Bugs Destroy Co-op Store By Harold Cunliffe
O
ur first image captures a group of people from the village of Rhodes, located near Heaton Park, Manchester, inspecting the destruction caused to their local West End Co-operative store by an explosion in 1909. Luckily there was no loss of life due to the store being closed so work could be carried out in an attempt to eradicate a pest. We discover the store had been infested with a type of weevil for a few months prior to the destructive explosion. This would have been of a more serious nature should the premises had been open for business. A report stated that the Co-operative store had been closed for three months due to an infestation of wheat weevils which it is thought were imported with the wheat which had been stored. A number of attempts had been made to eradicate the pests, but the only treatment recommended by the Board of Agriculture was bi194
Above: Destruction at the West End Co-op
sulphide of carbon. This treatment had reduced the numbers significantly and the committee decided to give the premises one final treatment before they opened the store for business. All the doors and windows were sealed and half a hundredweight of bisulphide of carbon was placed inside the shop. Hopefully the treatment would work and the store could, once again open for business. No concerns were made regarding this treatment following no incidents occurring with the previous three treatments. It was a few hours later, 7.30 pm that the sleepy village was woken by a huge explosion, which was so powerful it lifted the roof of the store, which then landed on the brick structure destroying the supporting walls. Debris was thrown in all directions, some striking the front of the houses opposite. Members of the public who were making their way to the town of Middleton turned around and headed back to the village of Rhodes
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
upon witnessing the horse drawn fire engine travelling at speed towards the incident. One of the injured persons was Mr Pearson who was a carter for the nearby Schwabe’s Printing works. He was passing at the time of the explosion and suffered cuts to his face, hands and cuts were made to his clothing from the flying glass. His horse also became a victim by being injured by the glass; a piece had stuck the shoulder of the animal which made a wound. Opposite the destroyed premises a woman was in conversation at her front door with a male caller, then following the explosion he was blown against the woman with great force which saw both of them lying in the lobby of the house, both covered with fragments of glass which also littered the lobby and stairs. Whenever there is an incident, there are those people who have to put a touch of humour to the situation, it was related, “The Co-op should be congratulated on www.lancmag.com
