FIREWORKS FATALITY.

Wanganui Chronicle, 18 July 1901, Page 2

FIREWORKS FATALITY.

Pan Pekss A&Bo{h*th>s.

INVERCARGILL, July" 16,

At the Sneyd inquest this afternoon, Charles Reid, second officer of the Monowai, detailed the correct method of using ships signal rockets, and said that firing in any other way was extremely dangerous. Sorgeant-Major Wall, -instructor on War Onice explosives, described the rocket. Among other things it contained a quantity of gutta percha, 3ozs of gunpowder, and 2ozs of gun cotton. When the gun cotton'exploded the iron cylinder would ba blown, into fragments. He did not regard the socket used in this case as safe. It was not strong enough to withstand the explosion of the gun powder -in the base of the socket, while its shape rendered it dangerous. He would expect if the racket were fired out of such, the gun powder, instead of forcing the rocket upwards, would exert its force on the box on the line of least resistance. Gun cotton was four and a' half times stronger than powder, and if the sig-nal exploded near the ground ite would expect to find fragments of the metal casing nearby, The gun powder produced had not deteriorated. Acciidlente of this kind might happen without negligence, in the hands of experts. A socket 2 inches square on the inside, for a rocket 1| inches in diameter^ was not safe.