Ardeer Factory Explosion 1913

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Ardeer Factory Explosion 1913

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Ardeer Explosion 1913
From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2000
Subject: [3T] Ardeer Factory Explosion 1913

Hugh McCallum wrote on 25 January 2000

In the mid-1950s us young lads often worked for the local farmers at tattie harvesting. One year my brother Bobby and I were working for a farmer who had his farm on the back road between Ardrossan and West Kilbride. He also had a potato field within the centre of Bogside Racetrack.

One day Bobby and I collected about three stone of lead covered copper wire which seemed to be scattered at random in the Bogside potato field. The fence nearby I was told was the ICI explosives factory boundary. Would this be right?

Charlie Smyth that well kent scrap metal buyer in Stevenston (at the top of Schoolwell Street?) was visited. A thought just occurred - lead poisoned potatoes!

Hugh McCallum


Seeing the following in the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald about that massive explosion in 1913 at Ardeer Factory makes me wonder if that's how the copper wire I mentioned above got into Bogside racetrack. Was there lead coated copper wire in those days? Bye the way the farmer was named YOUNG.
From the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald
Quote:

The terrible explosion on Monday forenoon occurred at a point about 1 1/2 miles from the offices and a full half mile to the north of the company's wharf on the river Garnock, in the portion of the works near Bogside Racecourse and facing straight across the course to the grand stand. Taking place as it did in the forenoon, a large number of people saw the column of smoke and flame rising from the explosion, and the impression which the majority of them, especially those in the Harbour district, received was that the seat of the disturbance was in the immediate vicinity of the wharf, while many who had not such a clear view of the works thought that one of vessels loading explosives at the wharf had blown up.

The full newspaper article

Hugh McCallum
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