MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 July 1937, Page 7

MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION

INJURES AUCKLAND LAWYER BOMB ON GARDEN PATH [PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, July 9. Wounded and bleeding from his head, a hand, and a leg, a well-known Auckland solicitor, Mr R. A. Singei, was found in a state of partial collapse after a violent explosion that occurred at his feet as he was walking along the garden path of his homo in. Grafton road, Auckland City, at 6.15 o’clock to-night. Mr Singer, who had alighted from a taxi at his gate a few seconds earlier, was assisted into his house, where he was attended by a doctor. He was ordered to bed at his home, and his condition late to-night was not considered serious. He received injuries to the head, a hand, and a leg when he was hurled sideways by the explosion, which occurred in a rockery at the right-hand side of the path. Mr Singer was dazed, but managed to stagger a few yards to the front porch of his home, He had' already lost considerable ‘blood when the door was opened. Assisted by a passer-by who had run -to the, house , after hearing the explosion, members of the household took Mr Singer inside and endeavoured to stop the bleeding of his wounds. Dr. Douglas Robb was summoned. The police were advised. General alarm was caused in the Neighbourhood by the explosion, which -was accompanied by a brilliant sheet of flame. A deep hole was torn in the earth of the rockery, and two windows in the porch of a house next door were smashed. The whole path, as well as the taxi -which Mr Singer had just left, were liberally coated with earth. One of the signs clipped to the side of the taxi was blown off, and shrubs and flowers in the rockery were uprooted. A bundle of books and papers which Mr Singer was carrying was burst open and the contents, some of them blown to shreds, were scattered about the garden. Jagged holes w’ere torn in the stout brown paper in which the documents were wrapped. The taxi, which was driven by Mr Selwyn Casey, formerly a well-known racing motor-cyclist, did not stop in Grafton road, buf on a ramp leading to several houses, including Mr Singer’s, which are on a much higher level than the street. The car was still at the gate when the explosion occurred, so rapidly did it follow Mr Singer’s entry to his property. “There was a deafening explosion and a blinding sheet of flame,” said Mr Casey. “For a moment or two I could not see Mr Singer, and I did not know what had happened. 1 then saw him staggering up the path toward the front door. The fumes of some explosive -were heavy in the air, and immediately after the blast occurred the windows in the porch of a house next door were broken. Showers of earth rained down for quite a time all over my car and even on the roof of Mi* Singer’s house and that of the house next door.”

Attracted by the roar of the explosion, which was heard as far away as Prince’s Street, a crowd gathered rapidly. There was much speculation about the cause of the explosion, which occurred where a shadow falls across the path. Detective Moore and two constables answered the call, and were quickly on the scene in a police car. An investigation was began, including a preliminary search of the rockery, the .garden path, and -the lawn, for fragments of a bomb or other device that could have caused the explosion. Small pieces of tin or some other metal were found, some by Mr Casey and others by the police, -who were later reinforced by Detective-Sergeant McHugh.' A more complete search will be made in the morning. A detective and a constable will remain on guard at the house until the morning.