FOUR MEN INJURED

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20914, 20 September 1939, Page 11

FOUR MEN INJURED

DELAYED EXPLOSION FORTUNATE ESCAPE (Special to Times) PAHIATUA, Wednesday Four men were injured in the Makuri Gorge yesterday when a delayed explosion occurred during blasting operations. They were:—Mr G. Anceil, works foreman, who received fractured ribs and a cut on the head; Mr C. Dinan, abrasions and bruises on the face; Mr T. Chamberlain, bruises on the throat; Mr B. Lee, bruises on the leg. A charge had been prepared and the fuse lighted, but as it did not explode in an hour it was regarded as a misfire and the men were about to investigate when the foreman appeared. He was questioning the men when the explosion occurred. Mr Anceil suffered most, being struck on the chest by papa clay and Hung over the edee of the gorge. His fall was arrested by bushes about 9ft. below. "All 1 heard was a thud and the next thing that I knew was that 1 was over th«c bank,” said Mr Anceil. "It was lucky there was just that few moments of delay while I was talking to the men,” said Mr Anceil, “otherwise they might have gone up to the charge to have a look at it, and that would have been the end of them.”