FATAL EXPLOSION. MAHANGA BAY ACCIDENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 23, 28 January 1908, Page 2

FATAL EXPLOSION. MAHANGA BAY ACCIDENT.

THE VERDICT AND A RIDER. Mr. James Ashcroft, Coroner, held an inquest at the morgue yesterday on Thomas Hall, cook to the Volunteer Engineers (who were in camp at Mahanga Bay), and who was killed by an explosion of gun cotton on Sundny last. Sub- Inspector O'Donovan watched the proceedings on behalf of the police, and Mr. D. M. Findlay appeared for tho survivors. Captain Symon, who was instructing the Engineer Volunteers in "hasty demolitions" by explosives, said the volunteers were instructed in the uses and properties of gun cotton, and the precautions necessary to be observed with it and with tho detonators for mmg it. A piece of 1 wood, representing a tree, j about eight inches, was bonnet up just previous to the accident. This had a J necklace of gun cotton round it and was 'blown up. Tho next thing to be Wowd up was a piece of iron representing a railway. Witness saw every ono clear and then lit the fuse. While it was burning he ordered the men to stand back. When it was about half-way down he again ordered them back from pressing forward. The cook was noAvhcre in sight at this time. After the explosion all tha men — who were about a chain away from the iron — went to view it, and while there a man called to witness that tho cook was dead. "I arrived there a moment before (he doctor," said witness. "The cook was lying about four chains away from whore' tho explosion took place; but in a direction different from that in which the men went. I was quite satisfied the cook was dead." NO OUTPOSTS. The Coroner : Had it been your practice to give the cook warning of explosions ? Witness : I had not. I did not see tho cook. Would any of the other officers or sergeants or men give him warning ? — No. Mr. Findlay : What was the condition of the rail after the explosion? Witness : A hole w &s blown clean out of it. What was tho charge ?— About Bozs of gun cotton, the length of the slab being What was the extent of the hole? — Tho same extent as the, gun cotton. The hole was on the side of the rail. You' were all on the safe side ?— Yes. Tho tendency was to throw out tho iron low down. In the direction of the cook-house! — Well, towards the water tap. Tho Coroner : Could any one standing at the tap be seen by you? Witness : Yes. No one was standing there when I told the men to get back tho second time. Continuing, Captain Symon said there were about 25 men with him. Mr. Findlay : Were there any outposts or flag to warn people? Witness : No. 'VOLUNTARY INSTRUCTION. Mr. Findlay : The whole force being with you, it was nobody's special business to tell off anyone to warn people ? Witness : No. Captain Symon said tho. officer in command asked him to give instructions in the use of explosives, and he volunteered to do this. It was one of Lieutenant Fitzgerald's men (who were working separately) who discovered tho body of tho cook. Mr. T?indlay : There's no doubt aboul the cause of the accident? Tho Corone ; : We have a piece of iron taken from the deceased. This "exhibit" was a piece of metal, elongated, and about tho size of a Mar-tini-Henry bullet. To tho polico witness said ho was not aware that tho cook was told tho explosions would take place, but he was bound 'to have heard tha first explosion x-that of the tree. He would not expect the fragments of iron to have scattered very much in a lateral direction unless they hit the ground and ricochetled. The rail operated on was 15 to 20 feot in longth. He could >not say at j what force the pieces of iron would carry; but they would certainly penetrate galvanised iron at 78 yards. MEDICAL EVIDENCE. Dr. 11. A. GUmer, who made a post mortem examination of deceased, said ho took a piece of iron from the base of ! the brain. It had entered the loft side j and a comminuted compound fracture I had resulted. The injury caused to tho i brain was sufficient to cause practically I instantaneous death. Dr. Elliott, who was present at Mahanga Bay, at the invitation of Lieut. 1 Fitzgerald, said when he saw deceas- | ed his injuries were so severe that | recovery wa6 hopeless, i Captain. Hume, who had visited the 1 camp, said he thought, from Captain Symon's evidence, that reasonable pre- | cautions were taken. It was not customary to have anyone on duty to give warning. To bhe 'Jury: Witness said no ono was there to prevent his coining into the danger zone, and ho might have been struck. A SAPPER'S STORY. Cecil Wright, sapper in the Wellington Engineers, said he had been making a fougasse at Kau Point, and was returning to Mahanga Bay with a keg of 251b of gunpowder on a wheel-bar-row. When he rounded the point the explosion took place, the pieces falling into the water. The Coroner : Might not you havo been struck? Witness : No. A Juryman : Had you corns round a minute sooner, and got as far as tho cook you would have been in tho same danger? Witness : No, sir. Had I reached the position the cook was in two minutes earlier I should have been in danger, but. I was in no danger when the explosion took place. I dropped the barrow and ran, seeing the cook lying on the ground. .The Coroner : Was the position in which' tho cook was found within the zone of danger? „ Witness : No, sir. I saw several splashes in the water, within tho danger zone. The cook was not in the danger zone, but hs might have been struck by a ricochet. The Coroner asked whether the cook was not aware of tho explosion, and witness said he was familar with them. Mr. Findlay : Was not tho rail explosion more dangerous than tho, treo explosion ? ' Witness : "Yes. I did not know myself when the explosion was to take place. I knew there were to bo two explosions, but not exactly when the second ono was to come oS." Witness added that he did not think the tap where the cook's body was found was in tho normal dunger zpne. A Juryman : You might have walked into the danger zone without knowing it? Witness : Yes. THEORY OF RICOCHET. George H. Barker, who assisted in the explosion, said the charge and rail were placed in such a way that tho danger zone would have been in the direction of tho water. The only way he could account for the cook being hit was by a ricochet. The Coionsr : Do you think the cook knew how to take care of himself?

Witness : Oh, yes ; ho knew explosions were going on. The Foreman (Mr. Salon): Did the cook receive any warning? Witness : Ido not know that he did. Sub-Inspector Donovan : Did the men tinder Lieut. Fitzgerald know of the second explosion? Witness : "They were not warned, because they were out of the danger zone." The piece of metal might have ricochetted, but witness could' not say what it struck first, unless it was a larger piece of metal. Lieut. Fitzgerald, who was in command of the camp, said he did not know where or when the explosions were to take place. He was unaware of any arangements having been made to warn the cook about the explosions, and ho would say that the cook was not warned. The Coroner asked whether it was witness's duty to warn the cook? Captain Symon here said he being senior officer would be responsible for warnings, if any were to be given. Lieut. Fitzgerald said as Sunday was the day for explosions, and as this was well known to all in camp, the cook ' must have known about them, although he was not officially informed of their being about to take place. Captain Hume stated that anybody, knowing the explosions were taking place, would take care, and he included the cook in that. There was no danger zone laid down in the regulations. It could not be ascertained with certainty. Captain Symon eaid it was possible that the piece of metal which killed deceased may have ricochetted from a stone. Constable Carmody said he measured the distiinre from the spot where ffho explosion took place to where the body was found — 78 yards. THE VERDICT. The jury, after a brief retirement, returned a verdict of accidental death, and expressed the opinion that sufficient precaution was not taken to protect the cook or any other person in a dangerous position from the danger of tho explosion.