SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS
120,000 GALLONS OF PETROL LOST CHRISTCHURCH, Tins Day. Tho spectacle towards midnight was awe-inspiring, and a huge crowd gathered. Sheets of flame and thick columns of smoke shot hundreds of feet into the air. At the same time there was a noise like a battery of machine guns firing as petrol containers exploded. ' Later this noise died away, but at intermittent- intervals the ground trembled with tho force of explosions inside the blazing building. / Tho most spectacular scene was when the main part of the roof fell in. The petrol store was filled with oil on Wednesday afternoon. The whole consignment taken in totalled about 120,000 gallons, and all this went -up in smoke and (lame. Goods sheds opposite' Brown and Son’s store were cleared in record time by railwaymen. As soon as the danger was observed the department called in alt its staff and all goods in the shed opposite the fire were rapidly loaded into railway waggons. An engine was attached and the train was kept in readiness to haul out if danger threatened. Messrs Brown estimate the total dam-, age caused by the burning of the petrol store at £12,000. The store was covered by a policy of £2500 in the Royal Office, and the petrol by a floating policy. v
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Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 2 August 1929, Page 4
Word Count
217SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 2 August 1929, Page 4
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