EXPLOSIVE IN A SHIP.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20622, 11 August 1932, Page 5

EXPLOSIVE IN A SHIP.

SERIOUS INTENT ALLEGED. ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. The hearing of a charge against George Thomas Mouncer, a former officer of the Chatham Islands steamer Tees, of placing an explosive on the steamer on August sth with intent to do bodily harm to Captain A. B. Anderson, -was concluded at the Magistrate 'a Court at Lyttelton yesterday before Mr H. A. Young, S.M. Sergeant W. H. Dunlop conducted the case for the police, and accused was represented by counsel. There were over a dozen exhibits in the case, including a half-plug of gelignite, and portion of the base of a cartridge-case, and a cigarette tin. Captain's Evidence. Albert Baldwin Anderson, master of the steamer Tees, residing at St. David street,' Lyttelton, said that for the past three months the steamer had been laid up at Lyttelton. Witness joined the ship as second mate iu February, 1930. Mouncer was first mate and Captain A. T. Dowell was master. He had known accused since that time. A month after witness joined the vessel accused had some trouble with the crew at Timaru and was discharged. Witness was promoted to first mate, and hold that j>os\tion until November L.st, when he was appointed master. The only trouble witness had iu the ship was in April last, when there was trouble concerning a man named Gibson, cook of the vesbel. The Tees was held up at Lyttelton for about a week on that occasion. Accused had nothing to do with that trouble. From the time of his dismissal accused had never threatened witness. Accused had been aboard the ship very frequently when the Tees was at Lyttelton. He had never spoken to witness on these visits, except to ask where Gibson was. "Shook it and it Battled." On August sth, about 8.35 a.m., witness went aboard the Tees. Lying on tho mat outside the door of the cabin ho found a small brown "paper parcel addressed to him. Witness was expecting a parcel from Christchureh and he picked it up and shook it. The parcel rattled, and witness took it. into his cabin and opened- it. He discovered thj nature of tho contents of the tin, produced. _ When he opened the lid he saw something wrapped up in paper, with 'lsobel's Gelignite" printed on it. He earned- the tin out of the cabin and placed a guard over it while he reported tho matter to tho police. The Use of Gelignite. Reginald Stanley Oaklev, employed by the Lyttelton Borough Council, said he was foreman of the relief workers in Lyttelton. Some of tho men wore employed on rock work and explosives were required. Nobel's gelignite was the only explosive used. Witness had charge of the gelignite, and all blasting operations. During the day the gelignite was kept in a box and at night witness took it home. Mouncer was working in witness's gang, and had access to the box during working hours. Witness used between two and three dozen plugs of gelignite a week. A blast required from 1} to 4 plugs. If necessary, a plug was cut, and tho unused half returned to the box. If a half plug was taken witness would pro? bably not miss it. Witness was using gelignite as recently as August Ist, .when Mouncer was working in the gang. The piece of gelignite produced was between half and three-quarters of a plug. It was witness's opinion that the piece, if exploded in a person 's hand?, would be sufficient to cause death. Action of Explosives. Hugh Henry Joseph Barnard, engineer io the Lyttelton Borough Council, said he had a wide experience, in tho uso of explosives, including gelignite. Of its kind, gelignite was one of the most powerful explosives known. The piece produced was a little over half a plug. If the piece was exploded by a detonator, the detonator would do more harm than the gelignite in the open. If enclosed in a tin jt would cause damage by tho fragments flying. The amount of bodily harm would depend upon the position in which it was held. The piece of brass-work produced was the base of a shot-gun cartridge. Its explosion would probably cause injury by flying fragments. If tho gelignite was "frozen it was very dangerous and had very peculiar properties. In its frozen condition it was much more sensitive to explosion by concussion or extreme heat. If exploded by a cartridge base the risk would bo greater, but not positive. A small hole had been bored in the-side of the brass shell. It was not sufficient to allow the gases to escape without shattering the ease. Police Evidence. Detective N. W. Laugesen gave evidence that on Friday last he took charge of the alleged bomb at the Lyttelton police station. He interviewed accused that day and questioned him. Accused made a statement. In the statement Mouncer denied being near the Tecs i and said he knew nothing of the bomb ! which witness showed him. He did not want to get back on the Tees, as Anderson and he would not agree. Continuing, witness said that at 4.40 pm. on Saturday he and Constable C Jackways visited accused's residence at 15 Bridle path. Accused was absent, but arrived about two minutes later. Witness told Mouncer that he wanted to look through his shed. Mouncer said he could and could also look through the house. Witness had the bomb in his possession. "Under the bench m tho workshop witness found the piece of wood, produced. It was of the same class of timber as xn the base of the bomb. The piece of board which formed the base of the bomb matched and fitted the piece found. The wood had been' cut with a fine-toothed saw and witness found four saws (produced) all fine-toothed, in the workshop. There was a rough sketch of the firing meehanism on the base-board. .Witness also found a hand-drill (prodnced), which had a bit in the chuck of tho same size as the hole in the cartridge case. Some string, found by Constable Jackways, was of the "*»« br »» a " that in the bomb. A quantity of loose shot was found, similar to what would have been contained in the cartridge. i Accused's Statement. Mouncer was taken to the police station, where he made and signed the following statement: . "I am a single man, born in England in 1895, and have been in New Zealand since 1913. I reside with my mother and brother at 15 Bridle path, Lyttelton. I have been out of work for two years last February. Just prior to that time I was mate on tho Tecs. About a month prior to me leaving the ship, Captain Anderson signed on as second mate. Later on he got my job as mate, and 1 signed off. I have not been able to get a ship since then, but have followed unemployed work about Lyttelton. "I have never had a depute with Anderson, but have ever since felt very hurt over the way he has acted toward mc, and with the way that he talked about me. James Gibson, the cook on the Tees, was my friend. Gibson is ft married man with a family and le-

eently Anderson has tried to hit at me through Gibson, by sacking him from the ship. Anderson knew that by hurting Gibson and his family he would be indirectly hurting me. All this sort of thing has worked on me—he was getting the dirt in all the time and getting away with it. I got so incensed over Anderson's behaviour that I decided to put the wind up him. About three or four days ago I definitely heard that Anderson was not going to have Gibson back, so I decided to scare him. "About two or three days ago, while working on relief works, I took a piece I of gelignite from out of the tool-box. |No one saw me take it. Wo were worki ing on the Sumner road at the time. One day after that I saw Gibson's chil dren playing with an old gas lighter at the back of his residence. I pickod it up and took it home. I did not tell Gibson about this. "I Made That Bomb." "I have been shown the home-made bomb that was found on the Tecs. I made that bomb. The gas lighter that is in it now is the one I got from Gibson's. The base of the cartridge was one that I had about the place. The gelignite I got from the relief works, and the cigarette tin was one that I got from about the house. I made the bomb up on the evening of August 4th. I placed the cork behind the trigger to keep it cocked, then set the base of the cartridge so that tho striker would set off the ftap and in turn light the powder in the cartridge, which would explode the gelignite through the hole that I bored. "I placed all this in the tin and then brought the string up through the lid and tied a knot on the outside so that when tho Captain opened the lid the string would let the striker go and so explore the bomb. "I wrapped it up iit a pieco of brown paper and printed the address, 'Captain Anderson, s.s. Tees.' At about 1 a.m. on August sth I took the parcel down to the Tecs and laid it on tho Captain's step by his cabin; so that he would get it when he-came. I returnod home and have not taken any further , part in the thing. "I wish to say that no other person had anything to do with this matter. Gibson did not know and I did not consult him at all. "The thing slipped once or twice when I was putting it together—it did not go off—l mean explode. I thought it would scare him, anyway. I knew that if the thing had exploded it would have blown Anderson up. "I am sorry now that 1 did this foolish thing."' I am glad that tho thing is all over, as everything is now cleared up. I make this statement of my own free will.'' Continuing, witness described tho firing mechanism, which was set off by a piece of string passed through a hole in the lid and kuptted. Constable C. A. Jackways said that on .Friday at about 9.30 a.m. ho visited the Tees and found the bomb. It was loosely wrapped "Mid tho lid was partly off. He took it to tho police station, t Counsel for the accused said be wonld J plead not guilty and reserve his de- ! fence. ■ . Accused was committed for trial to the .Supreme Court on August 16th.