PREMATURE EXPLOSION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1338, 16 January 1912, Page 4

PREMATURE EXPLOSION.

THE TIMARU FATALITIES. (By Telecraph-PreßS Association.) Timaru, January 15. At the resumed inquest into the death of ]>, O'Neill, who' was killed by Hie premature explosion of a blast at the liarhour quarry a week ago, when betwesn fifty and sixty kegs of blasting powder was fired, the principal evidence was that of Haves, who assisted O'Neill to prepare tl'ie blast His evidence showed that O'Neill,, in order not to keep members ot tlio Harbour Hoard waiting long to ses the blast, disregarded tlie usual precautions. Tiro fuse was laid in a groove ill the timber from the face of the rock to the charge, and loose powder w« kid iii the groove beside tlio fuse, ihe powder should not haw bwn laid within five feet of the face, but 0 Neill laid it all the way. The fuse bsyond this should have been two feet long. 0 Neill cut it (!owu to six hicks, and some loess powder was lying outside. , . J . J;, ycs remonstrated with O'lNcill that it was dangerous but the latter said it was all ri"ht Hayes said he had seen every shot fired in the quarry for 12 years, and never before had the powder been laid right out to the face. \V .1. Bardsley, secretary to the Hnrbour Board, gave evidence regarding the experiments with tho kind of fiiso that was used. If the charge had been laid according to rule it would have taken over four minutes to go off. Laid as described by Hayes, it required only 27 to 28 'seconds. The inquest was further adjourned for the evidence of the harbour engineer, who was seriously hurt, and is in a private Inspector Green attended on behalf of the Mines Department.