Sessional_Paper_1900 — Page 223

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STEAMER No. 2.

(Land Engine by Shand and Mason.)

This Engine has been twenty-one years in service (boiler two years); it has been regularly tested at drill for drivers and has been overhauled and inspected during the year and is now in good working

order.

STEAMER NO. 3.

(Land Engine by Shand and Mason.)

This Engine has been twenty years in service; it has been thoroughly overhauled during the year. It is now stationed at Yaumati and is in good working order.

STEAMER No. 4.

(Land Engine by Shand and Mason.)

This Engine has been eighteen years in service; it has been opened up for inspection during the year and found in good order and condition; it has also done some good work at fires.

STEAMER NO. 5.

(Land Engine by Shand and Mason.)

This Engine has been thirteen years in service; it has been thoroughly overhauled during the year, has done some good work at fires, and is now in good order and condition.

All the Manual Engines and gear as well as the hose reels, ladders and supply carts are in good order and condition.

I have the honour to be,

The Honourable

F. H. MAY, C.M.G..

Superintendent,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

JOHN W. KINGHORN, Chief Engineer, Government Fire Brigade.

Government Fire Brigade.

(Evidence given by Capt. Langhorne and Mr. Frank Browne at the Magisterial Enquiry into the Origin of the Fire at the Cháp Yik Godown.)

Captain LANGHORNE said-I am an officer of the Ordnance Department. I have made experiments with crackers similar to those produced. One kind was put in close confinement in a small cylinder, was heated in a fire and burst very violently. About one-third of the cracker exploded. The other kind of cracker, when subjected to similar treatment, produced very much the same result. The experiments were carried out in an ordinary forge fire, gradually heated up. I should think the explosion occurred at from 600 to 700 degrees Fahr

Mr. MAY-Supposing that cracker box was full of either of these kinds of crackers, and it was exposed to a severe heat at a fire, what do you imagine the effect would be ?

Witness-I should think if a good many of the boxes were put so that they formed a big pack, the ones inside would be so heated that they would explode, and then the outside ones would probably be blown outwards, of course--that is to say, if they had not been burned before. I should think there would be sufficient restraint on the inside ones to produce a fairly violent explosion.

Mr. MAY--Supposing you had 500 or 600 stored in this room, and they were subjected to such a heat as would cause them to explode as you describe, can you tell us what you would expect the effect would be on the building?

Witness-It would certainly be an extremely violent explosion, sufficient to do a good deal of damage. I think the explosion would be local. It would be more or less on the same lines as the explosion of a cap. The explosion would spread by throwing débris and burning rubbish, and even by throwing the crackers themselves, about the place. The actual effects of the explosion, however, would be purely local.

(Witness was shown some other specimens of crackers. )

Mr. MAY-From the experiments made with these two kinds of crackers you have experimented upon,

do you consider these crackers dangerous articles?

Witness-I should think they were dangerous articles unless special precautions were taken for their custody. They are pretty easily ignited. I do not suppose they would ignite through friction-- anyone treading on them-but in case of fire it would be extremely dangerous.