Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-06-06
EXPLOSION ON
CRUISER TENNESSEE
Steam Pipe in Starboard Engine
Room Burst Under 235
Pounds Pressure.
FOUR MEN DEAD, TEN INJURED
No NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Describe Ac-
cident as Frightful--tlliosc Closest
Literally Cooked Alive

San Pedro, Ca, June 5.--A terrible
accident occurred on board the United
States armored cruiser Tennessee at
ll;OS this morning while the ship was
steaming AT 10 knots on a speed trial
on Point Huenene. CAL. a steam pipe
IN the starboard engine room bursting
under 235 pounds pressure, killing four
men and injuriug 10 others-all of the
men in the compartment al the time.
fhe explosion, the cause of which is
unknown, occurred only few minu-
les after Admiral Uriel Sebree. Capt.
F. B, Howerd, and Chief Engineer Rob-
ertson had left the engine room on q
tour OF inspection. -Four of the men
were killed instantly and two of the
Injured are expected to die tonight.
DEAD.
George Wood water tender. Scran-
ton, Pa
e c, Boggs, second class fireman,
Woodawu, Ala.
A. Reinhold. machinest's mate. Sec
ond class. Germany
George w Meek, fireman, first class,
Skidmore, Kan.
INJURED.
s, Stematis, first class fireman, Nor
folk. Va.
F. S. Maxheld. second class, fireman.
Tughkena, Chester county, Pa.
Il. j. Burns, coal passer. New York.
Walter s. Burns, coal passer, Brook
lyn, n. 7.
J. r. A. Carroll. fireman, second class.
Hartford, Conn
r. ". Watson, fireman, second class,
East st. Louis, Ill.
r. e. Rutledge, coal passer, Athens,
Pa
G. NJ. corns, fireman, second class,
Ironton, o.
A. Hayes. water tender. Brooklyn, N.
H. Fitzpatrick fireman, first class,
Brooklyn. n Y.
There were IA men in the fire room
when the tube. which is four inches
in diameter, and enclosed with water
inside the boiler, blew out driving q
torrent of scalding steam, coal dust,
cinders and hot ashes through the ash
pit and showerlng the half naked men.
GENERAL ALARM.
A blast of white steam from the
ventilstors told those on deck of the
accident. and Lieut. Commander S. s
Robinson, the navigator, instantly
sounded a general alarm, and drop
ping 20 lines of hose ready for instant
use in case of fire, Within the doomed
fire room. No. 3, ainidshipSa5n the star
board side, which is one of the l6
enclosed fire compartments, the surviv-
ing seamen were fighting ror life. Rein
hold and Meek were stricken dead al
their posts. Boggs and Wood crawled
or we're dragged into the adjoining fire
room, No. H. and died almost immedi
ately. The surviving seamen, all OF
with the greatest heroism in aiding
their unfortunate mates.
SEBREES NARROW ESCAPE,
Rear Admiral Sebree himself escaped
death or serious injury in the fated fire
pit by a mere moment time, he MAD
left the room where the explosion oc-
Cured not so seconds before the fatal
blast. The admiral stood in the en-
CINE room adjoining the fire room with
Chief Engineer Robertson and Capt
Howard His first intlmation of the
tragedy was as he mounted the ladder
and half-naked fireman leaped past
him suffering from severe soalds.
When the smoke came from the hre
room, the fire call was sounoed. ana all
the crew went to their stations in per-
feet order and in few seconds 10 To
20 lines of hose were ready to turn
on the fire Several of the crew he
haved with heroism and viii be report :
ed TO the department later when run
particulars are known.
The ship was undergoing inspection
by the commander of the second owl
sion and had been under way Tor over
two hours, the engines. oollers anu =.
machinery working perfectly, fnlS
equal to the acceptance trial.
STEAM PRESSURE.
The Tennessee. flagship OF the sec
ond division of the Pacific cruiser Meet
left Santa Barbara at 10 o'clock thi'
morning with the cruisers Pennsyl
vania, Washington, Colorado ana YVES
Virginia in her wake, on me SEM
annual official speed trial proVlded Iol
by naval regulations. Admiral Seore'
had ordered the cruisers TO fun speed
and the Tennessee had just concluded
a series of evolutions and started
straight ahead at speed OF between
ia and 10 knots. The admiral in th'
engine room had just taken note ina
the dial recorded a steam pressure o
cas- pounds when the explosion oc
Cured Less than 10 minutes earhe
the tubes had endured a pressure o
266 pounds. 80 pounds greater Al
official investigation of the acciden
has been ordered.
The boiler was of The standard luo
ular kind. the Babcock Wilco
make, used on many of the warships
II consists of a large cluster or four
inch tubes, carrying water into IN
main boiler only one tube, ana I'M
one OF the bottom tier, exploded. IN
break was less than six inohes Il
length.
NO WRECKAGE,
There was no wreokage. but the eN
nlosIon was described by the survivor
an frightful. so great was the bias
| OF SCOT and steam that every man 1
| the room was blackened from head I
foot, while those closest TO the brea
were literally cooked alive Ther
are 16 similar Are rooms, but eac
separated by steel doors, and the me
! i'm adjoining compartments did ne
feel the explosion When tho mr.
outside rescuers entered the hre room
Il was In utter darkness, the steam an
SCOT covering the electric lighh an
ceiling and walls with a thick Goa
The men In this IRE pit work IN nah
edness except for short trousers an
slippers and the dead and lnJuFe
were blaekened almost beyond recot
milton,
1T WAS hell hole, said one OF "
surviving seamen, Everything seelt
ed all right when without any war;
ing the shower Of hot cinders, steai
and ashes burst out OF the hre nor
The boys dropped all over the room
! "A