TOWN IN DANGER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 7 April 1908, Page 7

TOWN IN DANGER.

GAS ESCAPES IN MANY HOUSES AT MIDNIGHT.

SUPPLY TAMPERED WITH.

MANY LIVES ENDANGERED BY

MIDNIGHT MISHAP.

The people of Bedford are conceraie3 at a strange affair which occurred in the town- at an early hour on Saturday morning (says the London Daily Mail, of February 22). The valve of the huge main which supplies the town with gas from, the gasworks was cut off, w'th results that might very easily have been serious. The chief •engineer, informed of what had' happened, promptly turned the gas on again, with the result that many bedrooms where he light is usually kept burning at night were filled with gas, and from scores of street lamps gas poured out. Many people had (narrow escapes from suffocation. 'I at once opened the valve again' for this reason," said the engineer. "We supply light to the signal-boxes on the Midland Railway at Bedford, and! I was afraid that some terrible accident might occur if they had no gos.' There are between 4,000 and: 5,000 consumers supplied By the gas company at Bedford, and at a moderate estimate the great escape of gas moist have placed in danger some hundreds, though, no fatalities are reported. In addition, there was the udsk of a general explosion.

The stories told by householders show how real was the danger. The chairman of the gas company, the Rev. Paul Wyatt was one of the chief sufferers. He awoke to find that the room was filled with gas, and' that he could hardly breathe. He managed, however, to reach the w/ndow am<a throw it open. His housekeeper said : "It was the same in all the bedrooms. We always keep the gas turned on at night. I was aroused by another girl, who was sleeping in my room. She was choking and coughing, but managed to say, 'The gas is awful.' I could hardly breathe. We seemed to be gradually suffo-o-rtmg. I crept, along the wall lo the window, which I was able to open. Them I nearly fainted."

Many tradesmen who ke&p lights in their shops at night were aroused by £Ec police nit their private houses, and had to walk to their shops and turn off the escaping gas.

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