New-York tribune., 1908-07-13
EXPLOSION KILLS FOUR
BURNING LAUNCH SINKS.
T50o Rescued IN Bu2zards Bay-In
Water TzCeIUe Hours.

Marion, Mass. July 12-Four prominent sum-
mer residents of this town and Falmouth met
death through explosion on board the As
foot launch Dolphin off here last night. Two
survivors were picked up to-day, after having
been in the water for twelve hours
The dead include Roland Worthington, of Bos
ton; John T. Trull of Woburn, Mass; Joseph
S Beal, of Milton Mass. and George Savory of
Marblehead, Mass, engineer of the launch A,
F. Tarbell, of Marblehead, Mass. and Edward
E. Pecker, of Boston, were rescued.
Mr.. Pecker who was clingng to oar and
Mr.. Tarbell. who was supported by life pre-
server. were able to swim, and they remained
together until they picked up by Frank
Bowman, Of Mattapoisett lobster fisherman
who was going out in the early morning to haul
his pots. His boat was seen by the two strug-
Cling men in the water long before the fisher
man himself could make them out and it was
not until Bowman heard feeble cries for help
coming across the water that he spied the near
ly exhausted swimmers and rescued them
Neither Of the survivors able TO give the
cause of the explosion Mr. Tarbell. who owned
the Dolphin. said that the boat had started out
from Marion on a short pleasure cruise and was
well out in the middle of Buzzards Bay when
the explosion occurred Savory, the engineer.
was suddenly blown into the air and prob
ably dead when he struck the The boat
caught fire, and Tarbell called to his comrades
TO leap overheard. He strapped life preserver
about himself before he leaped, and Mr.. Pecker.
who is connected with the Boston banking firm
of Rollins & Son, in State street seized
and followed. SO far as they knew none of the
others in the party jumped Either they could
not swim and preferred to cling to the disabled
launch until help came, else they were
stunned by the explosion.
Both TarbelI and Pecker remained in vicinity
of the launch for several moments urging their
comrades to jump into the water with a cushion,
oar, life preserver or something, for the launch
was burning rapidly. One man, believed to be
Roland Worthngton, clinging to the
side of the boat but he could not swim, appar-
emily, and the men in the water could not reach
him.
Gradually the launch drifted further out to
sea- and Mr.. Pecker and Mr. Tarbell were forced
to give up hope of doing anything to aid their
comrades They turned landward and struck
out with slow strokes, so as to husband their
strength as much as possible. 1t was not until
they had been twelve hours in the water that
rescue came to them.
AS soon as news of the disaster reached here
nearly every summer resident and fisherman
who owned yacht or launch at once went out
in the bay to search for some trace of the boat
its occupants, but the search proved fruitless.
The launch undoubtedly sank with all on board.
The party had gone out for cruise in the
bay at the invitation of Mr.. Tarbell. who came
here yesterday from Marbehead Neck. Mr..
Worthington, who spending the summer at
Falmouth wag a large owner of real estate IN
the Boston financial district, but had retired
from active business He was forty-nine years
old In addition TO membership in the Eastern
and Corinthan Yacht clubs of Marblehead be
belonged to various clubs in Boston His father
the late Roland Worthngton, was a prominent
figure in Boston's affairs for many years, being
collector of the port under President Grant, and
at one til owner of The Boston Traveller
Mr. Trull. who sixty-six years old, was
we'll known in Boston mercantile circles and had
a place of business at No. 16 Chauncey street.
He lived in Woburn, but spent his summers IN
Falmouth For long time Mr.. Trull was con-
nected with the print cloth manufacturing con
Germ Of the David Nevins Company, of Woburn
T-a was vice president of that company, but re
tired when the plant moved to New York,
few wears ago He leaves a wife and three chill
dren one of whom was Mrs. Edgar A. Bates.
of New York.
Mr. Beal was connected with the office OF the
Osceola Consolidated Mining Company in Bos-
ton.
Mr. Savory, the engineer of the craft, was
tventv-nine years old and unmarried He
served in the Spanish American war.