MONUMENT FALLS IN STREET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 814, 11 May 1910, Page 4

MONUMENT FALLS IN STREET.

EXCITING SCENE AT AUCKLAND,

{By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) ' . • ' Auckland,. Hay 10.

Some excitement ivas caused in. Queen Street, tjiis morning, as'the result of a statue, weighing two tons, suddenly dropping out of tho skies, and planting itself oil tho footpath- immediately' in front of tho Dive Restaurant, which is in the basement of tho .old Mutual life Assurance . buildings. The accident—for accident it was—was' witnessed by quite a thousand people. !'The shops and business places had just closed, at.. 11 o'clock, at the request of the Mayor, in'recognition of the day of mourning, and the streets were accordingly fnU of people, while the efforts of a gang of workmen to shift the great stono monument, which has stood so long out. in the upper story of tho Mutual Life Association Buildings, was watched by a large and interested crowd. The-monu-ment was successfully lifted, preparatory to lowering, but the.next happening was entirely unbooked for. A resounding crack, like a shot from a revolver, was heard, and.then the great iiiass of stone came down with a" thud. Fortunately, it landed on its base, and, by its own. weight, crashed through the asphalt, and,. buried itself ■ least' eighteen inches in the earth. No projections in the lowest story happened lo come in. the way, or the monument would have, been turned over, and the figures hopelessly smashed. As it is, the outstretched arm of the figure of the mother (who is portrayed as protecting :her children from wolves) was broken by the concussion, and one or two ininoT injuries of a like kind received. Otherwise, however, the monument, which is a valuable one, carved from ■ Egyptian stone, was not damaged. ■ The footpath had, fortunately; been roped off before an attempt was made to lift tho, monument., so that no 0110 was injured.