THE LERWICK DISASTER

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 22 May 1915, Page 4

THE LERWICK DISASTER

A: GIIEAT EXPLoSSn.

FUKTHES DETAILS BY MAIL, V*

BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, May 21. Some weeks ago there appeared a cablegram from London stating that a great disaster had overtaken Lerwick, the. capital of the Shetland Islands. Lerwick is a small town vof a little over 4GOO inhabitants, or,\ with its suburbs, about 6000. The cablegram stated that the town had been .wrecked, several people killed, and a great fire had -occurred.

A full report has reached Welling^ tort now by mail, Sir Robert &tout having, received a full account of the* happenings. It appears that the Admiralty had a large store of explosivessituated^ near &c fish market that is in the; north end of the town. There >vas adjoining; tois Admiralty store a private-- store, containing nets and other apparatus. The fire started in. the net store, and extended to the Admiralty building with the result that the latter1 building, full of explosives, toofc firfe and blew the building into the air: t Some" people who were near were liillfedv The following were lulled: Jame& sfowat, a lad fifteen years of. age; James Watt, laborer; James- Wiseunany seaman, R.N.JK.; Arthur ELazielj, seaman, R.N.R.; and Robert Clark. The injured were: Lieut. Hopper, R.N.R.;* Petty-officer .Joseph Hughes, falter Brown,,' George Robertson^ George Mawa't, James Inkster, T.- F. Ellison,. Charles Turner, George Ross,. W. T. Aneis, John Kirky ClaTeneiß-akJl^ aad Mufe Ganson. Of those killed, only three- were Shetlanders, the other two beiag connected with the Navy. Several of the injured were als&?men belc-Mgiiijg to the Nayy, who had been in Lerwick on naval business.

The explos:oxt w'asa very heavy one, as .can be ascertained from .the fact that a piece of iron fell on to the roof" of a house 580 yards away. Tina town, except a few buildings between Harbor street' and the fist market, was not affected. There are a few buildings in the north of the port, where the Admiralty;; store was situated. It is stated that the disaster4 is the worst that has ever been known in the> town, and greats credit is due to theauthorities for the manner in which: they dealt with the situation before* and after the explosion, and for their prompt action, which no doubt prevented further casualties. The Provost of the' town is Mr Roiiert Stoutfirst cousin of Sir- Robert: Stoat.