EXPLOSION IN LONDON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 122, 15 February 1908, Page 10

EXPLOSION IN LONDON.

■ {, CREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. ONE KILLED: SEVERAL HURT. The City of London, at its most crowded hour, on January 1, and in one of its most congested business quarters, was tho scene of a serious oxplosion and fire, which resulted in the death of a young man, injuries to several other persons, and much dainago to property. .The following is- a list of the killed and injured:— KILLED. John Coker, aged 20, of 33 Avondale Square, Old Kent Road. • INJURED." Ernest Reeve, Victoria Road, Stroud Green (slightly). ■ • Albert Keech, aged 19, of Canterbury Road, Dalston (injuries to head). James Kent, aged 30, of Genda Road, New Eltham (cut head'ahd hand). . Frank Davey, aged. 18, of Netherfield Road, Streatham (cut hand). Mr. Myers, merchant (shock and cut hand). Frederick Ashton (cut nose and forehead). About a quarter past one, in Aldermanbury were startled by a terrific'explosion, followed by the shattering of' glass and the sound of falling brickwork, and rushing into St. George's Avenue, a narrow thoroughfare between Aldermanbury and Basinghall Street, found smoke and flames issuing from tho basement of No. 5,. occupied by Messrs.; Frank Dyke and Co., gun and ammunition merchants. The hi;-k'of. buildings -is four storeys in height, and consists of warehouses and merchants' offices. Above the basement of No. 5 were offices occupied by Messrs. Ashton, manufacturers' agents, and tho upper storeys were tenanted by Air. C. Snelling, pattern card maker. Adjoining are premises occupied' by Messrs. John "Inglis arid Co., Scottish tweed merchants, and on tho opposite sido is tho back of the warehouse of Messrs. J. Myers and Co., clothiers, which fronts into' Aldormanbury. All. these,' and other'adjacent premises, suffered from the effects or the explosion, the windows ,of iio fewer than . cloven ' ■ warehouses being smashed. ' i . ' . . FIGHTING THE FLAMES. Within a very short time numerous fire engines wero in attendance, with a lar"<> force of firemen, and a Tiro escape was a, .'brought on to the.spot,'a largo force of the City police also arriving. 1 The alarm caused by the explosion was intensified by another . explosion which followed the first within a few minutes, and the firemen bad to proceed ■to tho building cautiously, for fear of a furthor explosion of cartridges stored on tho ■ premises.- They at once directed'tho-hose upon tho basement, 'which they flooded' with wator, and, in the cours'o of half an hour, succeeded in subduing the flames, which ; had, .spread to tlie upper storeys, but not beforo, most of the rooms abovo had been burned

out. j ■■ . i . Tho scene presented to the view in the avenue was one of devastation./ Hardly r a window had been spared, and the ground 'was strewn with fragments of charred, wqrid and doors, broken glass, spent cartridges,■ and portions of guns. It soon became knojvn that several persons had beeii' injured, arid it was feared that Coker,,, who'was known' ■to have been in ; the basement, and was-, missing, had been buried in-,'the debris. .. This unfortunately proved to' be true, '.-j'a'ndj '-jits', soon ,as tho fire had been'.ovcrcbme;.,.tho;:/ii;fe- v mon made a search. Buritfd : of debris they found tho missing his head, and face terriblytjinju're'd.^Hfi 1 boj been employed as warehouseman ; liyiMessrs'.l Dyko and Co. His body was'.cbn'v?yed in/a; 'coffin to a neighbouring mortuary.' In; the; same building was, another /employee jof the; .firm, Ernest- Reeve, a : escaped with slight injuries; 'Three 'of, -$ib ; injured men, Keeeli, Kent, and''J>av6y/#rire':taken• to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, i bht,' after. ,treatment, all wero able to;gp.-,hoine.' ■. \ ; ' - SHOWERS OF CLASS. / : ;v ; : , Tho dead man Cokor /ahdljtbd clerk Ernest Reeve were tho only two persons'.engaged- in Mossrs. Dyko's establishment at;the,time of the disaster. It seems that at I 'the moment .there was no ono in i. tho . avenue, '. which ; was fortunate,. as broken; glass fell liko a shower of hailstones. So great leas', the forco of the explosion that' tho/ front windows ofMessrs. Myers's premises in Alcermanbury wero shattered, the counters',and floor of:'tho'warehouse were covered /with /broken pieces: .of glass,-and a number.-of tho, ! ,cartridges-; wero hurled, through', tho/windows.'- ~ .One: young man in adjoining. shock from tho explosion/'-Vsepmed ; liko'/.a'n/ earthquake." Another said; lie "thought; t-hej ;house was coming,.- down;'!,j'A 'police I constable, who was ono "of the first ,on.'the spot, 'said that as' soon as , he., arrived; a second-ex-plosion occurred, and' fragmeiits of -.glass ' fell all around him. 1 The; employees..inj-tho-yari-: ous warehouses ; rushed . out; in jjreat alarm, -, and speedily.;, mado; thoir Gscapo.., '/- . , : An eye-witness"of.'tho /accident, said- that the cartridges' exploded 'one.by one. after tho -first explosion in, rapid; succession, until it seemed ,as if the/place ,were being; bom.barded by a battery of, Gatling guns. Mr. Henry Dyke.-said to a reporter afterwards that he thought the explosion more likely to havo beeii caused by gas than by ammunition. He-added : "I kept only ing cartridges and black powder, and 1 of the latter there was not-a,grea,t . stock. Thoro was a lot of smallammunition, but that could not have caused such an explosion as occurred. Wo had gas oii'the premises, but not in tho basement. Wo had' electric light in the basement.". ■'