INVENTOR KILLED BY HIS INVENTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 286, 27 November 1908, Page 3

INVENTOR KILLED BY HIS INVENTION.

I BOY SCIENTIST'S FATAL DISCOVERY. A new explosive may have been lost to the world by the terrible death of Hugh La lining, the sixteen-year-old scientist, who was killed while experimenting at his home at Weymouth (Eng.) recently. According to the evidence, given at the inquest, he was using some high 'Xplosive, of which the base at least was picric acid or a similar substance. Although diligent inquiries had been made it could not be ascertained that he had purchased picric acid, and it was stated that lie might have made it himself or have hit on a new combination. I It was stated that the lw>y was advanced in Bcienee far beyond his years, , and that he had been working with j high explosives for two or three years. He had been accustomed to carry out some of his experiments in the open country, where he could watch the effect of his explosions. Major Crozier, the Home Office expert on explosives, said that the boy was undoubtedly working with some sort of bomb filled with a pieric acid compound. ' From the stains which lie found about the room, he judged that the lrov might have made the picric acid himself. A verdict of " Accidental Death was returned. Jjamiing's schoolmaster. Mr. <>liu>i. told a representative of Lloyd's News llmt the boy had a perfect genius for chemical research. : "It is possible, he said, that his experiments he had discovered some explosive that we know nothing of. "Lanning was a gran, fellow am had a great future ahead of lnni. 11 ■was his ambition to get into the C.overn ment Explosives department.