NARROW ESCAPE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 21 July 1923, Page 6

NARROW ESCAPE.

BAKEHOUSE LOFT .COLLAPSES. SEVEN TONS OF FLOUR PRECIPITATED BELOW. When Mr. Lehrke, an employee in Mr. R. Lewis' bakehouse at the rear of the shop in Bridge Street, Mtham, opened the premises on Thursday morning, he narrowly escaped being crushed to death by seven tons of flour, which crashed from the loft through the floor overhead. As is usual, Mr. Lehrke was preparing to set the dough mixer in operation when, the side beams of the frail structure abovej on which the flour had been stored the day previously, gave way, forcing him against the wall, and then the whole loft floor collapsed, precipitating the seven tons below. Portions of the flooring were smashed like matchwood by the enormous weight, while the legs of benches which were struck were also driven through into the ground. ; By a miracle, Mr. Lehrke escaped any injury, perhaps death, which cer- • tainly must have befallen him had he been working on the other side of tfhe ■'< bakehouse. j The. accident caused much havoc, and i some time elapsed in clearing away th«v' wreckage before €ie day's operations could be commenced. It is stated that' the structure, was frail and faulty, the supporting beams being only nailed to' a board attached to the wall, and the ■ proprietor believes that the vibration - of opening and shutting the bakehouse ' door was the direct cause of the mis- j hap.—Argus. ...... j