Sensation at Rangiora

Horowhenua Chronicle, 31 July 1915, Page 4

Sensation at Rangiora

0 BOILER EXPLODES. At 1.-15 011 f Wednesday morn- ; ing the explosion of a water boiler . in .Messrs 11. 31. Hawkins and Co i bakery at the roar of business premises in High Street, Rangiora, almost com- | pletely wrecked the building. The | bakery, a brick building erected n j February last, was one of the most up-to-date in North Canterbury. Above the furnace there was a 100 gallon "water jacket boiler, ol hall-inch castiron, fed from a copper boiler above, connected with a cold water service and fitted with the usual exhaust pipe running through the room. The baker, C. Byres, hadstarted his furnace about ha'/l'-pasf three, and had drawn off a quantity of hot water lrom the boiler before the explosion took place, and it is supposed the wate l ' in the exhaust pipe had become lrozeti and when steam -was generated, there being no safety vent, an explosion wa,' inevitable. The effect of the explosion. the .sound of which was like tn l discharge of' a heavy cannon, and which was heard all over the town was amazing. Almost the whole of the heavy roof was lilted off the building and smashed up, and the wall nearest the boiler 'was hlown out, the bricks being scattered in all directions. Tho crown of the boiler, although con* netted up with pipes, was thrown 'i considerable distance and carried a part ol the roof into the top of a pine tree ilea'' the building. A heavy rough trough on the lloor of the bakeliou.se was shifted .some distance. . and the whole interior was practically -wrecked, although the oven escaped with verv little damage. Tln> baker hat! a miraculous escape, the front end of the boiler being hiiiiod against the wall within a few incites ol where he was at work with sullicient force to dislodge some of the bricks. Portions of the wreckage «t the roof 1 ell around "him. but beyond an abrasion in his forehead and two or three bruises about, the body he was uninjured. Mr Hawkins, who assists the baker had been called at half-past four, but owing to the coldness ol the morning lie did not turn out as promptly ;,> usual, To this fact he owes his escape from serious injury. Tie was about to leave his house when the exp'.oMon occurred. lie estimates the damage done to be at least £!2(K).-Christcliureh Star. t upon j