THE FATAL EXPLOSION ON LAMBTON QUAY.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 147, 23 December 1881, Page 3

THE FATAL EXPLOSION ON LAMBTON QUAY.

* THE INQUEST. At 11 o'clock this morning Dr. Johnston, the City Coroner, conducted an enquiry at the Wellington Hospital into the circnmstances attending the death of Mrs. Lydia Anthony on the evening of the 2lst inst., xinder circumstances already described. Mr. FitzGerald was present on behalf of Mr. | Anthony, and Mr. Duncan M'Dougall was chosen foreman of the jury. Dr. Diver explained the nature of the injuries (described in our yesterday's issue) and the treatment adopted. Mr. William Henry Anthony said — I am a chemist, and manager for Messrs. Barraud and Son at their establishment, lambton Quay. I have been 14 years in the profession, having served my time tinder Dr. Coward, at Christohurch. I have aoted as Messrs. Baira'ud and Son's manager foil 18 months, and previously was for two years manager of a chemist's Bhop at Christchurch. On Wednesday afternoon last a customer visited the establishment and asked for a pound of blue fire. I understood it to be for something for Christmas, but I had no conversation with him about it, and he did not tell me for what particular purpose he required it. I told him it would be ready in two honrs. I started to make it about 2 o'clook .in the afternoon ; the customer said he was going away by the 430 train. I made it from No. 5 form of recipe in Beesley's Receipt Book. It was as follows :—" Chlorate of potash, 9 parts; dried verdigris, 2 ; Bulphur, loz. To this 1 added loz of black antimony. On being tested, the compound flashed too quickly, so I decided not to send it as ordered. After tea I took the mortar containing it into the back yard for the purpose of destroying it. I intended to accomplish this end by burning it a little at a time. I took small portions from the mass and fired it. It burnt freely and without explosion or sound of any kind. It was then getting dark. My late wife was looking at what I was doing through the kitchen window, and then came to the back door and suggested that it should be put down the drain instead of being burnt. her not to touoh it, I went in to light the shop, telling her I would be back directly, and come back to finish it. I had lit one burner in the shop, and was in the ant of lighting the second when I hoard an explosion. At first I thought it waß the report of a cannon, and went to the Bhop door and looked up and down the street to see where the noise came from. I then saw smoke arising from the back »f our own premises. I ran at once to the back. In the passage leading to the back-door I found the hand of my late wife. I picked^ it up and called her. I discovered her lying on her baok in a gutter leading to the drain in the yard. I ran into the street, and Bent a constable for Dr. Diver. I was alone on the premises at this time; Mr. Barrand had gone to tea, and the assistant was out. Miss Clara Walker, a nieoe of the deceased, and my little boy, Fred, aged two years and a month, were the only other inmates of the house when the accident happened. The Coroner — Is it the usual custom in New Zoalaud to get blue fire in this way ? Witness — Yes. I have always done it. I have made lots of it for opera companies and so forth— red fire too. The Coroner— lb it usual to make ' the compounds up in as large quantities as a pound at a time ? «;._ , - Witness— Ye?. The Coroner— Do you consider the recipe you used a harmless one? Witness — Yes; if mixed properly, with care. The Coroner— Do you oonsider it a proper mixture to give to people who are ignorant of it ? Witneas— ln the present case, seeing that it flashed too quickly, I tried to destroy it. I cannot account for the explosion at all ; I have not the slightest idea. lam not aware of any law whatever forbidding the mixture of such compounds within the city. The black antimony I added because I thought it wonld improve the colour of the fire. It would not contribute to the explosive quality of the compound. There were about Boe left Bttfe in the mortar when I went into the shop. Iho Coroner—lf the deoeased threw the powder down on to the drain would the concussion be sufficient, in your opinion, to cause the accident ? Witness — No, I should think not. It must have have gone off in the mortar, which was 10 inches across the top, anil which was blown to pieces. The Coroner — Would the effect of a body of water being suddenly thrown on the mass while at the bottom of the mortar be likely to cause the explosion ? Witness— Possibly. That is the only solution of the explosion I can come to. The friction might ignite a spark, and thus fire the whole quantity. The day after the accident I found an empty pail standing outside the back door. Ido pot know if deceased had used it in connection with the compound in the mortar. She wonld not know anything of the dangerous properties of the compound. She knew, however, that it was blue fire. Mr. FitzGerald —Is the book produced from which you made the compound a valuable one ? Witness— Yes. The Coroner — It is a very old one. Witness — It is a very old one, that's true, but the new books contain the same recipes. Mr. FitzGerald — Was the pe&tle in the mortar when the explosion ocourred ? Witness— No. Dr. Div6r, at the desire of Mr. FitzGerald, was here recalled. In answer to that gentleman, he said : I have often made fires of this kind, from recipes, in laboratories, both when studying practical chemistry and afterwards. Mr. FitzGerald — Is it part of a ohemiat'a business out here to make up such Urea ? Witness— l think so. I don't know of anybody else who does it. Mr. FitzGerald — After Mr. Anthony's experience do you oonsider him competent to make up such mixtures ? Witness— Quite, after the experience stated. I do not think the recipe in question is more dangerous than others of a similar kind, if properly handled. Mr. FitzGerald— Do you think the method adopted by Mr. Anthony to dispose of it was a careful one ? Witness — There was no danger about it, if the quantities burned were small. I have thought over this matter, and I am - of opinion that that the deceased must have taken something hard, such as a spocn or a knife to scrape out the mortar. I come to this conclusion from the natura of the injuries. She must have been in a stooping position, with the mortar ill her hand. I can think of no other feasible theory. Miss Clara Mien W&lkden said — I am a niece of the deceased, and lived with her on Lambton Quay when the acoident occurred. I was in the kitchen with her, watching Mr. Anthony burning the blue fire. Presently h* went into the shop to light up. There was no blue fire burning then. As soon as he had pone, the deceased asked me for Borne water to wash the powder down the drain. I did not give her the water. I was looking round for something to put the water in when I heard the explosion. I saw her go into the yard, but did not see her get any water. As she went out, she said she was going to throw some water down the drain in order to wash the powder down.' When I heard the explosion, I ran into the yard and picked up the little boy, who had gone with her. I did not see her do anything after leivingtho door. Mr. Anthony lived on most affootionate terms with his wife. This being the whole of the evidence, the Coroner summed up at some length. In the course of his remarks he expressed his opinion that the jury would not be properly fulfilling their duty if they merely recorded a verdict. It was most incomprehensible that in the heart of a oity like Wellington, where the authorises were so careful of the lives of the citizens that they even forbade one to meddle with their ga3-fUtings, but required that a competent plumber and gas-fitter should be employed, people should be allowed to mix dangerous compounds of this description. He knew Mr. Anthony as a careful, competent man, but the fan^t lay with the Corporation authorities, who ought to prevent people from mixing these compounds under the circumstances described. He attributed no negligence or careles«ness to Mr. Anthony. Without retiring, the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death," to which the following rider was added: — "That the attention of the Government be called to the fact of large quantities of dangerously explosive powder being mixed up in the city, and sold wi'hout any steps being taken to regulate or limit such sale. 1 '