TOYING WITH DEATH

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1931, Page 3

TOYING WITH DEATH

CHILDREN AND GEL.-* <ITE. BOY. CHEWING A PLUGA three-year-old child found chewing a plug of gelignite in Sydney a few. days ago led to -the startling discovery that a number of children were, playing in a street at Darlinghur-st with a quantity of explosive sufficient to raze a block of city buildings. ’; > ■ At about the same time police were warned that other children were toying with boxes of detonators under the footbridge in Rushcutters’ Bay Park. The police collected 200 caps, any one of which could have killed or niaimed a person. Some of these bore teeth marks, and the police were amazed that they had not exploded. The gelignite and detonators were unearthed by the children, while playing under the bridge. It was evidently the secret hoard of a safeblower. ' Leaving his companions to play with the less interesting caps, one of the youthful discoverers carried the gelignite, weighing about' three pouudn, to the street, where he shared his strange, soap-like treasure with new-found mates; ' They played until dark, then a three-year-old boy, George Bond, feeling hungry, set off for his home, chewing one of the sticks. Mr. George Bond, sen., nearly collapsed with shock when he saw his son walk into the room with the gelignite. He ran to the street where the other children were and found about ten youngsters, their ages ranging to 12 years, breaking the sticks of explosives and pelting each other with them.. As fast as Mr. Bond deprived one youth of the explosive, another picked up a fresh piece. Panic reigned when mothers discovered that their children had been toying with gelignite. Mr, Bond picked up the explosive and later took it to the police station. The police think the explosive was stolen by a burglar, who either planted it until he had selected a safe to blow, or had dumped it after taking a quantity required for his needs.