A MELBOURNE SENSATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2710, 14 January 1910, Page 5

A MELBOURNE SENSATION.

I CABLE NEWS.

PREMATURE EXPLOSION OF A SHELL. MANY ARTILLERYMEN INJURED. United Unicss Abhooiation — Copyright (Received January 13, 9.20 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Jan. 3. During practice operations at Point Nepean, a shell ifrom a 9.2-inch gun exploded, wounding 13 men j including Major McK night. The injuries were only slight in the majority of cases. (Received' January 13, 10.45 (p.m.)

Tihe injured are Major McKnight (fractured pelvis), Lieut. Anderson (concussion and injuries to the eye), Sergt. Hardy (fractured arm), Sergt. Scott (injuries to eyes), Gunner AYilkinson (injuries to head). Gunner Monchmore (injury to eyes), Gunner Hatley (injuries in the region of the heart), Gunn'er Finch (injuries to hip), . War-rant-Officer Henderson, Corporals Brynell and Dike, Gunners Cox, Davern, and Hartley (contusions and shock). Gunner Finch was sent to the hospital. Gunner Hatley has developed serious symptoms.

All the injured men were in the gun-pit at the time of the explosion. The gun is on hydro-pneumatic mountings. and was loaded in the pit, and then elevated. The charge went off before the gun cleared' the parapet. The projectile ricochetted, and broke to pieces, fillling the pit with smoke and flame. The projectile weighed 380 pounds, the charge consisting of 64 pounds of powder.

AIEN HURLED IN ALL DIRECTIONS

(Received January 14, 1.10 a.m.)

The big gun practice at Point Nepean was part- of the Kitchener camp scene. The fatal gun 'had fired two shots. There had also been two misfires. In consequence of this it was decided to substitute a percussion tube for an electric tube. After this had been done the gun was loaded, and was being raised again when it prematurely exploded. The shell caused terrific havoc. It struck and wrecked the masonry, and then richoclietted almost vertically into the air. The artillerymen- were hurled in all directions, stunned and bleeding, thirteen out of fourteen in the gun-pit being injured. Guuner Finch was struck by a, projectile held in readiness for the next shot, and was sent to the hospital suffering from a supposed fractured pelvis.

LIST OF THE INJURED

(Received January 14, 1.15 a.m.)

A corrected list of the injured gives only eleven names: Hardy, Scott, Britwell, Dike, Davern, AVilldnson, Alouch. more, Hartney, Finch, Cook, and Slattery. It states that Alajor AlcKnight was not injured. He attended to the wounded.

The cause of the accident is not known. Most of the men are still too dazed to form an opinion. The officers are very reticent. One suggestion is that in locking the breech, the charge was exploded by concussion. But for the fact that the -gun, after descending, was stopped and loaded two feet above the usual base, probably the whole of the men of the detach- ; ment would have been killed.