The Defenders of Melbourne.

Bruce Herald, Volume X, Issue 959, 20 November 1877, Page 7

The Defenders of Melbourne.

The,foliowing is an item per Ringarooma : — ." During gunnery practice by the Kelson in Hobson'a Bay on Friday, 9th,. a shell bounded ■from the water on shore <at St. Kilda ; it flew over ■ the railway station, through all obstructions, and then ploughed the highway, for a considerable distance, carrying : -with --it s. cart-load of debris. It tben fbaei a^d came in contact iwith a brick wall in.a slanting direction, making the material fly in ;an alarming manner, and was ultimately brought up in the ground at the base of a brick wall. Continuingits course, the 'niissile entered" the workahop pf an orgai^oildejr nanied Stone, and passed out in a diagonal line, nearly smashing a valuable organ which was in course of construction. Mr Stone* ; at ' the time was in his house, which was .situated some ten yards away from %be" "^p^ jand vsjtates that he fancied a steam engine was darting through hU premises. The shell their skimmed a bank of Band, and passed between two houses erected » little below the railway station, narrowly escaped ! hitting a child that was on the roof looking & the review.^^ Ifc also .struck a portion ofvih^roiadifacihg tlio entrance to the railway, Bta.tiori,^and carrying^ with it; .* quantity: of stonea^d metal, deviated a littl« from its ioaree and struck at- a- beifehfc of about sik ; feet the Bide wall connected with premise 3; in rFiizroy-B treet, occupied by Mr Douglaa: Pare,v house land agent. A. hole of abbuilOin:ln diameter was kuocked in *he walk in consequence, and the dangerous missile spent itself in the ground at the base: It w4s picked; up by a man employed upon the place, and wiis then quite hot. :ilr ;'-Gr ••• C; a rgfehtleman lately arrived from DunedinV carrowly escapedlbeiiig struck? /with* the shell aa he was crossf n^he r road, at ; the jtime. ; A, portion .of the debris did* strike him, but fortunately, without inflicting any injury. The fevr people who were- in the at once made for the spot where the missile had dropped, and Mr Armstrong, upon some impulse of the moment, purchased the article £rom the man who picked it up, and conTeyed it to the George hotel. Upon inspection it was fo«nd to. be, a. cpnical-shaped *he!l ; «bout iOin. long and Gin. diameter.

'Cue cap which would cause it to explode whon ifc came into contact with any object

was fortunately off"