Serious Explosion.

Opunake Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 2051, 31 March 1914, Page 3

Serious Explosion.

SEVEN KILLED AND MANY • INJUBED.

A MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR.

Wellington, March 29. At midnight on Sunday night a fire broke out at Upper Butt, in a general store occupied by Benge and Pratt. Townspeople hurried to the scene to arsist in salvaging goods, and while they were so occupied a terrific explosion occurred. Five men were killed outright and seven seriously, injured. Those fatally injured were : 73#TFOonstable Denis Ms honey. James Oomeaky, the Postmaster. William Flynn, railway guard. George Taylor, railway porter.' Michael Toohey, bridge contractor. John Wesley Vivian, store assistant Those who received minor injuries are : V. McGovern, member of the Town Board. Edward Felling, blacksmith. 'k George Taylor junior railway porter I James Hagan, caretaker of Treniham rifle range. Cbtrles Walters, a signalman. The fire was discovered by Constable Mahonoy about 11.46 p.m. and the partners of the firm weie notified and people in the adjoining premises awakened. Mahoney and others began to remove goods from the shop. This was continued for some minutes till fears were expressed that the building would collapse and bury the men working inside. Constable Mahoney said he would go in ahd “get the boys out.” He is said to have brought cat men called Scott and Vivian, entered the store a third time. Just as he entered the door an explosion occurred, completely wrecking the store and seriously damaging neighboring buildings. The post.office clock stopped at nine minutes past 12 o'clock. The force of the explosion is indicated by the fact that big pieces of timber were thrown a chain away.. The hotel next door was riddled as if it had beep shelled by a field-gun. Every window in the neighborhood jj,.; was smashed completely. r Flynn was the guard of the mid night up-train, which had just arrived from Wellington, and Taylor, the junior porter at the station, bad just arrived on the scene when the explosion occurred. Tbey were apparently both at work on the footpath in front of the store. Taylor’s head was almost completly fevered, presumably by flying plateglass. Flynn was buried beneath the debris, and when found portions oil his legs and arms were missing. Comesky, tbe postmaster, as soon as he saw the fire, went to the office of Edwards, a carrier, and started to remove tbe telephone. He was doing this when the explosion occurred: Comesky was found ia the street with a heavy window sash and part of a wall on top of him. He was still breathing, but died within a very short time. Toohey was standing on the balcony at the corner of the Provincial Hotel, next to the fire, playing a small hose on the side of the hotel. The force of the explosion blew him back on to the verandah,' and he was badly injured, dying after admission to the hospital. Orab'ree, the licensee, who was standing beside Toohey, was thrown to tbe ground, but escaped unhurt. Vivian was found lying dead on the ground. Just how he met his death is not known, . Of tbe injured men, Walters was assisting to remove drapery, and was blown right t cross the street. Besides those whose names are mentioned, a number of oiherß suffered minor injuries from tbe flying debris. Tbe injured received medical attention as soon ss possible. Tbe cause of tbe explosion is unknown.