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Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 11 April 1925, Page 5

HAND BLOWN OFF

MAN’S TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE

WITH PLUG OF DYNAMITE:

ACCIDENT NEAR AUROA,

As the result of the unexpected di-s----obaige of a plug of explosive which he ivas hanahng- George Dane, a married' man of about 4b years or age eiiipm ,-ell by the Public \v orks. .-Deoartiueat on tllio i‘e : Roti Gp onako railway construction works, yesterday afternoon received fearful injuries encai!irue the total leas c»f has left hand, and, it is feared, the right- of. one eye is affected. . , • . 'Hie vvoeno of the ’accident was a I>oilit on the banks of the O-eo stream between the Oeo and Mo pera u;oeds midway between Auroa arul Te Kin. Dame, who lives with his wife and three young children on the Oen .Road, .ret out shortly before mid-day' on a •woss country ramble accompanied by his son Douglas, about 11 years of a,<re: Thev were joined sho’tiy after bv Fred and Mervyn Kilpatrick, aged 13 and 9 respectively. At about 1 p.m. they were proceeding up the banks of tlie Oeo' stream and had reached the vicinity indicated when I>ane drew a* ipluig of. explosive front his pocket, presumably to examine it. What he did to the charge exactly is uncertain, but apparently the sensitive detonator' : which he was' also fingering received a shock and ignited the” charge, for, a deafening explosion took place, and the boys saw that lie was partially fit mimed, with liis left hand terribly mutilated. Tlie bo-ys ran. for help' to the house of Mr. H. Chubb, about a mile and a. half distant, and informed the household. Mr. Chubb, with his three sons and Mr. L. Burrows,, hastened to the scene arid found Dane lying by, the side of a fence about, a hundred yards from the spot where the accident had occurred. Though suffering greatly from shock and loss of blood ho was quite, conscious. ami Mr, Chubb bandaged him as well as possible, and while two or the rescue party returned for a stretcher the others commenced carrying him to the house. Progress was at first difficult owing to the roughness of the country and the fnecessity for negotiating several small streams, but when the stretcher arrived the journey was completed more rapidly• At the house Mr. L. Thomnine,.' a neighbour, for whom the Kilpatnck boys had gone, was waiting hvitli his car, and he conveyed tlie’injured man t-o Kaponga, where at about 2.30 p.m. he received attention' from Dr. M. M. Hockim, who ordered his removal to the Hiawera. Hospital. Driven by Mr. A. A. Guy, of Kaponga, .he reached the hospital at about 4.30 p.m. . Shortly after admission he was operated on arid the remainder of the injured hand was amputated. • On inquiry being made this morning. Dane was reported to be making satisfactory progress, though. stall, -suffering from .shock. T'lie' full extent of any further injuries was not definitely known, blit it.'was feared that ■ the' .sight of one eye had been impaired. . dd v The care i.s remarkable for the extra- > ordinary fortitude displayed by tlie in- * iured man who, despite what must i have been evcrucia.t-irig -agony, mam- > tai ned eonsci ouisness -during - tlie cross- ; country journey. and throughout the ! whole of the trving ordeal until niedi- ! c-a.l aid/brought relief. ; Among his : fe’low emolovefw -and other res i dent j 1 of the district he i,s known , as. >n industrious arid uriflisriumiriig member oi ' the com.muni.tv. and -sincere symn-athx ‘ will be extended to himself and his > family.