WHEN THE POWDER GOES OFF.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2110, 30 March 1914, Page 6

WHEN THE POWDER GOES OFF.

WHAT A BOY SAH3. It is alleged that a boy named Albert Cooper, employed in tke siiwe by Jfessfs Benge and Pratt, said lie knew of the presence of explosives in the. building, and.spoke about it to witnesses. The

buckled and twisted aijd the westliorboards, apart- from tjie effects of fire, have been smashed m a : lvmnibi'F of places where flying fragments stiuek tlrem. At a spot about twelve feet tip from the briejc has %eh tfj-iven tlu'ough tEo boar;dinsas though.shot out of a gttii. Nearly cy&rj- whrdow ifl.ilie hb.tse ivas- skattc=red even mi tte-fafie looking aivay from tlie esplosioti. A poi'di on the north side, faoing the explosion, B'as riven to pieces, a door ireing Mown bodily off its lunges, A lieavy piano, standing against the wall in ail upstairs room, \va& : lifted ft edUplo [of foot ilnvafd. .

Tho rooms of the hotel logic mufi-h as they would if they had b.een looted by a mnraudkig army.' 'The bat is ,a ruin (jf.trokon glass. Some bottlc-s-sH.f----vivett the ordeat, but- a grpat pmpmv tioh-wero smashed. Other roohis-up-stairsi and down fared little better. Everywhere windows were blmvtt in and pictures on tho wails and various aftictas gu slwiHs w'Bro thrown down' and broken, adding to the geiwral desolation. In one room titer* is an array of broken gr.tmap.han© records. Rouelii'v spealiingj nearly everything of la break" able- eliavaeter was broken and everywhere tllv«lglieut tlis building ihero is evidence of tho terrific force o:E the explesjwi.

telephone mstwnnent. Sβ was ed to the. railway station to be transferred to the WelHngWtti Hospital by tnfflvns.of a, special traliij "but expired, in the guard's van. Tlio rewtaius wete te* moved to liia apartinoats k the Post Office bnildiitg, He probably (tied franl the result of severe shoot

ConstaWoi 'Siaiwnoj's remains, were the last to be fou.nd. Ifre.v Werp, t.er■riMy bwiied, and wete as tire bodj' o{ the coHstabfe % tlic |tS;e,seiioo of a p.air of handcuffs to Ui£ bttdy. Tlms rftiftaiws Wore.■fp;mj(l.iii a fe fression in tte ift cJubcrs itnd watof,«iTttljJ!nv'isix'''ifect of ike main eiitfanco t6-:lhrirstpr6.'ilv:

■Constable Denis tl.ip best-known and officers in the whole- Dqiwiuioii';' , '.'■■■fife kayos a. widow aitd family ■■o'f. ; . ; 't : hree (c-fte girl a.i«l two younger bogs)."" Previous to earning to Upper iJrrtt, Con* stable Manwey was stationed at Lambtcw Quay, .Wclliiigfen. > .;.au-(i vvas also at one time at "WooctHlte; Hβ ii-as eight ■brothers anil one sister; Jit. Jfe-hOfley, whoso S@o was a-baut 38 yonftS, lias b.e«ii a uotert-ativlcito, wrosller, and • heavy■iveifilit lifter in. Ms iime ? aod ah oSport at ohopiiing and shovftttag contests, h Mr< James Coiiiesky was a zfialaus and papular jjostaj oflicial, Ho leftVos o widow and sewu eliHAren {tliree girls and four boys. Mr. CoJncsky was gu en-

. tliusiastiq boivfer and a nionj.ber of t.ho loua-1 sdioal conittittee, aud on]y camofrom Nortli AuekJaiicl aboii.t three' years ago. Deceased was .about S3 yftars .of age, and had been connected with tiio twstni service for o-ve.f thirty years, _ Mr. John Wesley Vivian was a native of Uuiiodij!, aad. Was engaged aj» a. grocer's assistant. D-cecascS Was a *ingte man aboftt 35 years of agOj Jiiid was .for several years in liijsiliess for himself as a grocer. Mt, Vivian was a nephew of jvfr. Butt, Stofe&ecper, of wver Hutt,

Mr. Michael Tooliey was a native oJ .Tasmania, and -had only been in Jy-flfw ■Zoalaiid akmt two years, a.ud it is understood lie was to be married in a month's tinio. Deceased Was as a aawwiil.fir at the Mayuwm Estate for sowo time at tlio commeneeutent. lio iucj- his firto assisting to fight tirefire which threatened dcsttjiotioft t<! tllft hotel, at wlnVh ho boarded.. Ho was a spfcndfdl axeman. It is understood that he has no relatives in I\'e\v Zealand.

. Mr. George Taylor {the- eldest soti of Mr. G. Taylor, ftreteeionsl. gardener), (vho was engaged as a. railway porter, was only a lad. Ho was torn and educated in tho district.

Mr, AVi«. 1). Flyu-u, a Dunedin native, a guard on lie- suburbitji seetioft. who will bo <;spßcia% missed by .tlvft regular passengers, was 9. yeung jnur* ried man about-8? ;voars of ago, ivith up familyofliisowfl, but had five. stepchildren dependentupon him. Ho'had jtist returned from the last trip for tjio day, and was crushed taeiioatli the weigh* oi f.afjii-g timbers, and partially ■iiiciheratel, ■Hβ hatt' spent gqveu years in the service,- His mother is living with her soiwnJaw., Mv. Sagar, of Sydney Street, alsa his two sisters.