BLASTING TRAGEDY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 29 September 1927, Page 5

BLASTING TRAGEDY

INQUEST ON VICTIMS

NO DEFINITE CAUSE OF EXPLOSION.

TESTS BEING CARRIED OUT.

(Per Press Association).

Nelson, Sept. 29. The inquest on the victims of the Hope Junction blasting fatality, E. F. Rotheram and Denis Phillips, was opened at Hope Junction yesterday afternoon before Mr. Hugh Fraser, J.P., of Murchison. After evidence had been taken which threw no definite light on the cause of the explosion, the inquest was adjourned pending the result of tests being carried out by the Public Works Department of a sample of the explosive being used at the time of the accident

Mr. L’. May, resident engineer of the Public Works Department, and Mr. Wallace, secretary of the New Zealand Labourers’ Union, who happened to be in the district, were present.

E. Russ, foreman on relief works, stated that the deceased, together with Gillespie, were engaged in load ing a hole with gelignite about 2 p.m. on the 27th instant, preparatory to firing. Witness was standing about eight feet away. At the time of the explosion Gillespie was handing the explosive from a warming can to Phillips, who was placing the plugs in the hole. Rotheram was engaged' in squeezing the plugs home with a wooden tamping rod, following the lisual method.

Rotheram was an experienced man and had carried out work on the Marlborough electric power construction works at Waihopai. He (Russ) examined the first plug he saw going out of the warming can and found it was frozen. This plug was put to one side. He examined the remaining plugs required to complete the charge and found them to bo fit for use. He saw practically the actual completion of the loading. During the earlier part of the operation he had cautioned Phillips about tamping the explosive so hard and the deceased eased up in consequence. A priming cartridge with detonator had not been placed in the charge at the time, of explosion. The inquest then adjourned sine die.

The remains of Rotherham arc to be taken to Wellington for burial. Phillips, who died about ten minutes after the accident, was buried at Murchison this afternoon.