The times., 1899-01-27
SIX MEN SEVERELY scALDED.
Accident on the Bntticship Brook
Iyn Yesterday.

New York. Jan. 26.-Two second-ciass
nremen and four coal passers were severely
scaldcd with escaping steam while they
were cleaning a boiler on the cruiser New
York at the navy yard in Brooklyn this
morning.
There are six boilers on the New York
and they are designated by letters. The
boilers b. d. and + are on the port side
OF the vessel. Several days ago the fires
were taken from under boiler u in order
that the boiler could be cleaned. Fires
were then lighted under boiler F.. There
are bulkheads between each set of boilers
and running along the top is a thirteen
inch pipe which connects all the boilers. At
each bulkhead is q stop-valye which is
connected with the pipe at the top OF the
boiler.
At s o'clock this morning a gang OF
men were sent into boiler ID. They were
]. S. Wainwright T. E. Hickey. second
class firemen; George Ziegier, ]. T. Shea.
w. Cullen, p. Halstead, coal passers, aud
]. Brown and Samuel Willis.
While the eight men were in the boiler
cleaning and testing it. several other men
started in to test the stop-valves. The
stop-valves are operated from the berth
deck, two decks above where the boilers
ar located. AS soon as the stop-vaives
were started steam began to pour into
boiler ID. This was owing to a leak in the
bulkhead pipe. joining boilers d and f.
The steam, which was under a pressure OF
ten pounds, was only turned on for a few
moments
AS soon as the men in boiler ID diseoy-
cred that the steam was pouring into II
they became excited. They were mostly
new men and not accustomed to the wO K.
j. Brown and Samuel Willis were ex-
perienced men, and they sought she ter at
the bottom of the boiler, and then orawled
out of triangular manhole just above the
furnace. The other six men, however.
started to escape by the manhole at the
top of the boiler. This is thirteen inches
in diameter. The men fought with each
other for the first chance to escape, and
some of them got wedged in the man
hole. Their screams were heard by the
crew, and in short time FIVE of them
were pulled out. T. F. Hickey. however.
was left in the boiler. He was heard to
exclaim
My God, I'm done for"
Samuel Wills heard the exclamation,
and he hastily crawled through the man
hole over the furnace and found Hickey
in an unconscious condition on the braces
near the top of the boiler. He managed
TO push Hickey along untii the top man
hole was reached. and then willing harris
pulled him out. Willis fell back to the
bottom of the boiler and crawled out with
out assistance. He received slight burns
to his arms while rescuiEg Hickey.
The six men who fought TO get out OF
the top manhole were all badly burned
about the shoulders. arms, and bodies.
j. t. Shea is in bad condition. as be-
sides his outer burns he Inhaled steam.
The six men were attended by Surgeon
Berry Hill 1t is feared that Shea will not
recover.
The action OF Samuel Willis in returning
to the boiler and rescuing Hickey was
commended by officers and men in the
yard. Capt F. E. Chadwick who is in
command of the cruiser New York. fe-
ported the accident 10 Commodore Philip.
the commandant Of the yard. and a court
OF inquiry will be appointed to investigate
the matter