EXPLOSION OF CAPS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 41, 12 February 1876, Page 4

EXPLOSION OF CAPS.

.The following details of tbe frightful accident reported by telegram are supplied by the Northern Miner of Dec. 25:— On Monday the Messrs Lissner received a case of detonating caps, which nre used for mining purposes io connection with litbofracteur. Being partly damaged by the rain, a man named Antoni,au Italian, waa employed to i sort out tbe damaged caps to dry tbem in the sun, and to repack them iv their boxes. The case contained altogether 5,000 capß. In tbis sbed, Ebenezer Thomas Russell, a regular employe of the firm, was engaged all the day stowing porter caaes and other matter; George Benjamin, a very old employ, of the firm, was engaged in the shop, and Mr Russell was in his office, at the back. An altercation bad, it. appears, taken place between George Benjamin and E. T. Russell. Mr Robert Russell, bis cousin, hearing the row, went into the sbed, and on going in saw the twe men fighting; they were at thiß time 20 ft from the case of caps. He separated them, and Benjamin returned with him into the shop. At that time Antoni was in the front of the storeroom. Soon after this Mr Robert Russell heard bigb words again in the sbed, and beiog indignant tbat his remonstrance was not regarded, remained where he was. Mr Walstab, however, went towards the shed to stop the row, but before be got to tbe place a tremendous explosion took place, and the .ides and roof of tbe storeroom were blown into the air. He rushed into the shed, which was filled with smoke and fumes of the exploded caps. On tbe ground lay a mass of blood and fleshbe''recognised Benjamin, who spoke, and said he could not help it. Antoni rushed into the street all covered with blood, sang out feebly for help, and then sank down pn the ground. The theory of the explosion is that the two men, in quarrelling, pitched against the mats of sugar, on which tbe case of caps was temporarily laid. At tbe foot of tbe mats of sugar, lay an open camp oven. Tbe caps rolled into this, and the case with the rest of the caps fell on top of tbem, producing the effect of the blow of the hammer. A simultaneous explosion of all tbe loose caps followed. The camp oven was shattered into a thousand bits, from |in to 2in, -which, acted with all the deadly effect of a shell. George Benjamin's left hand was blown through the iron of the building, making a large bole in tbe iron, and w as picked up in tbe yard next day below the Mining Exohange Hotel. His head, on the left side, was completely scalped, and he received other terrible wounds about the body. He wae conveyed quickly to tbe hospital. Dr. Scharffenberg amputated the arm about 8 o'clock, but be sank rapidly, expiring about 11 o'clock. Antoni received severe wounds in both legs from the fragments of the oamp oven.