DISASTER AT OHAKUNE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16233, 19 May 1916, Page 7

DISASTER AT OHAKUNE.

,HEARD EIGHT MILES AWAY. BHEEHY'S REMARKABLE FEAT. TERRIBLY BURNED BY GAS. [lit TELEGRAPH — OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Tat/mabtjmti, Thursday. Trrr report of the explosion at the Ohakune quarry was heard at Raetihi, some right, mile* distant. Mrs. Mollsop, wife of the assistant engineer, who was one of the?" killed, was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her husband, knowing the dangerous nature of the work, when she heard tho explosion. She know that an accident had taken place, as tho charge was not to have been fired till Wednesday. Alter tho explosion, Sheehy scaled the fair of the quarry and entered the tunnel, whore ho was terribly burned by the ignited gas fumes. Ho crawled out and lowered himself by a rope hanging (nun a scaffolding on top of the quarry. This would have been no mean feat for a man in the prime of health, -and was reni.i.rka.l>lo for a nan in Sheedy's injured million. EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. No THEORY AS TO CAUSE. '1 he inquest concerning the deaths of h\c of the victims of the disaster at < >hakuue was opened on Tuesday evening before Mr. J. D. Aldridgo, coroner, and resumed on Wednesday. Mr. Short, l'ndor Secretary for Public Works, Dr. McLaurin. explosives expert, Mr. R. H. lltaney, district engineer, Wanganui, and Mr. J. T. Murray, road engineer, repro-i-onted the Government. » .lames Egerton deposed that ho was in. < harge of the shift at the time of the incident. McGarry, McCurd and Torrance were in his gang, also Henderson, Morgan. and two others, whose names he did not know. His shift started concreting in the charge at one o'clock. They finished No. 2 charge as far as the concreting was i nneorned. and then started on No. 3 charge. Witness, at tho time of the explosion, was working on the concrete bord about 50ft below the mouth of the tunnel. Everything appeared to be all right. Tho men were working by tho light of candles and hurricane lamps. To Mr. Short : The candles were not in lamps. There were 14cwt of explosives in the charge that exploded. Witness could form no opinion as to the cause of the explosion. After further evidence the inquest was adjourned for 14 days, to allow the injured men to give evidence, and to allow Dr. McLaurin to test samples of the explosives used.

FUNERAL OF MR. MELLSOP. BURIAL AT KTMIHIA. TUT TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPOsTiENT.I Httntlt, Thursday. The funeral of Mr. G. H. J- Mellsop, •vie of the victims of the disaster at Ohakune, took place at Kimihia Cemetery on Wednesday. Mi*. Mellsop was well known and highly esteemed in the Huntly district. having been engineer-in-charge of "the Awaroa railway construction works, and this esteem was shown by the large number that paid the last tribute of respect to him. The service was conducted by the Rev. Mr. Weller, of Ohakune, and the Rev. J. L. A. Kayll, of Huntly. The pall-bearers were provided by the local branch of the C-E.il. S. and the Public Works Department.