THE FITZROY EXPLOSION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 73, 29 March 1910, Page 8

THE FITZROY EXPLOSION.

MANY BUILDIXUS WRECKED. SEVERAL PERSONS INJURED. Concerning the gical explosion at Fitzroy. Melbourne, mention of which w«*s ninde in our (üblc niPsmiLrec, tlu> following additional details me tak<Mi fio'ii Melbourne papers: — About 20 minutes to 3 o'clock this morning at the intersection of Gertrude and Bruns-wu-k-streeU, Fitzroy, a terrific «*xrlo&iou occurred, immediately followed by a volume of bright flame, which appeared to jump hundreds of feet skywinds. People residing in the neighbourhood — mo«<t of whom were, of ionise, aftleep— were terrified by their windows being^ blown to pieces, the bedrooms locking as if an earthquake had occurred. A constable on his bent several blocks ay-ay described the expjosion an resembling half a dozen huge c.iuuou simultaneously discharged. At St. Vincent's Hospital the whole of the inmates — patients and staff — were at tint greatly alarmed by a fearful boom. The reverberations had not ceased when their terror was intensified by the building being thrown into complete darkness through the sudden failure of the- electric light. At the central fire station, in the same neighbourhood, the experiences were similar. Uuided by the sound and by a glaring illumination, the firemen and all the police in the district and most of the local residents hurried into Brunswick-sheet, when the effect of the explosion was exposed to their gaze. Four tw.6-story brick buildings on the Western side of the street had been blown to pieces. Bricks and other debris lay in neaps on the footpath and roadway. These buildings were occupied by the Henri Art Co. (W. Sneddon, sole proprietor), J. J'.. Burkill (cleaner and dyer), Crabtree (grocer), and J. Lew (fruiterer). THE WORK OF RESCUE. The firemen having extinguished the flames, searched the wrecked premises to ascertain whether the occupants had succeeded in making their escape. This task was not easily accomplished, for the area that had been covered by the buildings was simply an impenetrable pile of bricks. It was soon found, however, that Mr. Lew and his family had by some means managed to make- their way into the street without serious injury. A few minutes later it was discovered that a young man, Charles Shaw, aged 20, assistant to Crabtree, had been found in the back yard. He was utterly unable to explain how he got there. Crabtree and himself had been sleeping in a room over tho shop, and he knew nothing whatever of the explosion, but had picked himself up in the yard in a perfectly dazed condition. Shaw was at once taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, where, on examination, he was found to be suffering from superficial burns, covering hiH head, arms, and body. Just on 3 o'clock wotd went round that an old man was buried in the ruins. A hurried search was made, and a constable discovered a pair of heels sticking out from a pile of bricks and dobris. The debris was removed, and Crabtree was found, conscious but terribly injured. He gave no hint as to the cause of the explosion, but moaned, "Let me die! Let me die!" He was badly burned about the head. He had fallen upon his chest, and both his legs appeared to be broken. Crabtree was fully dressed, not having gono to bed. Ho was removed to Melbourne Hospital. Meanwhile the search for Mabel Sneddon, a nine-year-old, fair-haired girl, was prosecuted in earnest, firemen and constables swarming over the smouldering ruins, but for a while their quest seemed hopeless. Presently, however, v small voice was heard, mid the rescue party redoubled its efforts. Bit by hit the wreckage was removed, and the missing child was ut last discovered. She was saved from death by a heavy beam which had fallen in such a position as to proventher body being crushed. A few minutes after 3 o'clock the child was handed into the arms of her father, frightened, singed, and smoke-grimed, but little the worse for her adventure. THE INJURED. Crabtree suKtained a fracture of the right ley, superficial burns on tho face, hands, and head, nnd shock. Half of his moustache and hair was winged off. Mii>. Sneddon wax somewhat badly hurt, and had an ugly cut on the back of her head. The liltle girl, Mabel Sneddon, suffered shock and minor injuries. The wreckage of the shops occupied by Cinblree and Sneddon was complete. BurkiU'c shop bore a battered nppea»jvnee on the outside, and within the doors, ceilings, nnd beams had fallen in, and not a pane of glims in the place was unbroken. The premU-H occupied by Jacob Lew were only half standing. Tho whole of the southern walls had fallen into general ruin. How such demolition occurred without gicat loss of life wan hard to understand. The room in which Lew's two daughters »lppt was in the upper story. Its walls and half of its floor fell bodily away, and the bed, with 4 he two children upon it, dropped through to the ground floor. Neither of tho children was hurt. ' WHOLESALE DAMAGE. In addition to the wrecked premises, those numbering from 55 to 107 on the west side of Brunswick-street were nil more or less damaged, while on the east side tho.se numbered from 54 to 98 were affected, nearly the whole of the windows being shattered by the force of the explosion. In all, forty-seven adjacent buildings were slightly damaged. The buildings destroyed, with the exception of the dye works, are of brick, ncrly constructed, and two stories high. An elderly woman named Mrs. Annie Collins, of Mitchelltown, and a small \hild, were knocked down by a tiam car in Manners-street this afternoon. Fortunately both escaped serious injury, and after being attended U, by Nnrse Everett, at Mr. Brittain's chemist's shop, they were senv home. Mr. H. D. Bell, K.I 1 ., who has been indisposed for the past few days, is a little better to-day. Mr. L. Hunloii, a .settler of Whangarei, was an pye- witness of the gieat landslide which" otxuned on the hillside above the village of Waihi la>>t week. He wns with a fishing party, and while at thu camp about 11.30 a.m. hio attention was attracted by a thundeioiih uoi?c, of an appalling and indescribable nature. Looking in the direction whence came the noise, he «aw a huge cra«k in the hillside, .md an area of bush sinking down and down and disappearing into v basin shot over an intervening ridgr, nnd niched down the valley. It win an extraordinary eight — a huge pile of rock and coil and timber descending the hilUide in v compact body, and causing devastation over eveiy yard covered. On coming out ot the narrow valley the ulide spread. out to the width of* a quarter of a mile, ruxlung over many acre* of land which the Maoris of the village had undes cultivation. Crops were devastated, and cattle buried alive. Only nninhnbited wharen were der-troyed, the slide stopping jihort within a few yards of ttiuuiltd building*. Narrow escape* were numerous, not only by the onrushing debris, but nlso when the huge \va\e wax caused by the material tumbling into Lake Taupo. The theory advanced by the cause of the slide in thut the outlet of tho springs at the back of the buoli were blocked up, and the w*tcr forced underground to the papa ro(k foundation, thus bringing on the elide.