THE SINGULAR ACCIDENT AT PARNELL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9030, 17 April 1888, Page 3

THE SINGULAR ACCIDENT AT PARNELL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The account in this morning's Hkbau) respecting an accident to Mrs. Buttimore's children is not strictly correct. The family named went to live in one of Dr. Wright's houses, Fox-street, four weeks ago. When cleaning up the yard the following day, I found what appeared to be two pieces of tin soldered together, about the size of an old-fashioned watch, but not so thick. It appeared to me to be what is sometimes seen (generally three of them) at the bottom of large tins for washing in, and such as are on tin cans for holding water for passengers on board ship coming from England, so as to raise the bottoms a trifle off the floor or deck. After looking at it, I threw it away as something useless. It has been knocking about since then up to Tuesday last, the children sometimes having it with their playthings to play with. On Tuesday morning last, one of the little girls asked her brother, a boy 12 years old, to put a hole through it for her, so as to make a wheel of it. He got a hammer and nail, and placed it on the threshold of the door, which slopes outwards a little. As soon as the point of- the nail went through the tin there was an explosion louder than would be caused by the report of a rifle, and the hammer was struck out of the boy's hand. The tins were blown open but not altogether separated, and several yards in the air, falling with such force as to make a hole about an inch deep in the ground. The boy complained of his hand; one finger was cut and the others numbed. He was taken to Dr. Wright with the tins. The doctor ordered his hand to be bathed with warm water, which after a short time made him feel all right. A little girl five years old, who was squatted down in the doorway watching the work, had the hair on one side of her bead singed and one hand and arm blackened, but not otherwise injured. The boy was standing on the doorsteps and another little boy was nea» him. I attribute the little girl's escape (under Providence) to the slope in the threshold, as the thine did not fly up straight. When I heard the explosion, and on inquiring what was the cause I examined the tins and found inside one of them two caps on nipples fastened to the tin, one of which was exploded no doubt by the nail striking the head of it; the other was not exploded. I don't know what the tin contained, whether powder or some other black substance. I never saw anything like it before. It is now in Dr. Wright's possession. We have made a search but can find no others.—l am, &c., John Buttimore,