POWDER IGNITES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 45, 22 February 1936, Page 10

POWDER IGNITES

FOUR MEN BURNED ONE SERIOUSLY INJURED ACCIDENT AT KARIOI (Own Correspondent, j TAIHAPE, Feb. 21. Owing to a quantity of blastingpowder accidently igniting at the State Forestry Department’s plantation at Karioi yesterday afternoon, four men employed at the plantation suffered burns, and two of them were admitted to the Taihape hospital for treatment. The men were: A. C. Jackson, C. Glen, A. Milne and L.- Canton. They had been using blasting powder to split logs and spilled a small quantity on the ground as they were putting it away. A moment later there was an explosion, the powder havi j ignited by some unknown means. Glen was wearing a singlet at the time and it caught alight and flared up and he was very severely burnt. Jackson was attired in a thick jersey and his burns were much less severe than Glen’s. Milne and Canton were only slightly burnt. All four men were attended by Dr. Feltham, of Raetihi and the two lastnamed returned to camp soon afterwards. Glen and Jackson were taken to the Taihape hospital by a forest ranger, L. H. Bailey, who used his car for this purpose. From inquiries made this evening, it is learned that Glen’s condition shows slight improvement but is still serious and his burns are extensive and cover most of his body, including his back, chest, face and legs. Jackson is progressing favourably. One theory is that the explosion was caused by one of the men tramping on the powder with his hob-nailed boots, which would be sufficient to ignite it if the powder was on rock or anything hard.