INJURED BY HOME-MADE BOMB

Chronicle (Levin), 8 October 1946, Page 5

INJURED BY HOME-MADE BOMB

— Press Assnclation

By Telegraph-

ROTORUA, Oet. 7. ; An extraordinary episode just before, six o'elock yesterday evening at _Messrs. Curry Bros. ' mill on the old Taupo ffoari, two iniles frohi Rotorua, resulted . in the admission to the Rotorua1 Hospital of two lads sull'ering frojn sev.ere burns. It seems their injuries were sust ained througli other boys throwing a home-inade bomb at them. John Maslcery, aged 14 years, and' Desmond Lavery, aged 12 years, were, playing in a sawdust lieap at the millwhen they were approached by two! pakelia aad' two Maori boys, all aged , about 14 or 15, who threw a niissile at the other two, which explqded along.sidei th(em, spraying their faces, hands, arms; and clothing with acid whieh also sent , up clouds of smoke from the sawdust. Hearing tlie explosion Mr. R. J. Curry investigated and found that Maskery and Lavery, who is his grandsoii, had been bufned. They were rushed into hospital suff.ering from burns and sliock, but they were reported last niglit to. be mucli better as a result of treatnient that has beeu developed during the last six years to deal with burns which are lieculiarly prevalent in the Rotorua area. The miserjeants having tlirown their, niissile, which is thought to have been • a home-inade bomb contained in a jam jar, bolted through the scrub and although they were pursued by Mr. Lavery and four other men they eluded eapture and made their getaway after darkness fell.