GREYMOUTH EXPLOSION

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1941, Page 6

GREYMOUTH EXPLOSION

NO DAMAGE CAUSED. A violent explosion, heard by residents over a wide' area, occurred in Johnston Street, Greymouth, a few minutes after 11 o’clock last night. War tension caused many instantly to think of enemy action, but actually the explosion did no harm and appeared to be the result of a foolish prank. The charge was placed in a heap of gravel in Johnston Street, almost between .the Municipal Band Hall and the Police Station, and was fired with a six-foot length of fuse; which was later taken possession of by the police. No direct evidence has '"been obtained of the strength of the charge, but it is considered by those experienced in blasting that two or more plugs of gelignite or similar explosive would be required to produce such a loud explosion. A small portion of the heap of gravel was blown away, and the stones were scattered on roofs in Boundary Street and west of Johnston Streeet. Apparently no effort had been made to pack the explosive into the gravel, only a loud explosion being sought. The person or persons responsible for the explosion do not appear to have had any objective, other than to fire off the explosive, and it is considered that there may be some connection between the occurrence and the paragraph in the “Star” last week, warning parents to be on the look-out for detonators, as it was known that a considerable quantity had fallen into the hands of children at Greymouth, as the result of a par-tially-filled box being found on the Karoro Aerodrome. Over the past 15 years, Greymouth has had a series of such explosions, but on previous occasions there has been evidence that the perpetrators were bent on the intimidation of law enforcement officers. This time, however, there is no such indication arid the explosion appears more in the light of a dangerous practical joke. The control of explosives has been tightened up since the outbreak of war, but gelignite is stil left where it can fall into the hands of children or others bent bn practical jokes. As far as has been ascertained, there were two eye-witnesses of the explosion, Messrs F. Saunders and A. Carson, who were sitting in a motorcar near Mr Saunders’ residence, in Boundary Street. Mr Saunders stated, to-day, that he had been sitting in the cai’ for about a quarter of an hour when he heard a loud report, and looking towards Johnston Street, he saw a shower of gravel rising high into the air. Stones then fell on the roofs right along Boundary Street. At no time did he see anyone at or near the gravel heap.