FATAL ACCIDENTIN BLASTING OPERATIONS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2298, 18 May 1886, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENTIN BLASTING OPERATIONS.

STONES HURLED A DISTANCE OF 150 YARDS,

ONE PERSON KILLED AND SEVERAL OTHERS SERIOUSLY INJURED.

(United Press Association.) DiraEDiN, this day. A fatal accident occurred lust evening at 5 o'clock. The unemployed working in Dowliug-street had. boon firing blasts within the past few days, and just before the hour mentioned a blast was fired, and either from too large a charge of powder or not sufficient binding, or probably both, some of the very large stones wore hurled some distance. Some fell in Princess-street, and an expressman is stated to have had his thigh fractured. Numbers fell on the roofs of shops in Princess-street, and one large piece which came crushing through the roof of the London Photographic Rooms crushed and instantly killed Mrs Finch, sister of the wife of the proprietor, Mr Irvine. Mrs Irvine, who herself was sitting at the same table, had her skull fractured, and her recovery is doubtful. Two other ladies in the room received slight injuries, The London Photographic Rooms are fully 150 yards distant from where the blast took place. Some of the stones penetrated over the roofs in the vicinity, the chimney of one being wrecked. The blasting operations are snid to bo in charge of one of the unemployed, who received 6d per day extra.