BLOWING UP OF THE WILLIE M’LAREN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 35, 29 August 1891, Page 319

BLOWING UP OF THE WILLIE M’LAREN.

The blowing np of the barque Willie M‘Laron, which foundered on a rock in Worser Bay whilst bound from Newcastle, New South Wales, with a cargo of eoals, was satisfactorily carried out on Saturday, the Ist of A ugust. The expense of blowing up the wreck (some £6O) bad to be borne by the Syndicate, but the work was conducted by the Torpedo Corps, under the supervision of Captain Falconer. There were four mines placed in position at equal distances, two of them containing 2301 b of gun cotton, whilst the remaining two each contained 1231 b of the same kind of explosive. His Excellency the Governor and Lady Onslow witnessed the affair from the

s.s. Waihi, on which they were the guests of the Hon. G. McLean, M.L.C., Chairman of the U.S.S. Company. The Government steamer Hinemoa embarked between 300 and 400 excursionists, nearly half of whom were either members of Parliament or Civil servants, and one-fourth ladies. Five minutes had elapsed from the time the signal was hoisted on the Hinemoa when the white signal flag on the torpedo lioat was again waved, and immediately a dull and almost indescribable kind of shock was felt on the Hinemoa, followed by the sound of an explosion, and instantaneously there was a great upheaval of water. No sooner had the explosion occurred than wreckage of all description was observed floating about in the water, where but a moment before the lower masts of the foundered vessel had been seen standing. Now a rush was made by the flotilla of rowing boats towardstbe still seething water, in order to gather any fish which, being stunned by the concussion, may have floated to- the surface. The fins of one or two sharks were observed from the steamers, and hundreds of eels,

some of them as thick as a man’s arm, were seen wriggling about lazily on the top of the water. Many of these were hauled into the boats, one of the naval cutters securing a monster conger eel.