EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT.

Kumara Times, Issue 411, 19 January 1878, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT.

The Evening Post publishes the following particulars of the extraordinary accident that took place recently at the Patent Slip.—“ On approaching the engine-house an extraordinary scene of wreck presented itself. The roof, as we haye said, was completely carried away, and inside the machinery appeared to be mixed up in hopeless confusion, while massive fragments lay about in all directions ; and of the great fly-wheel only the axle and boss, with a few stumpy pieces of the spokes, remained, the whole building moreover being fall of steam. On enquiry it was (learned that—wonderful to relate—nobody was seriously hurt, not even the engineer, Mr Flint, who was ini the engine-room at the time, and whose escape from instant death was little short. of miraculous. ‘ He states that he was standing between the two engines; where he could command both levers. He had just shut off the steam in one engine, and was crossing to shut off the other, when suddenly and without the slightest, warning, the immense cast-iron fly wheel, 17ft in diameter ami weighing, nearly .five tons, which was revolving with great rapidity, flew into hundreds of pieces, which were hurled with gigantic force in all directions, the largest pieces going straight up through the roof, which was. dashed to pieces in a moment, the steam pipe also being swept down. Some of the frag-

mente were projected a long distance. One weighing nearly half a ton was flung fully 100 yards, and another piece, which must weighs quite scwt, after . ascending some 200 ft into the air, came down with such force as almost to bury itself in the hard ground, only just missing Mr Thirkell, who was close by. The escape of the engineer is truly remarkable. He was within a few feet of the fly-wheel when the accident occurred, yet none of the flying masses of iron touched him. He was knocked'"down by the shock, and sustained some trifling cuts and bruises. Even more singular is the comparatively' slight damage sustained by the machinery. Fortunately the principal force of the concussion was upwards and was expended on the roof. The engines them-, selves were not injured, and the real damage consists in the destruction of the great fly-wheel itself—.which is the one in use since the opening of the slip, the demolition of the roof and' of the steampipe. It is estimated that the coat of repairs will, not greatly £IOO, and certainly will be within £200.”