EXPLOSION OF GELIGNITE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 July 1935, Page 7

EXPLOSION OF GELIGNITE.

BUNGALOW COMPLETELY WRECKED. CONDITION OF FOUR OF THE OCCUPANTS SERIOUS. . Further particulars in connection with the explosion of gelignite which wrecked the home of Mr Frank Cowdrey, situated on the Halcombe-Stan-way road, Feilding, at about 7.30 o'clock yesterday morning, when the seven occupants, three adults and four little children were injured, show that the sudden expansion of a number of sticks of gelignite placed in the oven by Mr Cow'drey produced the detonation which resulted in the explosion and in a flash the interior of the dwelling was a complete wreck. In the midst of the calamitous destruction Edwin Robinson, injured and slowly recovering from the stunned conditio') suffered from the blast of fury from the oven, proceeded to rescue the children and Mr and Mrs Cowdrey, who were sorely injured and more or less buried under the debris. Here and thore the ruins were commencing to take fire, and with thoughts of a still greater disaster pressing upon him, he worked frantically to subdue the incipient fires as well as to get those more injured than himself out into the open. Very fortunately Mr A. Duncan, whose home is opposite that of Mr Cowdrey, standing on the other side of the "road and on higher country, heard the explosion and immediately went out to look down over Mr Cowdrey's property. The sight of tin,' shattered homestead urged him to the scene and he quickly arrived on the spot to assist in the rescue work, and once this was accomplished, and tho ruins apparently sccuro from fire, he departed to the home of Mr T. R. Vile, a mile or so away, to telephone for doctors and the ambulance. Meanwhile Mr Rasmussen came on tho scene and he assisted in making the injured as comfortable as possible. Other settlers, alarmed by the noise of the explosion, quickly gathered to the scene, and everything possible was done to alleviate the sufferings of the injured until the arrival of Dr. ■ G. Phillips, of Feilding, who immediaely took charge. Speeding on to the sc-sne from Pal'merston North were two ambulances, and with their arrival came Sergeant An gland and Constable Gillard, of Feilding, who found the patients all as comfortable as the circumstances permitted, bandaged and awaiting removal to the hospital'. Entrance to the property presented difficulties as a rather narrow and steep roadway down the side of a hill and across a small bridge required to be negotiated bafore reaching the homestead. However, with many voluntary helpers available, the injured were carefully placed in the ambulances and dispatched to the hospital. The story of ths occurrence, gathered on the scene by a' "Times" representative yesterday, required very little telling, for the shattered dwelling and the debris of roof iron, windovf sashes, doors and splintered timber lying about, the ground, spoke eloquently of the terrific force of the explosion. Ev'3iy window and every door, including sashes and frames, were blown clean away from the walls, while the roof, immediately above the kitchen was blown off and the wall of the building which enclosed the kitchen was also blown out. Truly ths occupants had a miraculous escape from death. "There was a terrible blast; my chair went from under me and the floor gave way, too," said Edwin Robinson in describing what happened to the police. "I was hit on ths forehead and fell under the debris. I must have been temporarily stunned, but the next thing I thought of Avas escape. I ran outside and immediately remembered the others. I returned

at once and commenced to get Mr Cowdrey out. Mrs Cowdrey, although injured, was able to walk, and I then started to get the children out from among the debris. 1 thought at first that they were under the table, and that it. was only the table that had collapsed. As i wovked I realised what had happened." The scene in what had been the little kitchenette where all the occupants had gathered for breakfast just before the explosion, was one of the utmost chaos. Mr Robinson said that ho had assisted in milking the cows, and on coming in for breakfast at about 7.30 o'clock, he noticed Mr Cowdrey placing some sticks of gelignite in the oven, and remarked that it might prove dangerous. Mr Cowdrey replied that it was all right and Mr Robinson said: "Yes; all right* if they are not left there too long.'' With this assurance Mr Robinson and tha family sat down for breakfast, and no further thought was given the gelignite which reposed in tho oven. It had been stored outside and had probably become frozen from tho cold night air. Mr Cowdrey, who was doing some stumping on a nearby paJdock, had secured additional supplies of the explosive the day previously, and with the knowledge that gelignite does its work more effectively if warmed, had followed a practise common to those who have cause to use this particular form of explosive. Back-block bushmen and those engaged on stumping work make liberal use of gelignite, and the practise is followed to warm up ths explosive before using it. It is fired by detonation, and heat rarely affects it, but those who have a knowledge of gelignite hold the view that the sudden expansion caused by tho application of undue heat will produce a detonation to explode it. "We then sat down for breakfast," said Mr Robinson. "Mr Cowdrey sat at the end of tluj table directly opposite tho oven. He must have got the full blast of the explosion." The rest of the story, gathered up from what coul'd be learned of the occurrence and from the condition of the unfortunate injured, makes it difficult to understand how thsy escaped alive. Mrs Cowdrey had nearly every stitch of clothing blown from her and her injuries were added to when what remained of her clothing caught fire. She was able to put ths fire out and struggled through the debris outside. Her husband was shot from his chair across the floor among the falling timbers, while the oven, or some substantial part of it, was hurled through the partition which divided tho kitchenette from a front bedroom, to the bedrom wall, which caught alight. With the timbers falling from overhead the children, suddenly blasted from their seats and away from the food that was before them, were soon entangled amid the ruins, all injured and at least two seriously so. Mr Robinson was the furthest away from the seat of tho explosion, and he passed through the splintered fragments of what was the passage wall. The range was blown to fragments, tha chimney completely demolished, and the side wail of the house blown out to remain attached at the front end to the front of the shattered building. The bathroom, which was immediately at tha back of the kitchen wall,'was also wrecked, the porcelain bath being broken to fragments. No wreckage was ever more I complete. Every stick of furniture in [ ths home was smashed as well as | crockery and ail else that came in the , way of the mighty force liberated | with such devastating suddenness front the small oven. The strong timbers of this well-built and comparatively new home offered'no resistance whatever to the furious blast. The explosion shattered the stove the flying fragments of which re sembled shrapnel. Lumps of iron caused the bulk of the injuriss to the unfortunate household. With interest among those present concentrated upon the weifare of the injured, the ruined building was mo-

Lmentarily forgotten. The incipient fires which had started when the explosion occurred had been thought to be well out, but it was not long before a mattress burst into flames, and Messrs E. Cowdrey, a brother of the unfortunate victim, and Mr 11. Dudding quickly got busy to subdue thu outbreak. A thorough search ofi the building was made to put down all possible chance of further fire. The ruins of what was the kitchen and front bedroom were spattered with blood from the injured. The timbers from which they were rescued told their silent tale of serious cuts, and there was a trail over the debris through to the back of the dwelling where escape was effected. Mr Cowdrey has had considerable misfortune. Just on six years ago and almost to the day of the explosion, the original home was burned down and Mr Cowdrey was severely injured. He was alone in the house and was found unconscious outside a window suffering from burns and other injuries. A month or so ago his eldest boy, Maurice, suffered a fractured arm and had only recently recovered, and it is this little chap who suffered severely when the explosion wrecked the new home.

The whole district was greatly distressed when news of the occurrence commenced to travel afar, and throughout yesterday the scone was visited by many people. Two ambulances were available for j use by the Palmorston North Free Ambulance in bringing the patients to the hospital, the s2cond vehicle having been acquired from the Hawke's Bay Free Ambulance from Napier. The machine arrived at its new station at 1. 30 a.m. yesterday, and it was used

for the first time at this centre yesterday morning. Serious Injuries The hospital authorities reported last night as follows on the injuries suffered by the family: — Frank Cowdrey: Fractured right arm, deep abrasions on right leg, fractured skull, scalp wounds, burns on face, and shock. Condition very serious. Mrs Cowdrey: Burns on face, arms, and right leg, and shock. Condition serious. Maurice Cowdrey: Burns, severa wound on right elbow, abrasions, and shock. Condition serious. Nita Cowdrey: Burns on abdomen, injuries to right knee, various abrasions, and shock. Condition serious. Beverley Cowdrey: Small burns on back and right shoulder, and shockCondition fair. Raymond Davies: Small abrasions, and shock. Condition fair. E. A. Robinson: Wounds on forehead, wrist and leg. Condition fair.