Thomas Mee, an employee on the railway construction works at Catlins River, was badly burned by ignited gunpowder early yesterday morning. It is stated that about 3 a.m. he struck a match to see the time on his watch, and inadvertently threw the burning match into a keg of gunpowder, which exploded. Mee was brought to Dunedin and admitted to the Hospital last evening. His injuries are severe. -Evening Star, 2/4/1913.
EX-CONTSTABLE'S DEATH
THROUGH A GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION.
Early on the morning of April 1 Thomas Mee, formerly mine host of the Peacock Hotel, Dunedin, and an ex-constable under Commissioner Weldon, but lately employed on the the Catlins railway construction works, lit a match to see the time, and inadvertently threw the lighted match into a keg of blasting powder standing by the foot of his bed in a tent at Papatowai, thus causing an explosion, which severely burned the unfortunate man, who died in the Dunedin Hospital on Wednesday night at 11.30 o'clock.
Mr C. C. Graham, District Coroner, held an inquiry at the Hospital this forenoon. Sub-inspector Fouhy representing the police.
Dr Stewart, house surgeon at the Dunedin Hospital, said that the deceased was admitted to the Hospital about 7.15 p.m. on April 1. He was in fair condition, but suffering from extensive burns, which had scorched practically the whole of his body. In the early hours of the following morning he became delirious, and suffered considerably from shock as the result of the extensive nature of the burns. From that time he did not regain consciousness, and he died at 11.30 p.m. on April 2, as a result of severe shock following on the extensive burns on his body. The character of the burns proved that they had been caused by gunpowder. His case was hopeless from the beginning.
James Cockburn, laborer on the Catlins railway construction works, said the deceased (who had been similarly employed) was a married man, aged 67 years. His tent at the works at Papatowai adjoined that of witness. On the night of March 31 deceased slept alone in his own tent, which was 3ft away from witness's tent. Deceased had in his tent a small cask of powder — about 6lb or 7lb. The tent was 8ft by 10ft. The powder, when the witness last saw it, was by the foot of deceased's bed. About 5.15 a.m. on April 1 witness was awakened by the report of an explosion in deceased's tent. Witness rushed out and saw Mee's tent all in flames. Witness had three kerosene tins of rain water at hand, and he "wired in" and threw the water on the burning tent. He thought deceased was inside the tent. After controlling the flames a bit he sang out: "Where are you, Tom?. Mee came round the tent and said: "I'm here, Jim." quite sensibly. Witness thought that deceased must have been blown out of his tent. A little later Mee went back into his tent, which was still on fire, and sat on the bed. He was apparently in great pain. Another mate and a farmer and his wife came on the scene, and with witness removed Mee to another tent, where he was dressed and bandaged to the best of their ability. The burns were very extensive — in fact, all over his body. Mee had told witness that he had awakened. during the night, struck a match to see the time, threw the lighted match into the keg of blasting powder, and then when he saw his mistake, tried to pick the match out. Just then the explosion occurred. There was no doctor in the neighborhood, so he was sent by trap to Caberfeidh (that is Thomas Mackenzie's battlecry, remarked witness by the way), and thence by train to Dunedin. The keg in which the powder had been kept was shivered into little pieces.
Sub-inspector Fouhy: Is it customary to keep the powder in the tents where workmen sleep?
Witness: Oh, no.
Mr Fouhy: How did that keg of powder come to be there?
Witness: There was no other place for it. We used to plant the powder under trees and stumps and so on, but there was so much stealing going on that we found it would not do. I lost £2 worth myself.
Mr Fouhy: Was it put in the tent for safe custody?
Witness: Yes. The department did not provide a place to stow it, and the powder had to be kept dry. Deceased was ganger and had charge of the blasting ammunition.
Robert Welshe Grace, also employed on the Catlins railway works, corroborated the evidence of the previous witness. He said that as far as he knew Mr Cockburn had given a very good account of what had happened. Witness accompanied deceased from Catlins to the Dunedin railway station, where he handed him over to his son, James Mee. Witness had not spoken to deceased about the accident, and kept other people from bothering him. Witness said he had seen powder in the tents of other workmen besides the deceased.
James Mee, a son of the deceased, identified the body, and gave formal evidence. Witness said his mother resided at Waikouaiti, and that his father left a family of two sons and a daughter.
The Coroner said it could easily be understood that when a person awoke during the night his faculties were not all about him. It was clear that in the thoughtlessness of the moment deceased had thrown a lighted match into a keg of blasting powder, had tried to remedy his mistake, but had failed to prevent an explosion. The accident was one of those simple things that might happen to anyone placed in similar circumstances. As the doctor had stated, death was due to shock following on severe burns caused by an accidental explosion of blasting powder. The coroner added that no blame was attachable to anyone. -Evening Star, 5/4/1913.
Storing gunpowder and caps and gelignite in tents is the regular custom of workmen on the Catlins railway extension. There are very few tents, indeed, where this practice is not in vogue. To leave a barrel, or part of a barrel uncovered and to carelessly throw a lighted match into it is not, however, a common occurrence. The late Thomas Mee paid the penalty of his casualness when he struck a match to look at the time one morning last week. He lighted his pipe and then threw the match away. He realised as soon as he had thrown it that it had landed in the open keg of blasting powder, and made an attempt to recover it, but it was too late, and he got the force of the explosion, being very badly burned. The late Mr Mee had had a varied career in the Permanent Artillery, police, hotelkeeping, etc., but he was a quiet, inoffensive old fellow, and much liked by the members of my gang where he worked. —Correspondent. -Clutha Leader, 8/4/1913.
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