TERRIBLE QUARRY ACCIDENT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7608, 3 December 1886, Page 3

TERRIBLE QUARRY ACCIDENT.

A serious disastpr, involving the loss of the lives of several well-known citizens, ■ occurred on Sept. 25, at the Crarao Quar-

! lie.?, Lochfynside. A Wasting operatio; on an uri usually large scale was annonncei to take place at the quarries, when a larg area of- solid rock was to be displaced ]>re paratory to being trimmed for j)avin| purposes. Over 1000 passengers travellei by the si earner Lord of the Isles to wit ness the operation. Tho company in eluded several members of thoGlasgov Town Council and other prominent citi zens of Glasgow, Paisley, Greenock, anc the neighboring towns. About half-pas one o'clock the steamer arrived oppositi Crarao, and at a preconcerted signal fifty thousand tons ofgianitewereloosenedfron the mountain side by the Wast of gun powder. Some hundreds of passenger: alighted after tho explosion, and proceedoc to enter the quarry to view the effects. A man who was stationed at the entrance t< the quarry refused to allow the exenr sionists to pass, informing them that r was still dangerous to enter owing to th( sulphurous smoke which had not yel cleared off. This warning appears not tt have been understood, for the crowc crushed past. The first of the visitors pro ceeded to the extreme end of the qnarrj without experiencing any ill effects, bul the second body, numbering about 150, who were sbiiie 30 yards behind the leaders, were suddenly seized with o strange sensation, and those who were in advance and others coming after were astonished to see several ol them fall to the ground apparently in convulsions. Some fell on their backs, others on their faces, kicking and throwing their arms about in helpless contortions. Some of the third party were then affected by the choke damp, but none of them lost consciousness. Several of those behind ran to the assistance of their falling companions, and were themselves disabled by tho bad atmosphere. Some medical gentlemen, who were amoiiL' the excursionists, were assiduous in their attention to the sufferers. The scene was a terrible one. Men were staggering about as if intoxicated, boys lay in convulsions, and women— just returned to consciousness— screamed aloud. Six of the men affected died in a few minutes. Medical men state that after the explosion a clontl of henvy gas had ascended, and, as there was no wind to blow it away, it fell to the earth, where the sufferers encountered it. The account of an eye witness is as follows: "While the steamer Lord of the Isles was proceeding up Loch Fyne, the passengers were all expectancy and speaking of the monster blast which was to take place at the Crarae Quarry. Before the vessel reached Crarae Pier she stopped, and her whistle was blown (o acquaint the man who was working the electric battery on shove that the passengers were now ready to witness the explosion of the seven tons of gunpowder in the quarry. Instantly the hillside seemed to crack and then open 'up, and there was a tremendous report, which echoed and re-echoed far into the Argyllshire hills. An immense quantity of granite rolled down to the water's edge, the quarry being near the beach. When the Lord of tho Isles steamed into Crarae Pier about 100 persons landed, and proceeded slowly to inspect the result of the explosion. The smoke from the exploded powder had not commenced to ooze out from tho cells, where it had been once stored. The visitors climbed up on the broken granite, and were expressing their astonishment at the wonderful effects of the explosion when suddenly a shout was raised by a quarryman near at 'hand warning visitors to keep away, as the sulphurous gases would poison them. Many persons, however, did not hear his warning, and before the word could be passed round a number of ladies and gentlemen were dropping down in all directions. In a short time I was able to look round about, and, to my horror, I observed ladies and gentlemen being helped to the beach, and learned that Councillor Duncan had died from the effects of tho poisonous gas, and that .five others were dead from tho same cause. There were forty at least overcome and rendered insensible. Those who were on the road outside the quarry did all in their power to lender assistance. In fact, some of the rescuers were so assiduous in their attempts that they themselves were rendered unconscious. The Itoys who were 'overcome appeared to be suffering more than the men, and did not recover for several hours. The sad occurrences were entirely due to tho efl'ect of the sulphrous gases emitted from the quarry. Those who were able to vomit recovered soonest."