EXPLOSION ON BOARD THE BLACK BOLL SHIPP ELECTRIC, AT PORT CHALMERS

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 74, 21 July 1863, Page 2

EXPLOSION ON BOARD THE BLACK BOLL SHIPP ELECTRIC, AT PORT CHALMERS

Another serious ship accident occurred at Port Chalmers, on S it uwlny morning. 18ch inst. The following is tin- nnrrntion of tin 1 eahißtro[)ho by the shipping reporter of the Daily Times. Ar explosion of rather an alarming character occurred' at Port r Jhalin»T% on hoard the ship Electric, a large vessel of tho Hlnelc Bill line, wliieli recently arrived under charter from Glasgow. The report of the explosion was so loud as to cause considerable alarm on board the different- vessels moored in the vicinity of the Electric, find, us it was followed by clouds of smoke trom the deck, a number of boats proceeded alongside, the Customhouse gig being the first to reach, the vessel. The (car was "that the boiler of the donkey-engine on deck had burst, but this was soon found not to have been the case, as the bulk of the' smoke was seen to come from the stern-ports, and from the quarterdeck. The explosion was found to have been caused by the ignition of some keg or kegs of gunpowder, which, along with a quantity of rockets, had been deposited in a locker or magazine in one ■ >ft ho st.Mte-rooins contiguous to the cabin, and, so violent had it been, that, from the fore-part of the puop to the wheel, the deck was raised several feet and burst, opi-r, while the cabin and the several s'lile-ruoms, puittries, and other apartments adj. ining, were driven into ««io comptete mass of wreck? At the moment of the explosion there were only two of the ship's company in the cabin, ' t\e chief oilicer, Mr. Lawson. and the Rtewnrd, Al- ' !f ed Marsh. Mr. Lawson was seated at the ea'iin ! tiible, and the steward was busying himself in his 1 ordinary duties, when, to their utter condemn) ion, and before they could realise what had occurred, they were lifted from their feet, and with n riiflj-s of broken doors, panellings bulk heads, and ciibin furniture, were hurled several yards in different directions. How they escaped instantaneous death is surprising. As it is, it is very much feared that ! the steward, Marsh, is so seriously hurt as to have ! little chance of recovrv. Since his recovery fio n the mass of wreck, * hich wn9 at once effected, he has been quite/ insensible, and there is a tear that he hus sustained very daugcrous, if not fatal in--1 juries, to the spine. ' Mr. Lawson was more fortunate, but he was rather severely scorched about the face and hend, and, in addition to norae bruises, has had three of his r'.bs broken. Ho was, however, sufficiently able to superintend the extinguishing | of the fire which succeeded the explosion, ant^ by the active exertions of (he crew and others on board, it was got und'T before it had even reached such dimensions as to cause alarm for the safety of the ship. , The Amount of damage sustained by the explosion itself, however, has been considerable. Several of the dock I -cams were broken, and as the companion aud sky-light were burst up, they unshipped the spanker boom, which, in itfl fall, smashed the wheel. The interior of the poop, m han been mentioned, hus been completely driven to piec 's. nnd ihere is no doubt a good deal of loss will be sustained by Captain Marshall by the destruction, ot chronometers nn.l other nautical instruments. Fortunately for him, he had gone to Duiicdin in the morning, thus escaping tho risk which be would otherwise have incurred. Of the two innings of the cabin, at the time of the esploaion. ilursh is, as it happens, the only one seriously hurt, and he now lies at Port Chalmers under the caro of Dr. Urquhart, who was speedily in attendance. Ho is a. young man who arrived here some lime ago as steward of the Akbar, and, who in tli« intervul previous to his engagement by Captain Marshall, had been employed on the City of Hobart, and as a bariuun in the Royal George Hotel, Dunedin.