A DOUBLE ACCIDENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1915, Page 4

A DOUBLE ACCIDENT.

ON A POWDER iBOAT. ON'E MAN DROWNED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night, * An extraordinary double accident occurred in the harbor yesterday afternoon, iby which a man named C. Whisker was drowned, and, following his drown* ing, two men were severely burned, as a result of a mysterious explosion on the seven-ton sailing cutter Rosalie, The names of the men suffering from burns are William Huff, captain of the cutter, and Lincoln Taylor. Apparently Wbjs* •ker went on deck and fell overboard while the others were below. Efforts were made to reach him, but he wag [carried away by the tide. The fourth member of the party, a man named Coutts, who had put off in a dinghy to help deceased, then rowed to the railway wharf to inform the police of the fatality. As Coutts was returning with th« police a heavy explosion was heard, and a dense clpud of smoke issued .from the .cockpit • of'tMe Rosalii Tvyo men from the Scow Alma, whicliwas anchored not far from the Rosalie, put off in their, dinghy. On getting alongside the Rosalie, which was still smoking, they found the cockpit in flames, but they extinguished theV;blMo:..wish©iit toy Huff was found lying on decf?, practically nude, and shockingly burned, while the second man was found just dragging himself up from the cabin. Both men were put in the Alma's dinghy and taken ashore, where ambulances took them to hospital, Thorc wero several kegs of gunpowder aboard the Rosalie, and one of these had ignited in some way and exploded. STORY OF A RESCUER. Emil John Vandeberg, cook on the scow, was seen shortly after the accident, and related the following:—"I was standing in the galley when I heard the explosion, and saw a great cloud of smoke coming from the Rosalie. I at once called my mate, Quiiiten, and wo pulled off in our dinghy, taking with us a kerosene tin bucket in case we wanted to extinguish a fire. I was first to get aboard, and my mate kept pitchi ing water on the deck. 1 saw one man lying oh deck almost nude, and what Bit of clothing he bad on him wgi burning, so I at once set to work to tear It osf. He wa a shockingly burned,'and had 1 only a bit of trousers left on him. Ho was so bad that some of his skin came off with Ids clothing as I removed it. The other chap waa coming up from below, He waß not so badly iburnt as' his mate, but he seemed dazed, probably by the explosion, so I told lu'm to get off Into our dinghy. Then my mate handed me up tins of water until we put out the fire. It was a wonderful thing that all the powder was not exploded, for T saw several 201b kegs about, and in.order to put an further risk/jhrew them overboard. . There was also a gun in the hold, and a quantity of cartridges were scattered about. I then covered the worst burned man with a tarpaulin and got him into the dinghy with tha mate."