The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-14
ACCIDENT ON
THE OLYMPIA
Statement of Lieut. Com. Van
Ooser, the Executive Officer.
ONE MAN KILLED OUTRIGHT
ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE CAN
NOT SURVIVE HIS INJURIES.

NORFOLK, Va. Sept. 13.-Lieuten-
ant Commander Van Doser. execu-
tive officer Of the cruiser olympia,
today gave out an official statement OF
the facts attending the explosion of a
barrel Of alcohol on the cruisers deck
last night. causing the death of Marine
Corporal Yerkes of Philadelphia, the
fatal injury of Apprentice Seitert anu
the serious injury Of Ihird-class
Master-at-A Arms Caster and Apprentice
Shavey. I'm addition to the burning OF
the cruisers forward awnings and
awning supports. The explosion re-
suited indirectly from the smuggling
OF alcohol into the navy yard by mem
bers Of the cruisers crew.
Commanders Statement.
The statement Of Lieutenant Com
mander Van Doser says:
The entire crew of the Olympia
was returning aboard, after forty
eight hours shore liberty, when n
hve-gallon water breaker full of al
COhOl was discovered in the forward
turret. The executive officer at once
ordered a thorough search Of the ship
and the yard i'm her vicinity, to find
any other spirits that might have been
Struggled As the cruiser is in dry
dock all her small boats are lined in
rows along the wharf near the dry
dock. Between two of these boats two
men were discovered One Of them es-
capped I'm the darkness. The other was
placed under arrest. Where the men
were hiding was found a full barrel of
alcohol, which had been preached. 1t
was. by order carried aboard the
Olympia to be emptied into the alcohol
tank on the aft deck This tank beinS
full. the barrel was carried forward
By Corporal Yerkes, Seifert, Shavey
end Caster. In the meantime the crew
was called to quarters and every man
accounted for.
Cause as Yet Unknown.
while the men were in. line answer
ing the roll the detachment with the
barrel began pouring its contents into
a tank on the port side of the forward
turret. They had scarcely begun work
when i'm a manner yet to be ascertalned
the fumes of the spirits became ignited
and exploded with terrific force. Both
ends of the barrel were blown out, fol-
lowed by a torrent Of burning alcohol
that spread IN a flood of flame over the
forward deck Nerkes was struck IN
the head by a stave from the barrel
and fell into the burning mass. He
was roasted to death. The other three
men were also struck by flying frag-
away from the center of the fire, and
thus two Of them escaped fatal injury.
but Seifert was horribly burned and so
injured that ne cannot recover.
1T was at first thought a tank Of
smokeless powder had exploded, ami
the crew for a moment broke ranks, but
81 a second recovered from the sud
denness of the shock and turned to
with a will to save the injured and eX
tinguish the fire. that already was
already gaining Roadway on the cTuis-
er's deck. This done. the injured men
were hurried % the marine hospital.
where this afternoon it was stated that
Seifert could not live through the
night but that the other two would
recover YeFkes' body will be shipped
10 Philadelphia for burial
Apprentice SeifCrt died at the marine
hospital late this afternoon He viii
b. given military burial.