Terrific Explosion.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 84, 30 March 1914, Page 5

Terrific Explosion.

IN UPPER HUTT STORE.

AS THE RESULT OF FIRE.

6 KILLED: 7 INJURED.

TWO PREMISES BURNED.

OTHER BUILDINGS RIDDLED.

IPbb Pbesi Absooiation.l

Wellington, March 28

At midnight last night a fire broke out at Upper Hutt, in a general store occupied by Benge and Pratt. Townspeople hurried to the scene to assist in salvaging goods, and while they were so occupied a terrific explosion occurred. Five men were killed outright, and seven injured, one of whom has died since. THE LIST OF KILLED. constable Denis Mahoney. James Comesky, the postmaster. William Flynn, railway guard. George Taylor, railway porter. Michael Toohey, bridge contractor. John Wssley Vivian, assistant storeman. THE INJURED. V. McGovern, member of the Town Board. Edward Pelling, blacksmith. George Taylor, junior railway porter. James Hagan, caretaker of Trentham rifle range. Charles Walters, a signalman. T. Costello, a signalman. COMBATTING THE OUTBREAK.

The fire was discovered by Constable Mahoney about 11.45 p.m., and partners of the firm were notified, and people in adjoining premises awakened. Mahoney and others began to remove goods from the stiop. This was continued for some minutes, till fears were expressed .that the building would collapse and bury the men working inside.

Constable Mahoney said he would go, in. and "get the. boys out." He is said to have brought out .men called Stott and Vivian, and entered the store a third time. Just as he had entered the door an explosion occurred, completely wrecking the store and seriously damaging neighboring buildings. The post office clock stopped at nine minutes past 1.2 o'clock. . < ■ , •

'»".■'■ \ AFTER THE EXPLOSION.

The force of the explosion is indicated by the fact that big pieces of timber were thrown a chain away. The hotel next door was riddled as if it had been shelled by a field-gun.' Every window in the neighborhood was smashed completely. Flynn was the guard of the midnight up-train, which had just arrived from Wellington, and Taylor, the junior porter at the station, had just arrived on the scene when the explosion occurred. They were apparently both at work on the footpath in front of the store.

Taylor's head was almost completely severed presumably by flying plateglass. Flynn was buried beneath the debris, and when found portions of his legs and arms were missing. Comesky, the postmaster, as soon as he saw the fire, went to the office of Edwards, a carrier, at the corner of the burning store, and started to remove the telephone. He was doing this when the explosion occurred. He was found later in the street, with a heavy window sash on him and portion of a wall on top of this. He was still breathing, but died within a very short time. Toohey was standing on the balcony at the corner of the Provincial Hotel, next the fire, playing a small hose on the side of the hotel. The force of the explosion blew him back on to the verandah, and he was badly injured, dying after admission to the hospital. Crabtree, the licensee, who was standing beside Toohey, was thrown to the ground, but escaped unhurt. Vivian was found lying dead on the ground. Just how he met his death is not known.

Of the injured men, Walters was assisting to remove drapery, and was blown right across to the other side of the street. Besides those whose names are mentioned, a number of others suffered minor injuries from the Hying debris. The injured were attended to as quickly as possible, medical assistance being summoned from Lower Hutt, and at 2 o'clock a special train left for Wellington with the most serious cases.

The cause of the explosion is 1 known. The owners say there were no explosives in the shop, which was, however, lighted hy acetylene gas. NARROW ESCAPES. A man named Broad, a clerk in the railway station, was helping to carry goods out of the shop, and, finding the smoke and heat too much, went outside, He was just out of the door when the explosion occurred. He was unhurt. Another man, named Thomas, was blown, right across the street and was unscathed. Several others had almost similar experiences. NO FIRE BRICADE. Upper Hutt has just had a water supply service installed, but does not possess a fire brigade. There is only

{one fire hose available, and this was I used to good effect in preventing the | spread of the fire. Fortunately j there was no wind, otherwise the town would have been gutted. OTHER DAMAGE. The destroyed building was an old two-storeyed structure built about 40 iyears ago. The building and fittings were insured for £275 in the Commercial Union office, and the stock for £IBOO in the Guardian office. Hazelwood's grocery store next door, a brick building, was burnt out, only the walls being left. This was insured for £9OO in the Alliance office, and the stock for £IBOO in the same office. The Provincial Hotel, on the other side of Benge and Pratt's, had all its windows broken and holes knocked in the wall by flying debris.

THE WHOLE PLACE WRECKED.

The explosion was heard at Kaiwarra, nearly 20 miles away, while at Lower Hutt and Petone, it is stated, the ground shook perceptibly. In Upper Hutt itself, the force of the explosion was so great that windows were broken half a mile away from the fire. The acetylene gas generator supplying the shop lights at Benge and Pratt's was situated in the shed at the back, and is said to have been in good order. The explosion simply wrecked the whole place. PARTICULARS OF THE DEAD. Constable Mahoney's body was so badly mutilated that it was only recognised by means of the handcuffs. He was. about forty years of age, and leaves a widow and three young children. He h&d been about five years at Upper Hutt. \ Guard Flynn was about 35 years of age, and leaves a widow. Comesky had been in ! charge of the Upper Hutt post office, for about two years. He 1 was 57 years old, a,nd leaves a widow and grown-up family of seven. ' ; ! ;

Vivian was about.3s, but'no details of his family are.known.!';- \ Toohey was about 28, and is said to have been employed by the Maymorn Estate Sawmillink Company. Taylor, who was killed, was 21 years old, and was employed at the Hutt.