EXPLOSION OF A SHELL

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 26

EXPLOSION OF A SHELL

THIRTEEN MEN INJURED, MELBOURNE, January 13. During practice operations at I oint Nepean a shell from a 9.2 in. gun exploded, wounding 16 man, including Major M.‘Knight. The injuries are only slight, in the majority of cases. Major M‘Knight ractured his pelvis, Lieutenant Andeireon sustained concussion and injuries to his eyes, feevgeanu Haroy a fractured arm, Sergeant Scott hijurica to his eyes, Gunner Wilkinson -njuries to liis head, Gunner Mcnchmore injuries to his eyes, Gunner Hatley injuries m the region of the heart, Gunner Finch injuries to his hip, and Warrant-officer Henderson, Corporals Brignell and Dike, and Gunners Cox, Davern, and Hartley contusions and shock. Gunner Finch was sent to the hospital. Gunner Hatley has developed serious symptoms. All the injured men were in the gunpit at the time of the explosion. The gun, which was on hydro-pneumatic mountings, was loaded in the pit and then elevated. The charge went off before the lip of tjie gun cleared the parapet, ana the projectile riehoehett&d and broke in pieces, filling the pit with smoke and iiarae. The projectile weighed 5801 b, the charge consisting of 1641 b of powder. Big gun practice at Point Nepean was part of the Kitchener camp scheme. The fatal gun had tired two shots, and there had also been two misfires. In consequence of this it was decided to substitute a percussion tube for the electric tube. After this had been done the gun was loaded. On being raised again it prematurely exploded. The shell caused terrific havoc. It struck and wrecked the masonry and then richochetted almost vertically into the air. The artillerymen were hurled in all directions, stunned and bleeding, 13 out of 14 in the gun-pit being injured. Finch was struck by a projectile which he herd in readiness for the next shot. He was sent to the hospital, suffering, it is supposed, from a fractured pelvis. A corrected list of the injured gives only 11 names, as follows • —Hardy, Scott, Brit well, Dike. Davern, Wilkinson, M ouch more, Hartn.ey, Finch, Cook, Slattery It is stated that Major M'Ksiight was not injured. He attended to the wounded. ”he cause of the accident is not known, most of the men being still 100 dazed to form an opinion. The officers are very reticent. One suggestion is that in the locking of the breech the charge exploded by concussion. But for the fact that the gun in descending stopped, and was loaded 2ft above the usual base, probably the whole of the men in the detachment would have been killed. The charge consisted of 641 b, not 1641 b. January 15. Ten of the men who were injured in the gun accident have been, discharged from the hospital. The others are expected to resume duty in a few days, their wounds being less serious than was at first supposed.