Serious Explosion.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 579, 7 March 1891, Page 2

Serious Explosion.

SEVE.IAL MEN BADLY INJURED.

[special to thb btandabd.j Wellington, last night.

At the Torpado depot, Wellington, first* olaßs Torpedo men Ross and Jensen, sea mdclasa Torpedo men Carswell and Boldie, and third-class Torp-do man McCallum, were in the smithy fil’ing canisters with gun cotton, when an explosion took place. Each tin holds about four and a half pounds, and a large number had been filled daring the morning. The usual practice is to put cold ashes on top of each canister to facilitate the soldering process, and it is supposed that by some mistake hot ashes got mixed with those in use, and so set fire to the explosives. One of the canisters exploded, and three others were detonated. Jensen, Carswell, and Robb * ere seriously injured, their clothes being almost consumed, and their features aoaroely distinguishable. It is feared that Robs’ chances of recovery are gery slender, for besideq external injuries, the shock to his system was very severe. His depositions have been taken.

Ros< is a married man, his wife residing in the city. The other man are eingle. i Roh Is horribly di>-fi<ured. His *hole I body is more les* Rcorehed j skin is ! burnt off his face, arms and legs | he has cuts on both hie face, arm*, and lege, and hip.*, and a terrible wodhd in his abdomen. The other men ara very badly hurt by being driven bv the f >ros of ths ooncueslon against the machinery in ths building. Am to the eaupe of the Occident <here ata two theories—that the ashes which had been u*ed to fill up the tine contained live embers | the other is that the heat of soldering ths iron ignited thfl cotton. _ It may be mentioned that the work of filling these tins was carried on witbin seven feet of the smithy fire. . > The other four men, though seriously injured, are not nearly in such bad case as the unfortunate man Mobs. Captain Falconer, torpedo instructor, hid onlv left the shed a minute or ip before tb| explorion took place. An enquiry will be held.