The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-18
A BLASTER
ARRESTED
He Endangered Lives
Of Hundreds.
CRIMINAL CARELESSutSS
Contractor MslIet's Giant Powder a,
Young Building Lot ID
Much Damage.

Shortly after 10 o'clock yesterday
forenoon a terrific blast set OF in the !
big excavation for the new Young
building between King and Hotel
streets. followed by a shower of coral
stones. water and a huge log. startled
those living near by. and caused con-
siderable damage to surrounding prop
erty.
In their usual careless methods for
extracting the coral strata by the use
OF giant powder. the contractor and
his gangs OF men. narrowly escaped
killing somebody. AS Ii was. the house
OF Mrs. Cowles In the yard Just Wal
kiki of the great excavation. was
rocked TO and fro by the force of the
explosion. great chunks OF coral fell
IN a shower upon the roof and veran-
das. and broke large quantity of
dishes In the dining room. Mounted
| Officer Maitland. who lives In the
house. was sitting on the rear porch
and rose to his feet when the blast
was set on. As he looked toward
the high board fence dividing Mrs.
Cowles' yard and the excavation he
saw a huge log going skyward. split
/
into the yard not ten feet from where
he was standing. One section struck
end foremost into a garden plot. and
bounding. leaped over a tree about
eight feet In height. and fell almost
upon the veranda. The other piece
fell farther away. end on into the
garden. and bounded several feet
Officer Maitland estimates that the log
shot fully ninety feet into the air.
A crash of crockery inside the
house told him that the. dishes had
been smashed. This damage. however
was caused by the concussion of the
blast. glass enclosed floral piece
which hung over the door OF Matt
lands room. fell to the floor, and q
pane of glass was smashed by fyint
coral.
III A gang OF men came over into tn,
yard TO remove the indications o
their carelessness. but Officer Matt
land ordered them to leave then
where they had fallen, and sent Office
McKinnon to the police station 70
! Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth. Tn
\ latter went 20 the premises an
measured the logs. One Of them wa
s feet II inches long. - inches Il
diameter through the thickest portion
and 40 inches in circumference. Tn
holes made in the hard earth wer
each six inches deep. II required tn
strength OF the deputy sheriff to rails
one of the sections of wood.
Z Everywhere on the premises wer
q evidences OF the explosion. Coral d'
y bris strewed the place in chunks
Z large as a mans hat. but most or
4 In small pieces. Mrs. Cowles stat
\ that this has occurred quite ofte
- but yesterdays explosion was q
= most serious. When the constructi'
work began the fence was RUNE
l and out of fifty hens she kept, b
D half escaped. The roof of the he
house has been so much damaged IN
other fowls got away. and the own
was finally compelled TO sell the re
Contractor Mallet. who has char
OF the blasting. attempted TO get
n two logs after o'clock. but the o
v Ger on guard. placed there at Dep
" Chillingworth's orders. told him
t keep his hands of. Mallett then
mitted to the officer that he had IA
A stick and a half. but didn't tn
the amount would do so much da
cl age.
bU Maiiett was arrested about a mo
ago and fined 800 in the Cir'
Court for. his carelessness in lett
on blasts. The streets are raj
guarded when the giant powder Is
pioded. and several persons have I
= rowly escaped serious injury, III
a. death at the hands of the contrai
and his men. An over-anxiety
their part TO finish the work, and
,te utter disregard for police regulati
1tS has been the cause of the trouble.
A warrant for Mallett's arrest
issued last night by Marshal Brow