FACTORY EXPLOSION

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 July 1936, Page 5

FACTORY EXPLOSION

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST

[per PRESS ASSOCIATION.I

AUCKLAND, July 21

The inquest was resumed into the death of Patricia Marion Clifford, aged IS. who lost her life in an explosion which occurred on June 4 at the Colonial Ammunition Company’s factory at Mount Eden. Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M., presided. Sub-Inspector Scott represented the police and Mr. F. West represented the company. The Government analyst, Kenneth Massey Griffin, said there was nothing unusual in the cartridge caps used at the factory, which ■were of modern type.

Dr.’ Walter Gilmour, pathologist, said that when he examined the body he found numerous percussion caps embedded in it. The body bad received Ihe full force of the explosion and the evidence he found showed that it had been centred on her bench. Alberi Elliott, a mechanic at the factory, said his duly was to see that, the machines in that part, of the factory were in order. He had been in the habit, he said, of cleaning the anvil machines each morning. He described the process. The anvil pointer machine was not now in the same position as when the explosion occurred. The witness, who was one of those injured in the explosion, said the machine was of Belgian make. It was installed last February. At the start he and Albert James Marshall had watched the machine. Cap explosions were at first fairly frequent and they had examined the machine for the cause. They had found that it lay in an accumulation of dust from a revolving dial. They had corrected this, and there had been no further trouble. Later the machine was worked by the forewoman. -Miss Covency. for three months. Another operator. Miss Houghton, had operated it. and she was followed by Miss Clifford.

Elsie Rena Houghton said she thought Miss Clifford could have experienced little difficulty in learning how to operate the machine, for it was a simple process. The witness said she suffered slightly from shock and minor cuts as a result of the explosion.

Jessie Elizabeth Coveney. forewoman at the factory, said individual caps occasionally went. oil', but they had never ignited other caps. Miss Clifford had been a very careful and efficient operator. For two months before the accident the machine had gone exceptionally well. There had been few explosions of caps. A mechanic might have been called in twice perhaps in that period. At the side of the be“<'h where Miss Clifford worked were placed two wooden trays. One held percussion caps and the other anvils. It was customary to have 500 b percussion caps in the tray at one time. That morning the witness had instructed David Bojce, a factory hand, to bring in 30,000 percussion caps. 'This he had done, and they bad been placed near the machine. 'There had been about 28,000 finished ones there irom the previous dav. 'The witness had had about half of those taken away. Up to the time of the explosion Miss Clilford had turned out about 22,000 caps. The maximum that would be there at the time, finished and unfinished, would be about 45.000 caps. A director of the company. William Chisholm Whitney, said that as a result of tests since the explosion it was ascertained that the percussion caps did not comply with British requirements, and they had not been used by the firm since. The assembly of percussion caps had never been considered in the trade to he a dangerous operation, although the usual precautions were taken. After the explosion. the manufacturers of the caps were communicated with; but thev regarded them as safe. From what Mr. R. M. Girling-Butcher, Inspector of Explosives, had told him. he understood they were dangerous although the makers still said they wore not dangerous. 'The company’s engineer and technicial superintendent, Albert. James Marshall, said that since the explosion tests carried out showed that the type of percussion cap used would ignite readily, and was dangerous. Other caps did not explode in bulk; but tests showed that these would. The mechanism of the machine was in perfect order alter the explosion. 'The hearing was adjourned.