BLASTING FATALITY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 23, 10 January 1912, Page 5

BLASTING FATALITY.

MAN KILLED BY PREMATURE BLAST. (Per Press AssockKioi*./ Timaru, January 9. A fatal accident happened at the Harbour Board’s quarry this afternoon. A blast fired prematurely, and a rockfall caught and killed a man named O’Neil, seriously injuring the board’s engineer, Mr. W. H. Clark, and slightly injuring a third man. Timaru, Later. Details of the Harbour Board’s quarry fatality are that the tunnel had been driven under the face of a rock about 30 feet high, the drive having two tees, in which 54 kegs of blasting powder were placed and the drive filled in. At 3.30 p.m. preparations were made to fire the charge and the workmen were ordered out, and a watch set at each end of the quarry. There remained the harbour board’s engineer (Mr. E. W. Clarke), quarry foreman Calvert and O’Neil the tunneller. O’Neil had prepared the fuse for lighting. Calvert was six yards away and Clarke a chain away. Clarke told O’Neil that all was ready to light and to come away. From some cause the explosion followed immediately, and the vertical face of the rock was broken up and thrown outwards, burying O’Neil. Pieces large and small were hurled some distance. One big piece hit Clarke on the left leg, lacerating the flesh, and breaking the bone at the ankle. Calvert was moving away as directed, and a big piece hit him on the shoulder, knocking him down. He got up and went to Clarke, who s;vd he was seriously hurt. Then he looked for O’Neil who was not to be seen, being completely buried. Other men came up and the ambulance and doctors were sent for. The injured man was conveyed away and all hands set to work to extricate O’Neil, and after three hours or so succeeded. The body was found doubled up, but less crushed than was expected. The deceased, Patrick O’Neill, was a man about 10 years of age, with a young v, ife and four children.