VIOLENT EXPLOSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22505, 25 February 1935, Page 12

VIOLENT EXPLOSION

MAN FATALLY HURT ! Ernest Putland was killed and Edward Hall was critically injured recently when an explosion occurred '.in .... the blast furnace at the works of Aus-. .- tralian Iron and Steel, Ltd., at, Port • Kembla, says a Sydney newspaper. The two men had entered the blast furnace, which is a structure more ihan 100 feet in height and about 30 feet in diameter, to examine a charge which had failed to detonate. When the explosion occurred they were trapped ? inside the hearth of the furnace, and' C suffered the full force of blast,: which was intensified by being in a confined area. Messrs Putland and Hall, who had been employed by the company for more than 25 years, were in charge of a gang cleaning out the hearth for rebricking. Molten iron and slag mixed with masonry formed a solid mass at the bottom of the hearth, and the furnace could not be relined until the waste had been removed with the aid of «x----plosives. Two holes were bored in the furnace V about 10 o'clock, and explosives were' dropped into them. . The charges were connected with an electric battery and t detonated when the foremen and their men had reached safety. The explosion seemed feeble. Messrs Putland and Hall ; warned the workmen not to enter the ;"" hearth. Then they entered a narrow opening into the great chamber, to see what was amiss. . ■.'-•*:" It was found that one of the charges s had not exploded, and could only be detonated by firing another charge-in-the same hole. The two men were care- ; fully picking rubbish out of the hole preparatory to dropping in a second - charge when the explosive detonated. Broken bricks, slag and pieces of iron struck the.two men. Messrs Putland and Hall were flung back against the side of the hearth. Both were terribly, injured. ' Mr Putland, who was 49 years of age. and resided at Wollongong, was so badly injured that he died early in the after- - noon. At night Che condition of Mr Hall had slightly improved, although it was thought that he would probably lose an eye.