EXPLOSION IN TENT

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1935, Page 7

EXPLOSION IN TENT

ONE DEAD; FIVE INJURED TWO IN SERIOUS PLIGHT FUSE FIRES GUN POWDER ACCIDENT NEAR HASTINGS By Telegraph—Press Association. Hastings, Jan. 19. One death has occurred and five persons are injured, two of them seriously, as the result of the explosion of a quantity of gunpowder at a camp at Waikonini station, 30 ■ miles from Hastings, last night. The men concerned are:— Arthur Patrick McGuire, dead, aged 33 years, married, with a wife at Dannevirke.

Thomas Connell, 32, married, condition serious.

Alexander H. Emmerson, aged 30, single, condition serious. Thomas Sanders, aged 24, single, condition not serious.

George Algie, aged 19, single, condition not serious.

Samuel Geake, aged 44, married, condition not serious..

Mr. McGuire was cutting trees on the Waikonini station, Mr. Geake was a county council roadman, and the remainder were employed on farms in the vicinity.

About 10 o’clock last night the men were all in Mr. McGuire’s tent. Mr. McGuire was testing a short piece of fuse, and after lighting it threw it down suddenly. It dropped into a bag containing gunpowder used for blasting purposes, and an explosion occurred. The occurrence was discovered by Mr. Frank Hildreth, who was returning home from the town. He was stopped by one of the men and with the assistance of other neighbours he brought the men to Hastings in cars, arriving soon after midnight. Mr. McGuire died at 7.15 this morning. The condition of Messrs. Connell and Emmerson is causing concern.