Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1896-05-22
FIRE NEAR POWDER.
FLAMES IN THE COAL sUNKsRs OF
THE BATTLEsHiP INDIANA.

while sightseers Patted the Indianas Bia
Guns, Jack Tars Fought Fire and Emp.
tied the Powder Magazine Splendid
Discipline Shown,
BROOKLYN, May 20. - While pretty
women and smartly dressed men idled
about the decks of the battleship Indiana
and proudly patted her mighty guns some
Of the men whom Unole Samuel has hired
for fighting purposes were busy removing
powder from the magazine with precision
and rapidity.
There was fire in coalbunker, and the
bunker was near the magazine. But the
pretty women and the idlinR men who
we're visitors didn't know what all the
activity meant until 1t was over. They
thought II was part Of the show. The
landsmen who watched said, "Splendid
fellows' and the women, "Oh isn't it
lovelyr
When they learned afterward what pos
sibilitles had been astir beneath their feet,
they concluded that Lieutenant Com
mander Swift was worthy Of his sword.
The Indiana lies in the coal dock Of the
Brooklyn navy yard, where the East river
and Wallabout channel meet The trouble
WIS III u IuneANG BunhoNf WnAoht ~ 1AAA-
ton TO holding a few tons OF coal, aots as
a protection for the boilers IL Ia quite
near the steam, and IL was that, the Off
oers believe, whioh caused the coal 10
catch fire.
In each bunker there is an electric fire
signal, which reports promptly when there
Is danger telling It's exact location.
These signals sometimes give false alarms
But on this occasion the crew went through
! the Ere drill In earnest. IL was the first
time since the Indiana has been In com
mission.
An alarm was sounded and the matter
was reported 20 Lieutenant Commander
| Swift, the executive officer, In . twin
Killing. There was no noise or excitement.
| The visitors went on examining the guns.
The executive hurried below, went at
once to the bunker from which the alarm
came and found IL hot. He guessed that
the GOAL had been ignited by spontaneous
combustion. There are steam pipes con-
Meeting with every compartment. In a
second or two the steam was turned into
this particular bunker and whatever fire
was there was speedily extinguished.
Orders For Steam Given.
Theo order for steam had been followed
Immediately by one to pass up ammuni-
| blOu-h PURIFY precautionary Ah0eAoAAO W
insure safety in case the fire should prove
more formidable than was expected.
Man after man. as many sc could work
without crowdinR, darted into the mag
azine and out as the steam was forced
into the threatening GOAL bunker. The
leiaurely movements Of the visitors on the
| decks above contIasted strangely with the
rapid movements below.
The IndiRna's men were working just
as they are expected to work whom she Il
| in action. They were as COOL as the olarei
| punch In the lieutenant commanders cab
in above, much cooler than the negligt
men who had come to see them and theiI
fighting gear.
It was their first actual experience out
side Of practice, and their discipline wat
perfect. Their officers watched them with
pride, thinking, no doubt, that one day II
might be necessary to do the trick again
| when the batteries were roaring and the
armor ringing under the enemy's fire.
When the bunker was cold, the coal wal
removed and the powder carried back tC
the magazine.
On deck the trim officers and men OF
duty had paced to and fro without seem
ing to notice the unusual activity, though
they knew the cause well enough. SOM
of them were telling the visitors about th'
great fighting machine and what woulC
happen in case OF war. They didn't sal
what would happen II the magazine wert
| fired.
And then, when the crew-the Indi
ana's complement is 450-had been a
quarters for an hour and il was all over,
sweet summer girl said to the embry'
Farragtt at her side:
"There seems to be something unusua
going on. What are all those men running
around forS"
And he, pulling at a little mustaohe
told her with fine nonohalance;
"Oh, there was little bit Of Ere be
low. Somewhere near the magazine, be
lleve jolly, don't you think"
The lieutenant commander spoke enthu
siastioally of the conduct Of the men, say
ing they had stood their FIRST test admira
bly,.
And now the men and women who pat
ted the guns are thinking
I