A SERIOUS EXPLOSION.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 November 1923, Page 4

A SERIOUS EXPLOSION.

SIX MEN INJURED. [by TELForiAi'n —run press association,] NAPIER. November I. There was an explosion of a gas cylinder at Port Almriii this afternoon. It injured six men. including. Mr ,li. P<. i'roagh. a member of the Harbour Beard. Two Hire seriously injured. The escaping gas took lire. All the men injured were badly burned. The explosion .-hook the neighbourhood like mi earthquake. The cylinder nas being loaded into s.s. Ripple. FULLER DETAILS. Os A IMF: It, November I While moving sonic cylinders containing dissolved acetylene on the .lull wharf at the Port Ahmiri boat at two o'clock this afternoon, a man a 1 - eideutlv allowed one to strike another with some force, anti the result, was ihe v iolent explosion of the falling cylinder causing severe injuries to seven na n whose names are : Archibald ; p.'i'ic valuer len-jve supetliciai bn nun who died, Lenjannn Ik ( rcagli. torn nr. Img agent, and cariier and a member oi the Harbour Board (burned about the late, hands, and arms). A. Storm, a. vvniersider) severely burned about the head, neck and arms. Waller Tirro!!. a vaieisidvr ilicuo. at ins. neck, legs and back burned). Edward Fredericks. waler~ider (head, aims and shoulder burned). Henry Smith. Harbour Board employer. and Samuel Martin (less severe burns). All the injured except Martin wore taken to the hospital. Several ether men were in the vicinity at the time of the explosion, and were knocked olf their feet. S. l.nuriston i- suffering from shock. It is generally considered that cylinders such ns Hie. one which exploded are not dangerous, and require no pudding on the exterior. Therotorc it i- impossible to determine how the. ex. plosion was caused. Only Hie cop of tile cylinder was found after the ga.. exploded, with a terrifiic noise, and it shook buildings within a fairly wide radius to such an extent iliat sonic thought it was an earthquake.

The flames blackened the side of s.:-. Hippie, and hiirued the canvas on the | bridge. A .-hod on the wlnuf was cluir1i d badly on one side. Sacks of hides on the wharf nearly caught lire, and a base had to lie used. The removal of a- thousand cases of | benzine from the Hippie only had ju-t been oomplotcd a lew minutes before the explosion. It is the first accident of the kind that has yet happened in New Zealand, yicttm srcciwrns. NAPILH, November I. Sporle, one victim of the Port explosion this afternoon. died (his evening, lie was aged 24 years, and was a married jinnu with two young children. He was the son of Mi I!. Sporle. Foilding, and of Airs Sporle, Napier.