RAILWAY SENSATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 292, 7 December 1920, Page 8

RAILWAY SENSATION.

EXPLOSION IN A TRAIN. BLASTING POWDER IGNITED. SIX PERSONS IN.IURED. (By Telegraph— freos .Association.) GISBORNE, Monday. A sensational accident, resulting in injury to six persons, occurred on the Gisborno railway station to-day, just before 4.5 p.m.. when the train for Motuhora was timed to depart. The train was standing at the platform, with a large number of passengers on board, and others about the platform, when a loud report startled everyone in the vicinity. Flame and .smoke was seen coming from a carriage standing djrectly opposite the door of the st-ationmaster s office. There were five occupants of the carriage (a oecond-cla-ss smoker), and all received burns about the face, limbs, and body, while a woman who was standing nn the platform of the carriage next to the one in which the explosion occurred also received burns to face, limbs, and !>ody. The force of the explosion blew out the glass in the door of the carriage, and struck her with considerable force. Those injured -were: — John Tolliolff (Manapapa). Thomas Burns (Rakauroa). Thomaa Kearna (K&kauroa). A. D. Tawlu (Ruatoki). James Teepu (Otoko). Mies Lena Hill (Otoko). Medical assistance was summoned, and two doctors bandaged the patients and prepared them for removal to the hospital, all suffering from shock and burns. I

In some cases the flame had burned -fie skin off and singed and burned clothes and hair.

Inquiries at the hospital to-night show that no serious results are anticipated.

There was a considerable amount ot speculation concerning the cause of the explosion. It was discovered that it was due to a parcel of blasting powder under the carriage eeat becoming ignited. The owner of the parcel has not yet been located. One of the patients informed the police that he saw a brown paper parcel under the seat. The parcel was burning, and he put his foot on it to extinguish the flame. By so doing he apparently detonated the package, which contained blasting powder, and the explosion occurred. The report was a very loud one. The burst of flame-and explosion blew the glass out of the door and badly scorched the interior of the carriage. Being in a smoking carriage the package could easily h-ave become ignited by a match dropped oil the floor in the vicinity of the parcel. One passenger had an exceedingly fortunate escape from injury. He was just about to step on to the carriage, having said good-bye to a friend, when the door blew out, the force of the explosion just missing Trim. On a luggage rack in the same carriage a« the explosion occurred was another" package of blasting ipowder, but thie wae not involved in the explosion.