The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-12-21
Causes the Death of Three Men
on a Battleship.
CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
Three Civilian Boilermakers Nest Her.
rible Death on the BattIeship Mas
sachusetts on Account Of De-
fective Machinery or
Careiessaess.

Caught In a trap and helpless to
save themselves, three men lost their
lives and four Others, including Lieut..
VIM. &C. Cole, were terribly scalded
Thursday by rush Of steam and boil
ing water in the fire room OF the bat
tieship Massachuse tits, lying at the
League Island nav, yard at Philadel-
phia. The dead aie:
Edward Bubb, married, boilsrmaker
and civilian.
Andrew Hamilton, married, a boiler
maker and civilian.
Charles R:tzel, beiermaker's helper
and civilian.
The injured:
Lieut.. VIM. c. Cole, US. N, assis.
tant engineer Of the Massachusetts,,
scalded about the head and body.
Taken to the naval hospital.
VIM. Anderson, ships boilermaker,
badly scalded; takea to the naval hos
pital.
James Wilson, bciiermaker's helper
and civilian employe, scalded; taken
to the Methodist hospital.
Joseph A. Duran, boilernaker's
helper and civilian, scalded; taken to
St. Agnes hospital.
With the exception Of Lieut.. Cole
all the killed and injured resided In
Philadelphia.
Lieut.. Cole received bis injuries In
heroic effort to rescue the others.
The accident was caused by the CIV
ing way OF gasket or rubber washer
on a boiler on the ssarboard side Of
the ship.
The Massachusetts, has been at the
navy yard for some time undergoing
extensive repairs particularly to the
boilers and machinery. Although
Capt. Edward D. Taussig and his
complement OF officers and men were
aboard the ship, the Massachusetts, Is
virtually in charge OF the authorities
OF the navy yard. The boiler on
which the accident occurred had re-
Gently been cleaned and thoroughly
Tested, and the boiler makers were
Thursday at work on another boiler.
Without warning, the gasket between
the boiler plate and the boiler head
gave way and a terrific rush of steam
and hot water occurred. The doors
-oethe f rerooW were closed at tie &C..
cideat occurred GacS v.---a. oror,,.
Of escape was safety ladder. 0SssS-
one maa, Bramtet; a ships fireman,
Thought OF the ladder, and he escaped
without scar.
Few of the upper decks knew what
had happened until the steam came
rushing up from the seething pit be-
low. The work Of rescue was prompt
and to this ptonptness those who es.
capped death owe their thanks. The
first to enter the fire hole was Lieut.
Cole. Without hesisating at becoming
scalded by the hot water and steam
he entered quickly and dragged the
msn from the place to the door where
they were taken in charge by others.
Bubb and Hamilton were dead when
found, the Ritzel died few minutes
after being taken on deck.
Whether the gasket was defective
or whether it had been carelessly putin
place remains for the official court OF
inquiry to determine. It is said the
boiler had been thoroughly oVerhau;ed
and tested under Tremendous pres
sure Of steam. At the time OF the aS--
cident the steam pressure was only
sufficient to run the ships heating
plant.
The accident Will cause little OF no
delay in preparing The battleship for
sea