HOME WRECKED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 163, 12 July 1935, Page 3

HOME WRECKED.

BIG EXPLOSION.

SEVEN IN HOSPITAL.

GELIGNITE IN A STOVE.

FAMILY'S SORRY PLIGHT,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) FEILDING, this day. Through the explosion of gelignite a whole family of seven people were sent to hospital this morning. The house, which was completely wrecked, was on the Halcombe-Stanway road. Mr. Frank Cowdrey, aged 32, farmer, was about to carry out stumping operations, when at 7.45 a.m. lie placed 50 plugs of gelignite in the kitchen oven to warm.

Mr. Edward Robinson, aged IS, an employee, warned Mr. Cowdrey of the risk lie was taking, but Mr. Cowdrey said the gelignite would not go off.

Three minutes later, however, while tlie family were at breakfast round the kitchen , table, a terrific explosion occurred. Mr. Robinson told the police afterwards that his chair and the floor were blown from under him. He staggered outside in a dazed condition, but returned and found all or the children—Maurice (aged 9), Beverley (0), Nita (3) and Raymond Davies (9), a brother of Mrs. Cowdrey, with their father and mother, lying on the floor. The young man took out the children. The mother was able to walk out, but the father was too injured to help himself. The house caught fire, but Robinson went back and extinguished the flames. Later investigation by a medical man and the police showed that all of the occupants were more or less seriously injured. Though no life was lost, all had to be taken to the hospital. The kitchen table was blown to splinters, the wall being blown out and the whole house practically wrecked.