EXPLOSION IN SYDNEY

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 27

EXPLOSION IN SYDNEY

BUSINESS PREMISES WRECKED. SYDNEY, October 4. The concussion of a tremendous ex1 plosion was felt in the centre of the city ' to-day. ! The extensive premises occupied by the J East Sydney Pharmacy Company, where J the explosion occurred, were completely , wrecked, the fronts of several adjoining shops were blown in, and practically all ; the windows within a radius of 100 yards , was shattered, while ceilings and fittings ' were wrecked and destroyed. An outbreak of fire followed the explosion, and spread from the chemist's . to fotir adjoining premises. _ Though the , brigade quickly got the fire under, thft J flames and water added considerably to the losses. 3 Besides the destruction of the Phar- ! macy Company's premises, the most seri-^ ous damage was done at Anderson's .. (gi'ocer), Griffiths's (grocer), Russo'3 (fruiterer), Frosbey'6 furniture warehouse, Wertheim's Sewing Machine Gompany's premises, the Euroki Hall, and two hotels. j Flying debris and glass destroyed large i quantities of stock, this being specially the case in hotels, where valuable bottled stocks were broken. I Houses on the opposite sid-e of William street and Riley street present the appearance of having undergone a fusilade. { Two chemists named Binder and Sharp, - who were on the premises at' the time of the explosion, had a marvellous escape. Sharp was pinned under a mass of debris, and was surrounded by flames, while Binder was knocked over and was lying among the ruins Both were rescued after being severely burned and lacerated by flying glass. Sharp remains in the hospital, where four others were "treated for lacerations received in the street from flying glass. ; Luckily the shops were closed, and the bulk of the people were away watching ; the Eight-hour Day procession, otherwise j the casualty list would have been much heavier. | Two heavily-laden trams just got clear as the explosion occurred. Sharp states that he was boiling a couple of gallons of camphorated oil ,on 1 the counter, when the liquid ran over and ' | flared up. As he was endeavouring to ! extinguish the flames the vessel was upset I and the explosion resulted.