The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1908-06-11
FOUR TARS KILLED
BOILER TUBE ON THE CRUISER
TENNESSEE BURSTS.
TEN OF THE CREW INJURED
Rear Admiral sebres and Other otf-
GERS Have Narrow Eseapes-Ves-
sci Was on Speed Trial
Near San Pedro.

San Pedro. Cal. - terrible
accident occurred on board the
United States armored cruiser Ten
nessee at 1880 O'Clock Friday
morning while the ship was steam
Ing at 10 knots on a speed trial
on Point Ruenene. Cal. steam
pipe in the starboard engine room
bursting under 235 pounds pressure.
killing four men and iniuring ten
others-all OF the men In the compart-
ment at the time. The explosion. the
cause OF which is unknown. occurred
only a few minutes after Admiral
Uriel Sebree. Capt F. b. Howard and
Chief Engineer Robertson had left the
engine room on "A tour OF inspection.
Names OF the Victims.
The dead: George Wood. water
tender. Scranton. Pa; r. c. Boggs.
second-class fireman. Woodlawn. Ala;
A. Reinhold. machinist's mate, second
class. Germany; George w. Meek,
firstclass fireman. Skidmore. Kan.
Fatally injured: s. Stematis. first.
class fireman. Norfolk. Va. +. $.
Maxfield. second-class fireman, Tough
kenamon. Pa.
Men Sealded with Steam.
The tube. which is four inches in
diameter and inclosed with water In
side the boiler. blew out. driving
torrent OF scaldlng steam. coal dust,
cinders and hot ashes through the ash
pit and showered the half-naked men.
4 blast OF white steam from the VENT
lators told those on deck of the acct
dent. and Lieut.. Commander :. $.
Robinson. the navigator. instantly
sounded a general alarm and dropped
20 lines OF hose ready for instant use
In case Of fire.
Within the doomed FIRE room. amid
ship on the starbpard side. the sur
viving seamen were fighting for life
Reinhold and Meek were stricken
dead at their posts Boggs and Wood
crawled or were dragged into the ad-
Joining fire room. and died almost inn
mediately. The other seamen. al OF
whom received some injuries acted
with the greatest heroism In aiding
their unfortunate mates.
Close Call for Sebree.
Rear Admiral Sebree himself es-
capped death or serious injury In the
fated fire pit by a mere moments time.
He had left the room where the ex.
piosion occurred not so seconds be.
fore the fatal blast. The admiral
stood in the engine room adjoining the
A.. .1...,, ,,-f.h nhf.f Ir..rf.a.r p.H,-.
son and Capt Howard His first In
timation Of the tragedy was as he
mounted the ladder and a halfnaked
fireman leaped past him suffering
from severe scalds
When the smoke came from the fire
room. the fire call was sounded and
all the crew went TO their stations in
perfect order and In a few seconds
10 TO 20 lines OF hose were ready To
turn on the fire. Several Of the crew
behaved with heroism and viii be re
ported TO the department later
The ship was undergoing Inspection
by the commander OF the second d.
vision and had been under way for
over two hours. the engines. boilers
ana all machinery WORKING perfectly.
Was on a Speed Trial.
The Tennessee. flagship OF fhe sec
ond division OF the Pacific cruiser
feet, left Santa Barbara AT ten o'clock
Friday morning with the cruisers
Pennsylvania. Washington. Colorado
and West Virginia in her wake. on
the semiaDnual Official speed trial pro.
vided for by naval regulations. Ad-
miral Sebree had ordered the cruisers
60 full speed and the Tennessee had
just concluded series OF evolutions
and started stralghtaway a speed OF
between is and 10 knots. The ad.
miral in the engine room had just
taken note that the dial recorded
steam pressure Of 235 pounds when
the explosion occurred. Less than rs
minutes earlier the tubes had endured
a pressure OF 265 pounds