BLOWN TO ATOMS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14057, 15 November 1909, Page 2

BLOWN TO ATOMS.

AUCKLAND'S POWDER HULK

The Auckland "Herald ' has a lent; .■u-eount- of the destruction ot the Harlmlll. Hoard's powder hulk. wh» h created a sensation m the iieighhouihood. The hulk was moored oft the Tawaki Iliver. seven miles ironi the ci'tv. There were 2'2 tons of explosives en board, principally of blasting powder and gelignite,. and a man named Finch ami his witc l» Y « l 0,1 I,K ' ''V ;i4 caretakers. It appears that, -Mrs Finch «:.s cooking breaktasi- 111 a £"1|ov at the after end of the vessel, and Air Finch supposes that- sparks Jrom •he sal lev were blown beiow. At alt events the fire .started there, and it had a good hold before he discovered '* He choooed a hole through the deck with an axe, and saw that the after hold was a mass of lire. Both set to work to throw water down the nolo witli buckets, but, as can be ea>ily undei•toed. with 110 effect. However, they ■stuck to it- till Mrs Finch was exhausted. and as the tiro was spreading. Fiuch put- his wife into the lioafc. lowered it and cut it adrift, and then returned to his bucket- work. Seeing that ho was doing 110 good he determined to scuttle the hulk, and looked about for an augur but could not find one. He then took up the axe. a blunt one. and went do.wn the fore hatch to irv and knock a hole in the bottom, but was twice driven back on, deck, suffocating from smoke. By this time the flames were showing above the deck aft, and seeing that he could do nothing, he jumped overboard and swam to the boat, then some distance away, and his wife pulled him in. lor he was exhausted, and when he had recovered a bit, he iook the oars and pulled for the shore. He hailed a passing scow and they were iaken on board. All this time the fire was burning more and more briskly and, at- 1.20 p.m., an explosion in two immediate successive shots blew the huIJC to atoms. A launch with five or six passengers was upproacmiig tin; liulK just beiore the crasu. but 011 seeing tue smoke rising from, it, sheered otf in a hurry, and was about 400 yards away wiien the hulk blew up. ihe master of the launch said tho report was terrific, the great mass of dame and smoke was a splendid sight, and masts and wreckage went- sky high. Those on the launch felt a shock as if they had been hit with a pillow. Then a dense black smoke settled down on them, and gave them all a coating of black. There was 110 wave set up, so far as was noticed on the launch, doubtless because tlio explosion took place above water. The concussion of tho air rattled the iron sheds on the railway wharf in Auckland, seven miles away, and at Devonport windows were broken, c-tacked goods capsized, pictures shaken down, and gas mantles shattered. Similar results were experienced in" other suburbs nearer the scene of the explosion. At Brown's Island, which is not- far from where the hulk was ■iioorcd, the caretaker's cottage was shaken, windows broken, and all the crockery shaken down. The horses and cattle on the island were greatly alarmed. At Tiritiri lighthouse the shock was strougly felt, and things were shaken down. At St. Ilelier's. quite near the scene, but sheltered by a -ridge iiu daii.iigc- was done, though the ground trembled, ;ind the noise of the explosions was terrific, and reverberated for some seconds between tho hills: while at places five miles away, all the windows in some houses were broken and ornaments shaken down. Persons who saw the results of the explosion from a distance say the column il white smoke „oso curling and wreathing hun'>'-<*ds of feet in the air. stood erect for 1: few seconds, and then was spread out into a black canopy by a strong westerly wind. One spectator likened the effect to the explosions 01* Vaimau'ni., Ae result of the accident will probably Li the adoption of storage »n shore, where no one would netd to live and no cooking-galley lie required .