UPPER HUTT TRAGEDY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 46, 31 March 1914, Page 7

UPPER HUTT TRAGEDY.

WHAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION*

MYSTERY STILL UNEXPLAINED,

The origin of the fire and the cause of the explosion are still unexplained mysteries. Such evidence as could bo gathered on the spot by the Wellington "Post's" representative was of decidedly conflicting and confusing character. No two men seemed to agree on the vital points: Where did the fire originate? In what part of the building did the explosion take place? Tho excitement in the darkness of the nig&t, the frightful crash and appalling havoc of the explosion, gave rise to the wildest rumours. Out of these it is possiblo to gather but scanty clues at present.' towards the solution of the mystery. At the Upper Hutt there are two distinct parties with two distinct theories as to what caused the explosion. One party asserts, in spite of the most definite and unqualified denials on the part of the storekeepers, Messrs Benge and Pratt, that there must have been explosives of some sort —dynamite, gelig-. nite, blasting powder, or something of. the sort —on the premises at tho time of the fire. The other party scout tho explosives theory, in view of the specific statement of Messrs Benge and Pratt, and consider that the explosion could have been, and probably was, ; caused by acetylene gas, with which the storo was lighted. Only tho most searching enquiry can elicit the facts.

THE STOREKEEPERS' STATE- ' MENTS.

Mr Herbert Victor Benge, senior partner in the firm of Benge and Pratt, in an interview, by a '' Post'' representative. on Sunday morning, 1 stated that when, he left the store on Saturday night, shortly after 10 o'clock, thero was nothing to arouse suspicion of fire. He was quite unable to explain the cause of the explosion. The .store at the back of the grocery department was apparently where the fire first originated. He was at the back of the. premises by the bakehouse when the explosion took place. He could not account for it. He had no explosives on the premises, with the exception of two or three pounds of. black powder, which could not possibly have caused damage. There were two cases of benzine in the store at the back and some drums of oil. There were a few cartridges, but not enough to cause any appreciable trouble. -

Mr. Benge's statement as to* explosives was confirmed by his partner, Mr H. L. Pratt, who also could not account for the explosion. Against this is quoted a . story of a , boy named Albert Cooper, who is said, at the time of the fire to' have told, .wit--*' nesses that there was a barrel of powder in the store. ' EXPLOSIVES NOT STOCKED.

On the other hand, a former employee of Messrs Benge and Pratt, who stated .that he had worked in the store for three years, informed a "Post." re* porter that never at any time during that peried had the firm" stocked or vcarried any explosives whatever. Another man said tha£, with the late Constable Malioney, he had called at the store to get some gelignite for blasting stumps up the valley, and had been unable to get any, as Benge and Pratt did not stock it. It is also understood that very little explosives are used in the district at all. * Men who have been accustomed to using explosives in their work, and who saw the explosion, say that after it there was 'not the slightest trace <of the familiar smell of gelignite, or the still more pronounced odour of burnt blasting powder. Several of the pieces of timber scattered by the explosion were covered with a fairly thick black deposit, which by some was ascribed to powder smoke. It liad not the least smell, such as is usually supposed to a -company a deposit from a gunpowder explosion.

THE ACETYLENE THEORY. The other theory was that of an explosion of acetylene gas in one of the "upper rooms used as a warehouse. The generator which lighted the premises was quite a small affair situated at the of the building. It would stand about 3ft high by about 2ft in diameter. It was to be'seen yesterday morning quite uninjured structurally. The generator was of the automatic type, which generates gas according to the amount actually being used. There* were, it is' understood, seven burners on the premises, s including two upstairs. The main pipe from the generator was about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. The consumption of eaeh burner would be small —about two cubic feet an it is understood, and, if only one burner was used, that would be the amount, of gas generated. Similarly, if all the burners were going for an hour the amount would be 14 cubic feet. If, however,'there were any breakage or serious leakage in the main pipes the consumption would be vastly increased, the float of the generator rising to permit the inflow, of extra water to fill the vacancy left by the quickly-escaping gas.

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT,

The arguments in support of the acetylene'theory were these: If either before the outbreak of the lire or subsequently the pipe became broken or large , leakage developed in any of the upstairs rooms, then there would be a, quick and continuous accumulation of gas in one or more of the rooms. Assuming any «

serious leakage or break, it is argued that it would not take long for an accumulation of gas in one of the upper rooms sufficient, wlien the fire reached it, to cause an explosion capable of doing the damage that was actually occasioned. Where the explosion occurred is not known,. but there is a preponderance of evidence that it occurred upstairs. The fire was certainly all the time creeping up from the neighbourhood of the southern brick chimney, and had not reached the front of the shop properly when the ex* plosion took place, as the party of helpers were going in and out freely. The force of the explosion cut off the top of the brick chimney already mentioned and left the bottom standing. This is against the theory of the explosion taking place down below on the ground floor. It also swept the verandah of the Provincial Hotel, killing Michael Toohey, and smashing every window along the front. It did far less damage down on the ground floor. This supports again the argument that the explosion • took place in the upper story, The debris of the shop and the wall? also c'ariic down on those who were buried '/under; it, which seemed, to indicate that the explosion was above and not below the party of helpers. The

carbon deposit on the wrecked timbers could also be explained by an explosion of acetylene gas. ACETYLENE GAS PLANT.

In reference to the theory which has been advanced to the effect that the cause of the explosion was acetylene gas, it is that the producing plant itself did not explode. ' This remained quite intact, and has been damaged by lire only. Had the explosion originated In this quarter there is not the slightest doubt that the whole of the plant would have been blown to pieces. The plant was at the rear of the premises. The small bakehouse near-by suffered little structural damage, whereas places opposite, and the hotel on the south side suffered severely.—Wellington ''Post.''

STILL ANOTHER VICTIM. Press Association. r • WELLINGTON, March 30. ' ; Everard Pelling, aged one of ; those injured in the Upper Hutt explosion yesterday morning, died in the hospital this afternoon. James Hagan, another of those in the hospital, is still in a serious condition, and is not out of danger. Virgil M'Govern is progressing favourably.