Newspaper Article 2005 – When Birdseye’s boiler blew
When Birdseye’s boiler blew
Many Hastings Leader readers may remember the day a Birdseye Foods Ltd boiler in Hastings exploded in March 8, 1960, killing fitter Ian Allison, aged 32.
The man in charge of the boilers at the factory when the No 3 boiler exploded, John (Jack) Basher, fitter and turner, lent us these photos of the explosion, which were included in the report of the accident.
Jack was in the boilerhouse alongside one of the other boilers when the boiler next door (which weighed 14 tons) blew up.
He was thrown to the ground by the explosion and pushed out of the boilerhouse on his hand and knees, which resulted in cuts and bruises to his hips and elbows.
“The place was dark with steam and dirt and pieces flying around,” he recalls.
In the report it stated the accident was caused by overheating of the furnace tube brought about by shortage of water in the boiler.
Looking back in time
Photo captions –
RESCUERS attempt to rescue fatally injured Ian Allison.
THIS is where the boiler landed after the explosion.
THE wreckage of the boiler shop shows the force of the explosion.
Original digital file
NE20050127Birdseye.jpeg
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Subjects
Business / Organisation
Birdseye Foods LtdFormat of the original
Newspaper articleDate published
27 January 2005Publisher
Hastings LeaderAcknowledgements
Published with permission of Hawke's Bay Today
People
- Ian Allison
- John (Jack) Basher
Accession number
510476Supporters and sponsors
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