THE EXPLOSION AT AN ICE FACTORY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8639, 27 November 1889, Page 3

THE EXPLOSION AT AN ICE FACTORY.

AN ENGINEER KILLED— NARROW ESCAPES. A Tkrriblk accident occurred at the works of the New South Wales Co-operative Ice and Storage Company, Harris-street, Ultimo, a few days ago, by which an employee named Henry Bourne lost his life. The deceased, who was Chief Engineer to the Company, and had been in their employment for eleven months, was engaged caulking a leaky rivet in an ammonia drying machine, when an explosion occurred. The cylinder he was engaged repairing is situated upon the roof of the building immediately over the street. Xo one but deceased was there at the time, though another employee named Alexander Beck had only left him half a minute beforo the explosion took place. The top of Bourne's skull was blown clean off and his body lifted over a low handrail and deposited in the middle of the street, striking the telegraph wires in its descent and breaking one. ' The roof where the accident happened is aDOut 20ft above the level of the street, and the body of the man must have been blown between twenty-five and thirty yards. Death must have been instantaneous, as the whole of his head from the mouth up was blown away, while his left leg was smashed and his right arm broken. Fortunately at the time of the accident it was change of shift so there were few of the workmen about. Those in the office at once got outside just in time, for the escaping of ammonia gas soon took possession of the building and of the thoroughfare. Bourne's body could be seen lying in the middle of the road, but owing to the ammonia fumes it was found impossible to approach it for over twenty minutes, while from the same reason traffic was blocked for fully half an hour. When the ammonia fumes had cleared away the body was taken up by some of Bourne's mates and removed to the South Sydney morgue by SeniorSergeant Roden. Deceased, who resided at No. 12 Mansfield-street, Balmain, was a married man, about forty-eight years of age, and leavos a widow and eleven children, some comparatively young. The cyclinder in connection with which the accident happened was considered one of the strongest portions of the machinery in the manufactory. It was made of £in wrought iron, and was capable of bearing a pressure of 951 bto the square inoh. The explosion happened through the escape of the gas, no doubt where Bourne was repairing the machine. The whole lower portion of the cylinder was blown away, but the only other damage caused by the explosion was the bursting of some iron sheeting used for ventilating pvirposes. A young man named Eichard Griffin, who was passing the works in a butcher's cart at the time of the accident, had a very narrow escape, for the ammonia fumes overpowered him before he could get away. He fell down insensible in the street, but was dragged away by a companion, and it was half-an-hour before he recovered consciousness. Another man named Kluthe, employed at the works as an expressman, and who was outside with his horse and cart at the time saw Bourne's body blown into the street and tried to get to it, but the gas was too strong and he was almost suffocated before he could even take his horse and cart out of the vicinity. — Daily 'Telegraph.