FATAL BURNS
OLD FILM EXPLODES. WELLINGTON TRAGEDY. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 19. Trapped in a Thorndon building filled with the intensely hot flames of burning eulluoid following tlie explosion of a cinematograph film, Gurther Herfoot, a German, suffered burns on Saturday afternoon which caused his death in hospital at 6 a.in. this morning. The explosion happened in the garage and store of J. J. Curtis and Co., Ltd., in Harriett Street where Herfoot and an assistant, Frank Jocelyn, were packing old cinematograph film for export, it is understood, to Germany, where chemicals are extracted. The film was being packed in zinc lined cases about sft by 2ft Gin and the work was being done in a stable with a largo opening m which stood a motor-lorry. The explosion occurred when Jocelyn was soldering up a seam in the zinc lining of the case. ITe was blown out of the door without being injured seriously. The building became filled with the flames of the blazing film. Herfoot was less fortunate. He was on the roof of a concrete dangerous goods store further inside the building getting down more cases in which to pack the film, and he had to climb down and make his way past the lorry to get out- of the building. With his clothes on fire from head to foot, he ran out of the stable across the yard and down Harriett Street.
Three young moil who bad heard the explosion from where they were in Pitarua Street, off Harriett Street, came round to see what had happened. They saw Herfoot running down the street and one of them chased him. tripped him up, and wrapped round him a military overcoat he had been wearing, thus extinguishing the Haines. Flantes from the burning building leaped to a tremendous height. Some eye-witnesses said they shot up a hundred feet. The dividing fence was burned and a wooden house next door occuoied by Mrs A. B. Mowleni caught fire. The fire brigade was called and extinguished the fires.
The firemen treated Herfoot’s burns until the ambulance arrived. The lorry standing at the doorway was badly damaged.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19360720.2.181
Bibliographic details
Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 196, 20 July 1936, Page 11
Word Count
357FATAL BURNS Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 196, 20 July 1936, Page 11
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Manawatu Standard. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in