.

Kayser insisted that he didn't mean to use the motorbike offensively -- he simply knocked back Berkheimer with his prodigious strength and "the Bike got in Berkheimer's way!" Berkheimer concurred with Kayser's account, and no charges were discussed. However it was clear that the motorbikes could be a serious liability in the Fight.

To resolve this issue, it was proposed that "construction equipment be modified to take up the task of removing the bodies." The first series of heavy machines were employed in 1928. The by-laws were amended at that time to clearly state that "any interference with the crane, either impeding its progress or using it as a weapon, whether intentionally or unintentionally, shall be regarded as an immediate disqualification." While the Fight has never technically used cranes in the Fight, the name has stuck, and "the Crane" has been used ever since.

The Crane operators, along with the medical staff, are still officially known as the Gurneymen, and continue to wear white uniforms with blue logos. However, in the modern Fight, the operators get their orders directly from Tower One, and have cameras mounted on their scoop to facilitate collecting downed fighters.

The Gurneymen take a special pride in their 'delicate' touch with the metal scoops. However, it can't be denied that several fighters have had their injuries significantly worsened (or even made fatal) thanks to their ride in a gigantic hydraulic powered shovel. The Ruling Body has dealt with complaints on this issue by adding explicit language to the release all fighters sign protecting the Fight, the Ruling Body and the Gurneymen of all responsibility and from all indemnity from injury, trauma or death caused by the removal of any fighter. In Young Jude Surrency's words, "just consider it a gigantic metal act of God, son."

Under the current rules, the moment the Crane shovel closes around a given fighter, his elimination becomes official for purposes of the standings. In the event that more than one fighter is scooped up at once, their standings will reflect the pile they end up in when dumped on the outside -- whoever on the bottom will be considered eliminated first, and so on all the way up.

[edit] Quote

• "No symbol better exemplifies the removed, rarified and one might even say Godlike perspective of Tower One in this fight than the hard, cold metal claw that reaches from beyond the fence and plucks downed men like daisies collected by a schoolgirl on a spring afternoon following a summer's rain." --Radio host Bob Raffles
• "Let me break it down for you, son. Three thousand come in through Kenneth's Gate. One walks back out through that gate. For all the rest, it's the Crane." --1959 Champion Jeremiah Merryman
• "I'll tell you. When that thing scoops you up? You know you've lost." --1966 Champion Stanley "Grip" Brown
• "Have a free Crane ride! On me!" --1969 Champion Motor City Massacre