The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-03-12
MAN-OF-WAR ON FIRE.
Cruiser New York Narrowly Es-
capes Destruction.
SAVED BY THE GALLANT CREW.
Prompt Action of the Blue Jackets Pre-
vents a Catastrophe-The Blaze Had
Been Burning for Two Days Before 1t
Was scovered-Magazines Flooded
with Water and $4,000 Worth OF Am
munition Ruined.


New York, March 12.-Fire invaded |
the forward magazine of the cruiser |
New York Wednesday. The vessel was
lying off Tompkinsville. but was about
to proceed to the Brooklyn navy yard.
The forward magazine is surrounded
by coal bunkers In it were 1000 pounds
of gun cotton and 5000 pounds of pow
der. Smoke poured from the magazine
and an alarm was given. For the first
time in the history of the ship the auto
matte fire alarm failed to do its duty.
The captain, w. S. Schley, ordered
four men into the magazine to locate the
fire. AS readily as they might go to the
simplest duty three blue jackets and
petty officer dropped down the thirty
inch passage into the smoke-filled cham
ber. If the explosion, for which all on
deck waited in grim silence, occurred
| the four had no chance of escape. They
| were Allen Whipskey, chief gunner's
mate George Casseen and J. A.McDer-
mott, gunner's mates, and A. G. Mac
keen, apprentice.
Stifed by the Smoke.
They were stifled by the smoke, yet
| stumbled and grouped about, striving
to locate the fire, which threatened them
and the cruiser. They dashed buckets
of water against the sides of the maga-
zine, and the water seethed into steam,
making their stay In the chamber I'M
possible. They cambered and were
drawn out of the place fainting, and
their story of heroic failure was carried
to the captain on the bridge. He was
a to-. 81 hi oh
rapidly leaving behind Tompkinsville
anchorage and drawing nearer to the
cities that in a moment might be star
tied by the explosion which would end
the cruiser and crew of 600. There was
no panic anywhere on board, least of
all on the bridge.
Flood the magazine" the captain or
dered. and in moment water was
throbbing into the smoke filled chamber
, and clouds of steam were pouring from
the hatch Water was let into the Goa
bunkers about the magazine, and there
was no stint in the oalntity, SO tina
Z before the cruiser had lNssed Governor
island 1t had taken into the hold sucl
| | a weight Of water il gained three feet IL
draft and had to be handled with grea
l | caution
I Originated I'm Coal Bunker.
Arriving at the navy yard the NeN
York was pumped out and an examina
1 tion into the cause of the fire made
= Then it was found the fire had not orig
mated within the magazine, but In tn
a coal bunker adjoining the forward wal
: The magazine is a steel box inside
= a lining of wood, to which the shelvin
h Is secured On the shelving are tn
9 ! caniters of explosives The wood lin
e ing of the magazine was charred and
% places reduced to charcoal by contaC
!, with the steel wall which had bee
,s heated to cherry red. The coal had ar
> parently been burning two days and tn
vessel had suffered serious damag
Some plates of the magazine will haV
to be removed, and $10,vV0 worth of an
d munition has been rendered valueles
Id That is the tale of the loss. Yet ha
s. there been a failure Of discipline c
st board, or had Captain Schley lost II
v an instant the coolneess which has a
e. ways characterized him when faced
in great dangers, the new navy wou
ne J have been minus its finest cruiser