Dynamiters at Charters Towers.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7948, 11 October 1905, Page 2

Dynamiters at Charters Towers.

o A TFUMMC KXTmsTOX. MINK KXfilX-R WIfF.CKFI-1. A terrible explosion occunvd in the Queen (.'toss mill Vharter.i Towers. (Juii'inilainl, ou a recunt Kmnlay. Acccavling t'o -an cxahairgp. the uiigine \ras compietely wrectixl. The <lamuge is ettitnatod at over £l,000. Xw ono w»s injured. The mill erased work at midnight. Two watchmen sat up 'till two a.m. and then went to bed, Kxactly at four o'clock a terrific explosion rosit the. air,,and was huard 17 miles. An immense column of black smoke, which in a second or two burst in.fo terrible (lame, iiruyiiiuvtid the district. Mr MacLaron. the manager, his 'wife, ami four children were in u houw ',O yards aw.ay, wftich was partiitllT profectj-d by a wood heap. V pieeir of the end of n cyiinder craslud through the wall of the house, cut the piano in two, and droppvd on ,tlw floor, just as - . Mr-ami Mrs MacLareu were rushing through to the children's rooms.

H'he explosion set -Ihc fireW-001l alire, but llki lire brigade, cxt'liiffiiished the flumes. Two watchmen, .1 antes Shiinnoii and .Initios Kill's, after a few ninnies' 'delay, crawled Irmt under Hie 'debris. Shannon was uninjured, nitri KHis recuivud cuts oh his toes. Many neighbours' houses were bombai'deil 'by pieces of iron 21b t'o 81b weight, ilHor'H wese blown open, and 'hundreds of windows were smashed. All small china ami glassware wure broken within a radius of 150 yds. ttne garden l."VO yds trout the cxplosiwi, contained, n piece of Cylinder ."iillb weight, ami ironwork Wits strewn all over the loan lit*-. It is believed Mat a case of dynamite was'di.posilwl.ilx-t ween Hie hi git and lon- pressure cylinders. The whole, engine was blown Into space, cxvupt thfl crank shaft.' 'which is bent, ami Ihc flywheel. The roof of the engine-house aud th* mill were wrecked. The sebV-fei.der pulleys on the shafting allhat cud of'the mill ware stripped off. The 'boiier-hoiisii roof hud go»u, and the boilors wore covered with debris. They iwt.v lit; s-trained, but the briukwork appeal's U) have prolec-Ud thein. The inill cleaned up g-old ,»i the Thursday, and as no anntlgam was on the plains, the watchers, as. is customary, went to Iral,

aitaiHVon. oni. of the watdnnen. said ha was awake at the time oi the explosion. The e.\])losiou was deafening, and the flume, was opalling. Then (mine a' soiso of rending timbii's. i 11.- impeded to be killed every moment in the pitch dark. He was itfraitl the chf.ii'.ney would fall but it was iffiiifu nniiviiir,.'rt. M'his is the third explosion since Cliristunis, IM'.m. jrhen an ('Xidosion in \hc llri.llrant.Divp Levels damaged the brace to the ex4»n(. of £.-.n«. In Uecuuiber, . )Sil7. the Mill* I'niU-il niag'a/.in<! was ,-vplodirf, wrecking the engine liou.sr, wWch cost &IHOO. It also dkligreat damagv in tl'm town. Much i'onslern«ii()n attd uneasiness are fell at the presence of il.vn-ainitn's in. tlti conniiiHiity. CJreat pnrt?autions will now be liiktin, On SaluriJay night anil Sunday morning is I lie onl'y tiinethe mill is po(■ working. The watehimm ossajwd beaattse <kf (lie concrete fonmlitlion of the 'dynamo rovm lielwi-en them and the (ynire of the iixplos-ion, which was only .'luff away. Amazement is expressed at Ihe rtariug-nf the dynamiters, who had tr. carry at least -a c«so, protwlyly two easas ..( (hnniulte througilt it cfoselywlllcd localliily. lit™ vuliw a ik-or only :iofJ away fr«m Ihe wa(chtm«t. deposit the dynamlle. anil light a sullicleit'l lergllt of fuse to enable them to get away. The I'orue of the explosion may |-,,i gathered from the taut thai over fonr l«ms of solid metal were blown Into Hpucn. Tito fact thai the (Kmitiilters rhitsn tlvn vfnlelcsl lime shows lhal I hey w-ere'prud-enl as well lis daring. The p.licu are ncllVß. I*nl llie.v have no dim.

Work will not In: slopped a! I'he' mine, wlmrci i!l!0 inert ai>c 'pniployml, hill crushing'* are likely al other mills until repairs are effected ami n new oHjfiiw inbtfllled.