A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.

Mt Benger Mail, 1 April 1914, Page 3

A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.

AT THE UPPER Hi' IT, SIN LIVES LOST. \i midnight <>n Saturday i lis : broke out in a general store nt the the l'pp< .' Hutt and while s; Ivaging operations were in progress a v rrilic expl sion occurred killing live men outi ght, and injui ing seven, one i d w horn has - ince di< d. I oil iwing arc the names of those who lost (' instable 1 )enis Main >ne\. James Comesky, Postmaster. \\ illiam I !\ nn, railway guard, George Faylor, railway porter. Mil haelToohey, bridge contractor. John Wesley Vivian, assistant storeman. Those who are injured are : V. M'Govern, member of the Town Board. Edward Pelling, blacksmith. lames 1 lagan, caretaker o. the 'i rentham i ifle range. ( harles Waiters, signalman. 'I . C 'Stello, signalman. J ihn Wesley Vivian was a son of Mr Francis Vivian or Lawrence and much sympathy is ielt i >r this family in their sad bereavi ment. The force of the explosion is indicated by the fact that big pieces of timber were thrown a chain away. The hotel next door was riddled as il it had been shelled by a fi dd gun and every window in the n< ighborho d was smashed completely. WELLINGTON, March 30. The police are making diligent inquiries into the cause ot the explosion at the Upper Hut fire, but so far no light has been thrown on the mystery. Pelling, one of the injured men, is lying in the hospital in a serious condition, and is still unconscious. M'Govern is much better, and Hagan is doing fairly well. I The Hon. H. D. Bell, Minister of ; Internal Affairs, received the following message from the Governor; — Please convey Her Excellency's unci my deepest .sympathy with the relatives of those wiic lost their lives in the disaster at Upper Hutt. Liverpool, Governor. . ,7