A REMARKABLE SCENE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXII, Issue 7412, 1 December 1884, Page 5

A REMARKABLE SCENE.

TWENTY TONS OP EXPLOSIVES ABLAZE. The Bombay Arsenal was, on Sept. 33, the scene of an alarming explosion, the accidental destruction of a largo quantify of combustibles not only involving in risk an immense store of other miscellaneous military material, but endangering the powder mogaaiue in its vicinity. A series of rapid reports from the direction of the arsenal, followed by the appearance of a column of thick black smoke and the startling flight of a nwmlwr of strange missiles in the air, together with the speeding of the fire-engine* through the streets towards the spot, afforded foundation for the most extravagant rumours, for which there was fortunately no foundation beyond the fact that an explosion had occurred. But how narrowly a great disaster had been escaped, and an immense destruction of property, if not a portion of the City, avoided, became at once apparent from an investigation of the circumstances and the most cursory examination of the surroundings. Briefly slut.*!. uo less than SO tons of combustibles were exploited within the precincts of tho arsenal, with its departments crowded with operatives and full of ous compounds, yet a oss of Wo was not only miraculously avoided. , “ lt u u beyond the slightest damage has to be recorded. The unforeseen destruction olsuoh a collection of e*rfo« v cw.jmd without injury to person or to property nwultuig, is probably without precedent. Uamwars that oixlers having boon given for the removal of SO tons id unserviceable stores, arrangements were made foe their disposal In the customary way. It was whilst lotiding a lighter at the Arsenal-bunder, with th* intention of taking the stores as far as the outer lightship, and there throwing them overboard, that the explosion occurred. Koughly speaking, the selection consisted of 10 tons of fuse# and a similar quantify of what are technically known os loaded carcases, used for blowing up buildings, but it is-

du<M rocket* am! rocket fut«, eases of allot, rocket *tuofe«- and fire hailj), I‘r«|wir»t«rj to the loading «f the th. •►.. had ali.been piled together on the edge of U)(> liur.tler, and the v*- ;. 1 had already received a portion of it« <»rgo Wf,,!n the sudden ignition of one f the parols rendered unnecessary any further exertion on the part of the arsenal employee# towards carrying out their instruoA n tun tier of tnoogunnies, or WBr,! ? f ug*ged in the work ->f ' f,r > f l''!oaed munitions on to she lighter under the direction of Sergeant Mwaol# of the Ordnance Department. * > " rk , '"••gin* each morning at the wrikeal at Kalf.p»«t H. and was ptPccefling busily in the departments surrounding the bunder when there (-##? a Sharp waek and a flash of light, like the n »l*e of the dto-.hargn of a fuse, or «owothiag of a suntlar character. An extern:re r I U ! sf, \ occupied m the packing depart went, run* parallel to the ridTof the bonder, and the fleers on hiking hurriedly through the Windows vitnnmed a Mfpfbuag sight. In or<ler to facilitate the sinking of , he (nto'dlaneon* combnatiblea. they bod lawfii placed in gunny bags, and filled about SO. Sergeant Edward# was sees making a dentate effort, v, drag towards the bander, and throw in?,-; the water one of those l«gs whiitt the content* were blazing furiously. y\miing bis strength unequal * 0 the gallant task he had nmlertak-s. Edwards looked round for anr.sUn v, > rt his coolie* had decamped on the first sign of danger, and not one was at hand. sew*, of the ignited fuse* flew into the barge at the side of the bunder, and at once set its contents on fire. AH the men on l>oard jumped into the water without more ado, and swam for their lives. Sergeant Edwards heroically stood his ground for a time, bat was obliged to withdraw after a second explosion; and within a few moments explosives were bursting in every direction, and spreading the alarm far and wide. From the Fort Police Coart, Mr Superintendent M'Dercoott was able to see evidences of an outbreak of fire, and Inspector Boor or, the engineer in charge happening to be with him at the time, not a moment’s delay occurred in the despatch of the fire-engine 5 and on arrival at the arsenal, it was found that the steamer from the dockyard bad already reached the spot, although five minutes had not elapsed. The engines had to he taken to the other side of the arsenal, but the fire was already *0 fierce, and the explosions so rapid that they could not pure round by the roadway at the end of the packing department, the door* of which accordingly had to be thrown open for their passage on to the bonder. There was found a good supply of water, and the two engines threw four strong jets upon the burning masses on the wharf and in the lighter. No little courage was required to face the irregular bombardment that woe ! furiously proceeding at such near quarters, 1 the engines having to take up a position within 20 yards of it, and in a space so 1 confined that there was no room to admit the engines from Bjculla and Fydownee. In front of them the pile of munitions was sending up long signal rockets with heavy iron casings, there was a continuous crack--1 ing of fuses, the loud reports of the powerfully charged carcases were succeeded by a forcible scattering of fragments, the vessel was in flames, and os the bander the fire and smoke balls threw up thick volumes of black vapour which well nigh obscured everything in the vicinity. Now and ; again, as an explosion took place, the 1 smoke shot up high in the air, and the ' smell of the “ burnt powder” was spread for a considerable distance. Some idea of - the density of the atmosphere may be imagined from the fact that many of the balls were expressly prepared for the par- : pose of emitting smoke sufficiently thick to ‘ screen outpost operations from an enemy ‘ in time of warfare, and that they were ‘ composed of such substances as resin, ‘ tallow, pitch, and sulphur. It was difficult ’ even to breathe the suffocating fumes 1 spread on every side, and afterwards, the 1 watches and chains of those who had come 1 within its area were found blackened by 1 contact with the sulphurous exhalations, 1 although the metal had never left the pocket, and had therefore not been fully exposed to the air. Even gold and silver shirt studs and sleeve links were mode as black as ink. Although no shells are reported to have been among the combustibles fired, persons on the spot apeak to having witnessed at least one live-shell whim across the basin, and the prospect of there being others in the heap intensified the exci:ouiont prevailing. A large crane on the edge of the bunder, midway between the fibre and the engines, afforded some security, and this was eagerly taken advantage of for the purpose of directing the hose from the latter. A plucky attempt was successfully made to remove tt.e lighter, and the engines then con vatrated their efforts'upon the land. Tne great danger to be feared was tliafc the flames might fire a shed a few yards off. This was filled with inflammatory material, a number of wooden cases Wing close to the explosives; it wm known a quantity of oil was stored beyond; and in dangerous proximity to the further end of the range of low buildings thus occupied stood the great powder magazine. Wood is the principal material used in tee construction of the departments situated ! near the bunder, and had the shed referred ! to once become ignited, nothing could have 1 prevented a widespread conflagration, even I if it had Wen possible to protect the contents id the massively-built magazine. Some of the straw in the store-shed actually caught fires but the arsenal employees, who ranged themselves on the little embankment above the greater fire, dee.lt effectively with this outbreak by throwing the whole into the sea. Not until a quarter to eleven was all dinger averted, and the explosives having then Iwcome exhausted, the engines ceased working, hating b vn in operation forty-four minutes. The bunder was then cleared of the live combustibles remaining, those Unng cast into the water. Three naval guns, standing > n the edge of the basin, awaiting shipment to England and elsewhere, lent resemblance to the idea that a brisk cannonade had been in progress. A cloud of smoke still hung about the arsenal at 11 o'clock, and the choky fumes of burnt sulphur prevailed. AreemUbunder bore abundant traces of the fierce conflict just concluded. All over the surface of the water in the basin was a pitchy black scum, in which floated innumerable small fragments of the wreckage, mid here a ml thoiv scraps of tin that huJ formed part of the ammunition cases. On the wharf coolies wore yet occupied in clearing the ground of the ashy deposit left where* the pile of explosives had stood an hour earlier. The glass top of a lamp post near at hand had been completely shattered by tho storm of living scraps, not an inch remaining whole, ami the bunder itself was as thickly strewn with shot, the size of grape, as if it hod been the field of some hard-fought battle. Hundreds of exploded percussion fuses scattered for some distance were also significant of the manner in which the wooden building* of the arsenal had been imperilled. To trace the course taken by the rockets one had til go far afield. They seem to have been most erratic in tlu>ir movements, notwithstanding their weight, for they were classed a* nine-pounders.