FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION.

North Otago Times, Volume XIV, Issue 542, 26 July 1870, Page 8 (Supplement)

FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION.

A terrible boiler explosion ooourred at Blaokburn on Friday, resulting in the death of two persons and great destruction of property. Shortly before six o'clock John Hatton was getting op the steam when the explosion took plaoe. It appears that last week a new iron front war pnt to the boiler, and tiro new flues, which ran the length of the fire grate, and were then riveted to the old flue, and it was at this part that the explosion took place, and carried away Hntton. Th* shook was terrifio, the steam swept along with great force, and demolished a stone wall at the bftok yard of some houses in Leyland-street, and alao knocked down three closets. In one of these oloiets was a girl named Julia Hughes, and when she oonld be extricated she was found to hare been dangerously injured, and half an hour afterwards she died. The fireman was also picked up in the corner of ens of tho closets, a distance of 30 yards from the boiler-house, and ho was quite dead. A wooden shed over the front of the boiler-house was blown in all directions, and the sculleries of two houses were brought to the gro nnd bjr the force of the shook. A portion of the iron grate attaohed to the boiler was thrown into a kitchen window, and carried the frame and glass into the apartment ; a onpboard door near tin fire* plaoe waa smashed in; broke off a portion of the ■ton* chimney pieoo; swept the fender and aahgnard across the house ; and aboat a ton of atones forced into the aperture of the window, oleared the plaster off the ceiling, and completed the rain of the kitohen. Serious injuries were sustained by a young man named John Shotrook, w&te&oasem*.n, who wai standing near Hutton at the time of the explosion. H« was knocked down and soalded badly aboat the head and legs.