FATAL EXPLOSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9015, 30 March 1888, Page 5

FATAL EXPLOSION.

TWO MEN KILLED. [BY TELEttRAPII.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Nat-ier, Thursday. A terrible accident occurred at the Wairoa bridgeworks at half-past eleven last night, by an explosion of gas, resulting in the death of two men, and severe injury to a third. It appears that about eleven o'clock three men were working in the last cylinder, named Ball, Philip Beattie, and George Ebbett. The first-named was down at the bottom fixing the pumping pipes for the next shift. Beattie was in the airlock, waiting to pull up Ball after having lowered him down. There was nothing for EWSefct to do till twelve o'clock, so he went home, leaving the other two working, and Mr. Sollars, the contractor, standing 011 the staging alongside. At the hour named the cylinder blew up all of a sudden. The air-lock was hurled into the air, and fell into the river close to the staging, a portion of which it broke. Mr. Sellars was hurled over eight or ten feet oil', and landed on the lower platform of the pile-driver. His right arm was broken in two places, and he was much cut about the face, but was not unconscious. The cylinder, which was down 16 feet in the solid, was burst into fragments, and eight broken lengths have, been already noticed. Joseph Ball lies dead at the bottom of the cylinder, and Philip Beattie is supposed to be in the airlock at the bottom of the river, unless he was blown clear out of it. Ball is a married man, and leaves a wife and three children.