The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-09-13
Sailors Steal Spirits from the 4! J.
Navy Storehouse. 81.
CAPTURED AND TAKEN AZ
ON BOARD THE SHIP ! I
The Explosion Attributed 70 the strlk =
ing Of : Match by Corporal Yerkes,
Of the Marine Corps, Who with
Sailor. Were Stealing :
Drink The Missing
i Il Master-of-Arms. fs,lS53
en..a., q Tne Ti h pts,patoh.)

i fapeoaal to Tho TimAs Dtspatdh.) ssS
B. NORFOLK, VA, Sept T. Tbs sxpao.
sion Of q barrel OF alcohol ON the supss--s8S
structure deok OF tho cruiser Olympia q
dry-dock at the Norfolk navy yard TO-
night killed two men. severly injured $50 49, 4,
oral others and set fire to the ship. Tbs
master-at-arms Of the vessel Is. MISSING.
CORPORAL WAGER. United stat,s D
Marine Corpe. "a Il. s $SSEi3E
& WHITE SEAMAN, unknown. 55}f i
The damage by are was confined to thS y
deck Of the vessel and embraced only tbs
canvas awnings and their fixtures. The
decks, however. were slightly Injured,
!; Immediately after the explosion IRE Il 4
quarters were sounded and the crew.
navy yard fire department and a detach-#
ment Of marines under Captain Boots.
soon quelled what looked to &be z g. dan-99s8
4gerous blaze. MI # & q ffiS:
II q RE- ALCOHOL ExPLos1oN.5. n NJ
The explosion was, according to reports Y
from eye-witnesses, the direct result 4 OF 4
\ the theft OF "a barrel of grain alcohol,f NJ
containing flfty-slx gallons, by a party y
4 Of sailors. The barrel was, it is said
taken from ore OF the greenhouses Of a
Y the yard and removed to a dock near the
Olympia. There It was 8broached. !. Vi:
Ship Keeper Da y, on board the olyn.S
spias8 detected the odor Of the spirit and
summoned the ship s nlaster-at-arms.A Az
search led to the discovery st the bar-3
rel. W Itch was taken a board I the Olympia
and placed on the hurricane deck. With
the exception OF a small quantity which
had been consumed By the thieves, 1t was
intact OK WY
lsa The Incident created a great amount
OF excitement and In the Juror the guilty
sailors 4{ escaped parties sent to arrest
them While this was going on Yerkes
and the unknown sallorgwent. to the barrel
with tho Intention, It is reported, Of se-2
curing a drink, and one OF them struck
a match, "a IS fi..S$9
# AWFUL DEATH.
4 The explosion was u stantaneou and (
both men were enveloped In the flaming
liquid, They persisted Ii before a hand
could be raised to save them.i 3S 25ss3s
The ship at once caught fire and the
blaze for while, was stubborn. but was
finally extngulshed. A search around tho
ship revealed two marine caps in the
dryiock. together with the ship parrot.
Poll was blown In her cage. off the ship
by the force OF the explosion. but was
.unlnjured. N. sy5533
\. later report from Portsmouth states
that boat was sighted pulling away
from the Olympia's vicinity imme diately
before the explosion and the suspicion -
held that the master-at-arms was fouliyS
dealt with by some outside party to-
whom the sailors who sold the alchol
were to dispose Of the loot. The ships
company was assembled and the masters
of-arms failed to respond to his name
1t Is said positively he was not on the
ship at the time Of the explosion bus
was near tho end of dock, searching
for the alcohol thieves. a is, %
No on was admitted to the navy yArd
and all accounts Of the explosion ana
attendant circunsta.n ces NJ were ~ secured
from outside sources, The injured are
said to pumber from four to seven. a