The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-06
VICTIMS OF EXPLOSION.

the United States armored cruIs-
~ cr Tennessee at 1l:0S o'clock
this morning. while the ship was
7steaming at nineteen knots on a speed
trial off Point Puenene, Cal. steam
pipe in the starboard engine room
bursting under 235 pounds pressure,
killing four men and injuring ten
others. all the men IN the compart-
nlent at the time. Two of the injured
are expected to die.
The explosion. the cause of which
is unknown. occurred only few min
utes after AdmirAl Uriel Sebree. Cap
tain f. b. Howard and Chief Engineer
Robertson had left the engine room on
& tour OF inspection. Four OF the
men were killed instantly and two
more. VIII certainly die.
The dead:
George Wood, wnter tender, Scrnnto,i,
Il. q. Bogs., sccond-clnss fireman,
NyOOdInwn, Ala.
A.ReIuhold, macl,ini.t. mate. accond-
class, Germany.
George w. Meek, nr.t-cluss fireman,
SkidmOrc, knn.
Fatally injured
Norfolk, VIZ
Tosglikenn, Chester county, Pa; die,l
of Injuries.
Fourteen In the Room.
There we're fourteen men In the fire.
room when the tube, which Is four
inches in diameter and inclosed with
water inside the boiler. blew out. dri.-
ing a torrent OF scaiding steam coal
dust, cinders and hot ashes tArous!,
the ash-pile and showered the half
naked men.
blast OF white steam from the
Ncntilators told those on deck OF the
accident, and Leutenant-C Comma ar
s. 8. Robinson, the navigator, Instantly
sounded general alarm and dropped
twenty ilnes OF hose ready for instant
use. in case OF fire.
Within the doomed fire room. No. =.
Rmidships. on the starboard side, which
is one OF the sixteen close fire COM
partments. the surviving seamcr. 7-ere
fighting for life.
Reinhold and Meek were stricken
dead at their posts. Boggs and Wood
crawled into the adjoining fire room.
no. IL, and died almost immediately.
The surviving scamen. all Of whom
suffered some injuries. acted with see
greatest heroism in aiding their unfor-
tunate mates.
Scbrcc Has Narrow Escape.
Rear-Admiral Sebrcc himself escaped
death or serious injury in the fated fire
pit by narrow margin. lie had left
the room Whcrc the explosion occurred
fifty seconds before the fatal blast,
The admiral stood in the engine room
adjoining the fire room, with Chief
Engineer Robertson and Captain How
ard. His first intima ton OF the ira gedy
was as he mounted the ladder and a
half-naked 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 per-
feet order. and in rew seconds fir
teen to twenty lines OF hose We're
ready to turn on the fire. Several OF
the crew behaved WITH nerOism.
The ship was undergoing inspection
by the commander or the second divi-
sion and had been uncer way for over
two hours. the engines, boilers and all
machinery working psrfeetly.
The Tennessee flagship OF the Sec
end Division Of the Pacific cruiser
fleet, left Santa Barbara at 10 o'clock
this morning. with the cruisers Penn
Wayt IN er Wa%e ana
ed Tor by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Admiral
sobrce had ordered the cruisers to
full speed, and the Tennessee had Just
concluded series of cvolutions and
started straight away at g speed OF
between eighteen and nineteen knots,
The admiral In the englne-room had
Just taken note that the dial recorded
the explosion occurred. Less than tlf-
teen minutes earlier The tubes had en-
An official investigation Of the acct
dent has been ordered.
Noilcr of Standard lliud.
The boiler was Of the standard ,tu-
bular kind. tho Babcock & Wilcox
make. used onsmany warshlps. I y con-
slsts Of large olustsr of four-inch
boiler. Only one tube. and this one of
tho bottom tier, exploded, The break
was less than siX inches in length.
There was no wreekage, but tho ex-
plosion was described by the suryiy-
ors as frightful, So great was the
blast of SCOT and steam that every
man In the room was blaclSened from
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