Hi radriano
Harlow, Colcord & a number of others have the spelling as bulgine. Can't say what the bulgine pie is but if I were to take a wild guess I'd go with it being a term used to describe manual labor. When I was in my early 20's (before the common use of cranes) we used a "donkey engine" to hoist heavy material. The donkey engine as I know it was pretty close to being the same as a buklgine (without the tracks), from what I've seen in photo's. When there wasn't a donkey about 2 or 3 or us (sometimes also called donkey's) would be called for to raise the material by hand using a derrick. During these type tasks we were refered or called by different names "Armstrong" being one of many, Manuel being another. I'd guess that Armstrong would called on to eat "bulgine pie" (get his back into his heavy work). The Pie theory now would only be a guess with no fact to back it up but I'd say that certain trades (roofer's being one) in the construction industry going back to before I worked with my granduncle to when he was young up untill the early 80's we were looked upon as unskilled hellraisers. The other trades wouldn't drink in the same bars because of the brawls, many of the bars refused to even let more than a couple in at a time & if it was somebody's local, one would have to vouch for the other. Like the old sailors they drank, gambled,lived & worked as hard or harder than most of the other in construction during those times. I'm only guessing from my gut & I'll eat "humble pie" if proved otherwise. Barry