Terrible Accident.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 18, 16 March 1870, Page 7

Terrible Accident.

The Maitland Mercwy gives the following account of a terrible accident, resulting in the loss of two lives, which recently occurred there :—" Mrs Avev, in the a!--aence of her husband, a publican in Maitland, who was up the country, went clown into the cellar, accompanied by her litf'e. girl, in order to mix some spirits for sale, taking a lighted candle with her. While pouring some rum into a cask through a funnel, the candle by Rome means came in contact with the spirit which was being poured out, and ignited it. Mrs Avey instantly seized a broom, and endeavoured to sweep the burning spirit from the top of the cask, but in doing so, she unfortunately swept some of it through the hung hole. This no sooner happened than the spirit in the cask exploded, and almost simultaneously the cask adjoining and another cask in the middle of the cellar, both of which contained spirits, exploded also with a noise like the report of a cannon. Mrs Avey, with maternal instinct, at once attempted to place her little girl out of the cellar, and a girl named Margaret Hutchins, who was waiting at the top of the cellar stairs to pass a bucket of water, endeavored to lift the child up. But the body of flame rushing up the entrance of the cellar was so strong that it was with great difficulty that this could be done, and at this moment injuries wera inflicted that cost two of the sufferers their lives. Margaret Hutchins, who was bailing over the entrance to tire collar, was severly burnt about the head and face, while the poor little girl was burnt chiefly on the legs and lower part of the body. Mrs Avey was doubtless protected to some extent by her dress, for her principle injuries are on the head, feet, and arms. The collar was, by the time' Mrs ..Avey got out, a body of flame-; but fortunately a n'nrabf.r of neighbour?., who heard the explosion, irushed in, and set to work-with "vigor and

put out the fire. In this they wore ho*fur, successful that thoy confined it entirely to the cellar, and no doubt by their prompt efforts preserved the whole of the building from destruction, Margaret Hutehins, whose injuries wore received through her heroic efforts to save the little girl, was conveyed to the Maitland hospital, where, in spitoof every care, she died on Saturday morning. The poor littlo girl, who bore her sufferings with great fortitude, died at her parents' residence almost at tha same moment. Mrs Avey, we are happy to hear, is progressing as favorably as could have been anticipated, and may almost be said to be.out of danger.