The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-06-06
FOUR SAILORS OF
TENNESSEE DEAD
And TWO WILL DIE
Seven Members of Cruisers
Crew Are Seriously Injured
as Result Of Explosion.
Steam Tube Bursts With Ter
rible Effect at Sea.
OFFICIAL REPORT RECEIVED

Washington. June 5.-The navy
department has received Admiral Sc
bree's report of the accident to the
warship Tennessee near San Pedre
yesterday. II announces four dead
and two fatally and seven seriously
hurt. A four-inch boiler tube burst.
The Injured were taken to a Los An
geles hospital today.
The Accident.
Los Angeles. June G.--Four men
were killed and ten injured on board
the armored cruiser Tennessee at sea
when a boiler tube broke, hurting
fragments OF iron about the engine
room and filling IL with scalding
steam. The accident happened an
hour after the cruiser left Santa Bar
bara on her way, with six other YES
sells OF the Pacific fleet 10 Los An
geles and other ports.
The cruiser was steaming at high
speed when the explosion occurred.
The Tennessee Is Admiral Sebree's
flagship. commanding the second di
vision OF the Pacific fleet.
The Dead and Injured.
The following list OF dead and in
jured was received By wireless sta
ton:
The dead George Wood Scran-
ton. Pa: T.. G. Boggs, Woodlawn,
Ala: A. Reingold. Germany: George
W Meek. Skidmore, Kan. The IA
tally Injured are: $. $. Temattis,
Norfolk. Va. and +. S. Maxte.d. OF
Chester county. Pa. The seriously
injured are: Y J.. Burns. New York;
Walter $. Burns. Brooklyn: J. p. A.
Carroll. Hartford. Conn. The slight
~ Injured are: II. w. Watson, East
st. Louis: r. +. Rutledge. Athens
Pa: G. VI. Corns, Ironton. Ohio; A
Hayes. Brooklyn, y. Y; II. Fitzpat
rick. Brooklyn.
1:s5 Pounds Of steam.
Scbree had ordered the cruisers "a
full speed. and the Tennessee had
Just concluded a series Of eyolutlons
and started stralghtway at n speed
Of between Is and 10 knots. The
admiral in the engine room had just
taken note that the dial recorded a
steam pressure Of 235 pounds when
the explosion occurred. Less than
ten minutes earlier the tubes had
stood pressure Of 2G5 pounds.
There was no wreckage. but the
explosion was described by the sur
vlyors as frightful.
SO great was the blast OF SCOT and
steam that every man In the engine
room was blackened from head "a
foot while those closest to the break
were literally cooked alive.
A blast OF white steam from the
ventilators told those on deck OF the
accident. and Lieutenant Commander
Robinson. navigator. instantly sound
ed a general alarm. and twenty lines
of hose were dropped for instant use
In case OF FIRE.
Within the doomed fire room, mum
Der three. amidship on the starboard
side. which is one OF the sixteen en-
closed fire compartments. the suryiv-
ing seamen were fighting for life.
Ralnhold and Meek were stricken
dead at their posts.
Admiral's Narrow Escape.
Boggs and Wood crawled or were
dragged into the adjoining fire room
No. II. and died almost Immediately
The surviving seamen, all OF whom
received some Injuries. acted with the
greatest heroism in aiding their un
fortunate mates. Rear Admiral Sc
bree escaped death or serious injury
in the fire pit by a mere moments
time. He had left the room where
the explosion occurred not fifty sec
onds before the fatal blast. The ad
mlral stood in the engine room ad
Joining the fire room With Chief En-
gineer Robertson and Captain How
ard. His first intimation of thu
tragedy was as he mounted the lad
der and a half naked fireman leape'
past him suffering from severe scalds
Undergoing Inspection.
The ship was undergoing inspec
ton by the commander of the secont
division and had been under way owe
two hours, the engines boilers an,
all working machinery working per
fectly. fully equal to the acceptance
trial.
The Tennessee was the flagship o
the second division of the Pacifi
N.
at 10 o'clock In the morning with tn
other cruisers in her wake, on tn
semi-annual official speed trial pro
yided for by the naval regulations.