LIVERPOOL SHAKEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1004, 21 June 1930, Page 14

LIVERPOOL SHAKEN

STORAGE TANK EXPLODES SIX DEAD; 35 INJURED j Scenes resembling the horrors of a battlefield accompanied the great explosion oE a silo, or storage tank, standing over 100 ft high in the great factory of Bibby’s Oil Cake Mills, Neptune Street, Liverpool, reports the "Dail3 r Chronicle.*” In tlie silo was a huge quantity of meal and wheat. Over 300 men were working in the block oE buildings in which the silo i is situated when a deaEening crash, accompanied by a blinding flash, swept most of them off their feet and hurled some of them several yards. Part of the roof of this block of buildings was lifted several feet in the air and blown across the street, where It ripped off the roof of another building. Dense Smoke Volumes of dense smoke poured from the burning premises, in which iron girders had been twisted into fantastic shapes and woodwork shattered to fragments. Large buildings over a mile away were shaken. Heartrending scenes followed. Men temporarily blinded by the flash of the explosion and the smoke made frantic efforts to escape, but many oE them groped their way in vain until rescue came. Crowds of spectators in the streets ; looked on in horror, relieved only by the heroism shown by the rescuers. One man was seen standing naked on top of the silo waving his arms. All his clothes had been blown off him and his flesh seemed as though it were on fire. He looked as if he were going to jump into the street more than 100 ft below. He was known to his fellow-workers as Jo, and shouts went up from those in the street who knew him, of “Jo, don’t jump.” William Hyams, an engineer employed at the mill, helped in a gallant rescue of the man. He crawled along a girder, twisted by the flames, toward the burning man. Before, however, he could reach him, a second explosion occurred. Miraculously Hyams escaped injury. Only his cap was blown off. Undeterred by his narrow escape, Hyams crawled on, and with the assistance of firemen,' rescued Jo and brought him down into the street badly injured. Several injured workmen deliberately risked their chances of escape by trying to rescue others.

Exit Reached One man was so badly hurt that he could not stand. But he rolled over and over on the floor pushing another man toward an exit. They reached the exit, but the other man was then found to be dead. Frank Allen, another employee, was j burned to death in the building. He j was so badly injured that his brother ) was only able to Identify him by a ' signet ring. “Yellow Flash” A graphic description of the scene was given by Edward Rowan, of Emery Street, Liverpool, one of the injured. “There was a sudden report and a yellow flash went through the room in which I was working,” he said. “I was almost blown off my feet, and fell with my face against a pile of meal. “Flames flashed ae.ross my face and then for a moment I was in complete darkness. When at length I could see again T managed to stagger down (he several flights of steps into the street.” Clothes Burned Off i Mr. Owen, another employee, said j that when the explosion occurred there j were about a hundred men in the im- ! mediate area. There was a flash and j shower of meal. j “Several men were thrown to the ground,” he said. “Some had their i clothes burnt off them and others had ! their skins turn black.” There were distressing scenes out- ! side tlie two hospitals to which the I injured were taken.