The opening night of the Bermuda Tattoo was delayed for nearly an hour yesterday evening because of a leaking chlorine cylinder.

Lt. Dana Lovell of Bermuda Fire Service said he was called after 5 p.m. yesterday because a strong smell of chlorine gas was coming from the Sallyport in Dockyard. Four fire service vehicles and ten fire personnel in breathing apparatus found a leaking 100-pound chlorine cylinder when they arrived.

The BFS secured the cylinder ? which contained approximately 35 pounds of chlorine liquid ? in a 55-gallon container of water, thereby diluting the harmful chemical into nothing more dangerous than household bleach.

Lt. Lovell said the chlorine never posed any risk to the residents in the Dockyard area.

But, as a result of the incident, the single lane road into Dockyard was closed to traffic causing a huge bottleneck.

Hundreds of cars were stuck motionless as far back as the Lagoon Park area.

The commuters were unable to make it to the Keep Yard at Dockyard for the Tattoo?s 7.30 p.m. start. The Bermuda Regiment assisted by delaying the start by 45 minutes, however.

Margaret Hart said she was stuck in traffic for an hour. But it took Phyllis and Neil Virgil from 5.25 p.m. to 6.45 p.m. to get to the Tattoo from Southampton.

?The traffic was terrible,? Mrs. Virgil said. ?I didn?t know what was happening. I saw Police and Fire Trucks and all the people from the Regiment getting on and off buses.? She said some of the soldiers were not yet fully dressed and were scrambling on and off the bus to change.

Reports reached ight have been prevented as the chlorine cylinder had been leaking a week earlier.

The source ? who refused to be named ? said Government has a waste disposal facility at Dockyard that receives paint and old batteries and all end up getting processed and made safe. The cylinder was amongst all the other waste, leaking gas and was in bad shape and should have been dealt with then, he said.