WELLINGTON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3268, 22 December 1881, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

December 22

A dreadful accident occurred at Lambton-quay last evening. At 7.15 a loud explosion was heard, and it was discovered tbat some blue fire composition in the rear of Messrs Barraud and Sons' chemists shop had exploded. Mrs Anthony, the wife of the manager of tbe business, who was in the yard with a little boy three years old, received terrible injuries, both her hands being blown off close below the elbow, her right leg broken below tbe knee, and her jaw broken, besides her face being fearfully cut and gashed. She was taken inside and medical aid obtaintd. The several injuries were attended to, after vvhicb the poor sufferer was taken to tbe hospital, but no hopes were entertained of her recovery, and at nine o'clock she died. The child fortunatelj escaped with a few slight bruises. Mr Anthony and the others in the shop are at a loss to account for the explosion. They had been making blue fire composition during the forenoon, and found it to te dangerous, as some of it exploded and singed the bair of an assistant. About halt-a-pound of the mixture was left in a mortar, and Mrs Anthony had suggested that the best means of getting rid of it would be to wat>h out the mortar with water, and it is thought by rn.-iny th it bhe was in the act of doing this when tbe explosion occurred. The report was heard fully half a mile away. The mortar was shattered to atoms, and fragments of it wtre found at a distance of 100 yards. The affair caused great excitement in town, and great sympathy is expressed for Mr Anthony.