ALARMING EXPLOSION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 15, 18 January 1905, Page 5

ALARMING EXPLOSION.

THIEVES PYNAjtfITB A SHED. ' VOLCANIQ §QARE IN AUCKLAND. A loud explosipn, which, was heard in nearly all the Auckland suburbs at 1.15 o'clock this morning, caused a certain amount of alarm, and started a mild volcanic scare in the city. Happening at a time when telegraphic communication was suspended, the explosion caused an additional sensation, because no idea could be gained of its origin. The report sounded low, but the concussion was considerable. Houses in Kingsland, Remuera, Newmarket, and Freeman's Bay are said to have been appreciably shaken, and the noise was heard so distinctly at North Shore that telephonic inquiries as to the cause were made in Auckland from Devonport at that early ;hour. ! For a time the police on duty in the city streets were quite excited at the possibility of safe dynamiters being at work, and four constables who thought the explosion came from a block of buildings in Shortland-street made a very careful examination before they found out that this was a mistake. It was conjectured, too, that volcanic activity was responsible for the concussion, and the opening of the telegraph offices was very aivxiausly awaited this morning in the expectation of alarming news from the Rotorua district. Business men travelling to town in the tramears engaged in discussion over the theories suggested by the morning newspaper, and the general impression was that the calm state of the atmosphere was an ominous indication of seismatie disturbances. Sensational rumours and earthquake theories abruptly vanished before all the business men had reached their offices, the information bein? published on the "Star" notice board that the explosion had occurred at a tool shed near Mr Elias Pascoe's quarry in Khyber Pass. Newmarket. The quarry is situated amid the rocks on the Mount Eden side of Khyber Pass, near Seccombe's brewery, and the tool shed stood on open ground. It was built of wood, about sft. square, and contained between £30 and £40 worth of heavy quarry tools. consisting mainly of sleda;e hammers and steel bars. When Mr Pascoe arrived on the scene this morning he found that the shed had been blown to atoms, hundreds of small fragments of wood being scattered around the paddock for a distance of quite 200 yards. Two large windows in an unoccupied house owned by Major Morrow, standing about 75 yards from the shanty, were smashed, and a window in another house quite 200 yards away was cracked. Close to the shanty is a wire fence, and the flying debris had cut through several of the wires. In the ruins was found a niece of burnt fuse, showing that the s*ed had been deliberately destroyed by an explosion of dynamite. Mr Pascoe's workmen missed about £12 worth of tools, and it is suggested that thieves blew up the shed with dynamite and afterwards stole the tools. A shed in which Mr Pascoe's gig is kept, near the quarry, and one of the engine houses were broken into last night, but nothing has been missed, though a small time-piece and a pair of boots were moved from their places in the engine house and put down apparently ready to be carried awayThe amount of dynamite in the shanty when the workmen left last night is said not to have exceeded 31bs. A package of albs, was bought yesterday morning. and five holes were charged .in th-s quarry from it, so that the workmen are positive that only a small quantity of the explosive remained. Judging by the results of the explosion and the tremendous concussion Mr Pascoe believes that the thieves used at least 201bs. of dynamite to blow up the shed. The residents of Abbotsford-street, near the quarry, were all alarmed by the explosion, and turned out of their beds at the time, but they seem to have seen nothing suspicious, and the report was so 'deceptive that nobody guessed that the explosion was so near. There is one man who, living quite close to the scene of the explosion, saw it quite welt His description of the circumstances to a "Star" reporter was graphic. "I had been unable to sleep after going to bed, on account of the heat, and lay wakeful on my bed facing the window, which looks directly towards the quarry shed. Suddenly through the wide-open, window I saw a huge glare, which was followed by a deafening roai" —an awful blast, which shook the air and made the house vibrate. When I reached the window there was nothing visible where the glare had been, hut in a minute or two a small hailstorm of stones rattled down on the roofs and yards around the place for quite a distance." The spirit of wanton damage displayed in connection with the affair was only the climax of a series of similar instances which have occurred during a period of about two years. Mr Pascoe's two engine sheds have been repeatedly forced open, and thefts of tools and dynamite have occurred. Mr Pascoe believes that the dynamite used in some safe robberies which occurred in Auckland about two years ago was stolen from his shed, and he lost so much of the explosive that instead of keeping his usual stock, consisting of a 561b. case, he only bought slbs. packages from t%ne to time. The neighbourhood, he states, is simply pestered with bad characters, and about three weeks ago a new house which is unoccupied, and is owned by Major Morrow, was subjected to their unwelcome attentions, seven large windows valued at £3 10/ being smashed. The area over which the explosion .(was noticed was certainly remarkable. We learned by telephone message from Howiek this morning that Mrs Bennett, wife of the licensee of the Marine Hotel there, felt the explosion, which shook the building. As it seemed almost incredible that the explosion could have made itself felt so far away, inquiries were made at the Auckland Museum to ascertain if the instrument which is kept there to record earth tremors had shown any indication of such a disturbance las" night. There was no such sign, and it must be assumed that the snock felt even as far afield as Howiek was the air-tremor caused by the explosion.