NARROW ESCAPE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 982, 25 July 1882, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPE.

A rather singular occurance, but one evidently attended by some danger, took place at the City Hotel, Christchurch, on Wednesday last week. According to the Licensed Victuallers Gazette a gentleman named Eyan jokingly asked the barman to blow through a stick. The barman, suspecting nothing, of conrse, took the stick and blew through a small orifice. Before blowing, however, he presented the stick riflewise at another person, who dodged aw»y from it, and by doing this-

evidently saved himself from serious injury. The barman blew as directed, and the result was most astonishing. A loud report and the room was filled with smoke A large picture indicating the excellence of some brewer's ale, hanging against the wall, wa£ pierced with small marks of fine shot; a kerosene tin arid a trarelling portmanteau were equally the company were thrown into a state of consternation. Further than this there was no damage done, which was very fortunate. The stick appears to have been loaded with some kicd of dynamite explosive, which required nothing but a puff to bring its destructive quality into play. The injury done to the port manteau, tin, and picture, shows that if the coutents had been lodged in anyone's head instead of in those articles the result might have been the reverse of trivia 1 .