EXPLOSION AND EIRE

Waipukurau Press, Issue 306, 10 September 1908, Page 5

EXPLOSION AND EIRE

® DESTRUCTION OF THE GASWORKS. FURTHER DELAY. About a quarter to six o’clock on Tuesday evening, people in the vicinity of the gasworks were startled by the noise of an explosion, and a column of dense black smoke was at once seen to rise in the air, followed in a few seconds by great tongues of flame. The firebell clanged out an alarm, and people rushed to the scene from all directions. It appears that Mr Booth had been painting the top of the gasometer -with a view to stopping leakage, and had started the engines going so as to test the holder, Mr Gardiner, the company’s representative, who had gone to Wellington, having left him the key to do so, Mr Chambers visited the works-and assisted to stop the machinery. After the engine stopped Mr Chambers went to speak to Mr Booth, who was attending to some matters outside the building, and just as he got through the door the explosion occurred. The door was partially closed, and the force of the explosion shut it so violently as to push Mr Chambers several feet away, where he came down on hands and knees. The windows were blown out, and the flames shot past Mr Booth, who was several feet away from the building, singeing his hair and eyebrows, while some of the flying glass cut one of his hands. The first impulse of both Mr Booth and Mr Chambers was to see if the other was hurt, and they were greatly relieved at finding neither was seriously injured. It was at once seen that nothing could be done towards saving the building, which was a mass of flames, the carburetters, on bursting, throwing the petrol out in a shower. It was exceedingly fortunate that Mr Chambers had reached the doorway at the time of the explosion, and that no one was left in the building, for it seems as though it would have been impossible for anyone inside to have been saved, not only on account of the severity of the concussion, but because everything within was covered with burning petrol.

The fire burned very. fiercely and in a surprisingly short time the building collapsed, exposing to view the red-hot engines and the crumpled tanks. Anxiety was expressed by some of the spectators regarding the safety of the gasometer, but there was no cause for alarm on that score, Messrs Chambers and Booth having taken the precaution to close the valves between it and the engine-house. The engine-room was the property of the Town Board, and cost about £25 to £3O. The pumps are not thought to have been very seriously damaged by the fire, but the carburetters and bellows and some fittings have been completely destroyed. The total loss on the plant is estimated to be about £BO. Mr Booth, also, lost a few tools. CAUSE OF THE OUTBREAK. Seen after the fire, Mr Chambers said in his opinion the explosion was caused by the gas lighting back, when the pressure was turned off, till a spark reached one of the carburetters and ignited the petrol. He considers it is a mistake to use hot-air engine’s for the work, but if a small oil engine were used, and no fire was allowed in the proximity of the carburetters, in his opinion there would be absolutely no danger. Mr Booth, who was seen later regarding the matter, bore out Mr Chambers’s theory as to the cause of the explosion. There were, he estimated, about ten gallons of petrol in the tanks at the time. He also is of opinion that the use of an oil-engine would remove all danger.

Tuesday’s explosion was not the first to occur at the works, a carburetter having blown out once before. On that occasion, however, the flames were suppressed by the use of sacks.