KILLED BY GAS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2450, 1 May 1915, Page 8

KILLED BY GAS

FIVE DEATHS STRANGE LEAKAGES IN THE CITY THREE BODIES IN ONE ROOM Five persons were found dead in' their beds in Wellington yesterday, the cause of death apparently being' asphyxiation by gas. The victims were:— • Walter Holmes, single, 39, residing at 19 Mulgrave Street. James Robert, Smith, single, 19, residing at 14' Mulgrave Street. Young Wong,. 29, residing at-' 32S Tinakon Road. : ..Young. Ching,\ 29, residing at 328 Tinakon Road. • :. Young King, 29,' residing .at 328 Tinakon Road. In addition, another Chinese, Charles Ching, a fruiterer of Ellice Street, was admitted to the Hospital during the morning suffering from partial asphyxiation, and other/cases nave been reported where people have been taken sick through escaping gas fumes. ■ There has been no explanation as to the cause'of the gas escaping, but apparently over a wide area, covering Taranaki Street,- Mulgrave Street, Ellice.' Street, Cuba Street, parts of Thorndon and Lambton Quay, there liaß been an escape of gas from the meters. It has been suggested that, lack of water in the-meters has been the reason for this, ;.vhila other rumours have been to the effect that extra pressure nas been put en the mains from Miramar. The Gas Company's officials were approached by a reporter last night, but they stated that they were at a loss to account for the occurrence/. An inquiry was tlien. ii progress, and would be continued in an endeavour to solve „the matter, but till then there was nothing that could be given to clear up the myttery. The First Death, The first deaths were discovered early yesterday morning. In' the case of Walter Holmes the discovery was made by Mrs. Johnson,-the occupier of the premises. Holmes, who worked on the wharf, was a friend of Mr. Johnson's, and he resided with them at 19 Mulgrave Street. The night previously he was out late, and returned to the house after the othor occupants had retired! His room was. at the - top of the house, and had no gas jet in it, nor was there gas laid on in any of the. rooms upstairs. On arising about 5.30 yesterday morning,- Sirs. Johnson, who occupied a room on the ground floor, detected a strong smell of gas: She tried all'the taps, and found that the hall bracket was turned oil' slightly. She turned this off, but'the smell did not diminish. Passing the meter, which is behind the hall-door, she heard the gas escaping fast, and there appeared to be no water in the meter. She turned the tap off, and some little time later went to call Holmes. The door of the room was slightly open, and the window was half raised. 'On entering the room she found Holmes lying deau in bed. Another man on the same floor was found to have been sick during the night; and had to receive medical attention. Drs. Henry and Anderson -wore called in, but could, do nothing for Holmes.

Fatality In Opposite House. •By a peculiar chance- the' second death occurred in a house immediately across the road, No. 14, a boardinghouse kept by Airs. Evelyn Bennett. The deceased, James Robert Smith, was an engine-driver in the .employ of the Government Railway' Department, •l'horndon, and had formerly resided at Gisborue. The loom in which he died was on the second floor, and contained no gas jet, but there was a meter in the room. He was last seen, alive about 10.30 on Thursday night, when about to retire, and, he was ; then in good health. 'At 7.30 yesterday morning Mrs.' Bennett went to call him, and found that he was'dead. There was a strong smell of gas in the room, despite the fact .that the window was half open, and deceased had the appearance of having been sick. Drs. Anderson and Henry were called in to attend ,to the deceased, and the latter stated that death was duo to suifocation by coal gas. '. Thres Chinese Dead. It was not till late in the afternoon that the deaths of the Chinese were discovered. Tliey were, tho occupiers* of a fruit shop at 328 Tinakori Koad, but although - they failed to open up their shop yesterday morning no attempt seems to' have, been made to discover if tliey were there later in- tho afteruoon their non-appearance caused suspicion, -and.at 4.15 p.m. the police were telephoned to. As no reply could be obtained to kiiooking, the police broke into' the premises, and then in upstair rooms found the three Chinese dead. Tho-oldest of the three, young King, was in a room by himself, and the body was still slightly warm. There was a strong smell of gas in the room. The other two were lying dead on separata 1 beds in another room, and were cold and stiff. In this room also there was the prevailing smell of gas. The bodies were at once removed, and the police closed the premises. The five bodies have been placed in the morgue, and an inquest will be held before'the Coroner. The date has not yet Keen fixed, :but it may be formally opened to-day, and adjourned to allow, full inquiries to |be made. The other Chinese, Charles Ching, of EUice Street, was admitted to the Hospital at,lo a.m. yesterday, and last night he was reported to be progressing satisfactorily. He appears to' have had a lucky escape from death, and he owes his life to the wisdom of Mr. P. Duncan, a butcher, whose premises are next door. During the night Mr. Duncan had noticed an escape of gas in his house, and he was remarking on this to neighbours in the morning, when' it was noticed that the Chinaman had not opened his premises. Mr. Duncan at once broke open the door, and the occupant was discovered in an unconscious condition, lying on a sofa.

Light on the Gas Meter Fires. Tho occurrences of yesterday throw some light on the gas meter iires which were reported in The Dominion as having taken place on Thursday night in Macdonald Crescent and Jfolesworth Street, for evidently the same set of circumstances set up the escape of gas in those cases as in the ones of yesterday. ' . Other case 3 of escaping gaß are reported from Taranaki Street, parts of Thorndon, Cuba Street, and Lanibton Quay, and in ono instance the occupier of a house found tho gas so strong on returning home early in tho morning that he went to a hotel to stay. , During the night there was a rumour that an explosion had taken place at the Mir-amar Gasworks, but this wns based on no foundation of fact.

Esoapes Noticed In Time. Mr. R. Maysmor was passing along Percival Street at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday, when some friends called him into their place, being alarmed by tho small of. gas which pervaded tho house. Without any searching for tlio escape, Mr. Maysmor said there was a loud fizzing noise plainly audible, which stopped the instant ho turned the gas off (at the meter). There was no mistaking where the leak was—it was in the pipe leading from tho meter to the chouse system, and w<w somewhere ckuyi

to or in the meter. By the loudness of the sound niado by the escaping gas it seemed to him that there was full pressure at the time. Mr. M.-L. Maris, pawnbroker, of Willis Street, who resides at No. 13 Hobson Crescent, stated that lie was awakened by his wife at about 1.30 a.m. She •aid that there seemed to be an awful smell of gas about. In Mr. Maris's house' thero are lights with pilots in every room. He first extinguished all the pilot lights, opened the doors and windows, and then visited the meter. "Thore was no mistaking where the escape, was," said Air. Maris. "The meter was kicking up a row like a motorbicycle. The funny part of it was that we couldn't turn it off at first as we had lost the shank. . We had to get assistance from our neighbour's before we could turn the , nut that cuts the gas off. As soon as we did that the row and the escape stopped."