EXPLOSION AT OHAKUNE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 37, 18 May 1916, Page 2

EXPLOSION AT OHAKUNE.

“O®*I j Per Press Association, j Tailiape. May 18. I At the inquest on the men killed at Ohakune by explosion, James Kgerton, ( the shift I)o, ss, said there was one thousand 'four hundred hundredweights of j explosives iu the charge that exploded. I Pie could form no opinion of the cause jof the explosion. The staking of the ' explosives was completed before the concreting-up work commenced. The explosives used wore camhl'ites. gelignite and dynamite. The two latter had to he warmed before the charge was I put in. The man Torrens had not been ' found, despite continuous search. , William Henderson said he was working in the, quarry when, he heard .the ' explosion. He ran away and the body of Davis landed beside him. No trace , of Torrens could he found. | Eleas Partridge, carpenter, gave evidence that ho was erecting casing to receive earth and concrete to on dose the charge, when lie left at | r e to five. I The only man in the tunnei was Torrens. who was packing concrete in. i Dr. Feltham gave evidence that the bodies of Mellsop, Davis and McGarrx were mutilated after death, as death ! must have been instantaneous from !the concussion. | The inquest was then adjourned for a fortnight. According to advice received to-day by the Minister of Public Works, the , report"previously received that No. ’>l 1 tunnel had been charged and was he--1 ing sealed when the explosion occurred was incorrect. Mellsopp (assistant engineer) and Davis (overseer) were superintending the charging of the tunnel when the explosion occurred, i The two men who were injured wore outside the tunnel, and after the ex- . plosion one of them lighted a candle . end went into the tunnok Pie was affected by'gas, .however, and had to j come out. Both men were taken to the I hospital.