DEVONPORT'S "PERIL."

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 136, 11 June 1927, Page 12

DEVONPORT'S "PERIL."

DOESN'T REALLY EXIST. EXPLOSIVES IN THE FORTS. MISHAP ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. Irresponsible rumours about Devonport slumbering on top of a volcano, and about the Government declining to take any interest in the "peril" were exploded this morning by a visit of inspection paid to the ''volcanoes" and by a letter received by the Devonport Borough Council from the Minister of Defence. The Minister says the chief inspector of explosives (Mr. Butcher) was sent up specially to investigate, and he had gone into the whole matter of storing explosives in the borough, his report being that the new storage place at Narrow Neck "did not constitute any undue hazard to the borough."

Munitions of war for the Navv are stored at the fort on Mount Victoria and at Fort Takapuna at Narrow Neck. This morning a visit of inspection was made by Commodore Swabey, of H.M.s. Diomede, who had with him two base officers (Captain Bradley and Lieut. Lingard), Mr. Alex Harris,*M.P. for Waitemata, the Mayor of Devonport (Mr. E. Aldridge), Mr. H. A. Campbell, member of the council, who also happens to have special knowledge of these matters, having beei\ a warrant officer in the Royal Navy, and the town clerk and borough engineer.

Both forts were visited, and the borough representatives were not only shown e\erything, but had everything explained most fully. To sum up their conclusions, they were quite satisfied the borough was not running any undue risk. The munitions consist mainly of shells for the big guns, and, though thev represent many tons of cordite, lyddite and gun cotton, all the shells are innocuous, and a mishap is practically an impossibility, the «nly thing to be feared being if a shell were dropped into one of the arsenals from an enemy aeroplane a possibility that is so remote that Devonport will no doubt slumber peacefully o' nights for the tuture, or at any rate until the next war breaks out. No dynamite, gelignite or blasting powder is stored at either depot. Spic and Span. First of all the party went over the fort at Narrow Neck. Both there and at Mount ictoria the civilians were struck with the immense strength of the concrete chambers in which the shells were stored, with the neatness of everything, and the scrupulous cleanliness. '•We were assured," said Mr. Aldridge this morning to a "Star" reporter, '"that there was 110 danger whatever of an explosion among tiio shells. Even if dropped from the top of a house, thev would not explode. The vital part of a shell is the detonator, and these are kept stored far away from the shells. The actual shells themselves arc practically innocuous— dead. Without the detonators and caps, there can be no explosion of the shell, and from what we saw of the way the shells are stored we were quite satisfied with the statements made that the risk of an explosion was practically nil."

Fire? No, there is 110 danger whatever. There is not a speck of anything about the arsenals that could catch tire, and, as a matter of fact, the kinds of explosives that are stored there would, if invited, simply burn and not explode. They do not explode except bv tremendous concussion. "At Mount Victoria we were struck by the same remarkably good order, the cleanliness and the signs of careful supervision—it was just what one would expect from the Navy. "Wo made particular inquiries as to the danger when these explosives were being carted through the i-treets of the borough, and were assured* that the risk was negligible. As a matter of fact all these shells r.re freighter out from the Old Country, handled on the wharves, and carted through the streets, showing that they are not regarded as being dangerous in ' themselves. All Over the World. Similar shells are carted through Queen Street. Auckland, when being transported to the camp at Ngaruawahia. We were informed that shells were carted through the streets of London with the same impunity. Every arsenal in the world stores shells in the >anie way as they are stored at the Devonport forts. "In actual practice both the Mount \ ictoria and the Narrow Neck forts are inspected every day, in addition to which the whole stock is gone over everv six .nonths by the explosives inspector, who tests samples of all munitions in stock.

"In the course of discussion we learned the Tather interesting fact that there is really less risk with shells stored in an arsenal than with shells on board ship. As in an arsenal there is an entire absence of motion, such as mav be experienced in a storm at sea.

"I may say that the Borough Council has not been blind to the presence of these explosives in the borough, and for some considerable time has been in correspondence with the Government over the matter. The visit to the forts this morning with the Naval representatives. taken in corjunction with the letter we have received from the Minister of Defence, has convinced me that the borough is not running any undue risk from the fact that these explosives are stored at the forts. The situation is further improved by the fact that the arsenal at Mount Victoria will be fompleti'iy evacuated at ail earlv date, when it is hoped that t he whole of Mount Victoria will be anain vested in the borough ns a public domain.''