Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-06-06
Boiler Tube Exp|odes on
the Cruiser Tennessee.
Several d: Injured VIII DE-
Accident Happened at Sea. !.
Admiral ssbrss and Two officers
Escape By Few Seconds.

accident occurred on board the Unit
ed States armored cruiser Tennessee
at HOS o'clock this morning while the
ship was steaming at 10 knots on a.
speed trial off Point Hueneme, Sal, a
stcar1 pipe in the starboard engine
room bursting under 2S5 pounds pres-
sure, killing four men and injuring 10
others, all the men In the compartment
at the time. The explosion. the cause
of which is unknown. occurred only
few minutes after Admiral Uriel Sc
bree, Captain F. B. Howard and Chief
Engineer Robertson had left the en-
CINE room on tour Of inspection. The
dead:
George Wood, water tender, Scran-
ton, Pa.
e. c. Boggs, second class fireman.
Woodlawn. Ala.
A. Reinhold machinist mate, second
class. Germany.
George W. Meek, first class fire
man, Skidmore. Kas.
The fatally injured:
s. S. Stematise, first class fireman,
Norfolk. Va.
r. S. Maxfield, second class fireman,
Toughkena, Chester county, Pa.
The seriously injured:
E. ]. Burns, coal passer. New York.
Walter S. Burns, coal passer, Brook
Ign, N. Y.
man. Hartford. CT.
Slightly injured:
R. W. Watson, fireman, second class,
East St. Louis. Ill.
r. E. Rutlege, coal passer, Athens,
Pa.
G. NJ Corns, fireman, second class,
Ironton, Ohio.
A. Hayes, water tender, Brooklyn,
N. Y.
H. A. Fitzpatrick, fireman, first class,
Brooklyn, N. Y. 49,.
Fourteen men were in the fire room
when the tube, which is four inches in
diameter and inclosed with water in
side the boiler. blew out, driving q
torrent of scalding steam. coal dust,
cinders and hot ashes through the ash
pit. and shcwered the half naked men.
a blast OF hot steam from the VEN
tlators told those on deck of the ac-
ci6ent and Lieut.. Commander S. 8.
Robinson. the navigator, instantly
sounded general alarm and dropped
20 lines of hose ready for instant use
in case of fire.
Whiting the doomed fire room No.
8 amidships. on the starboard side.
which is one of the 16 enclosed fire
compartments, the surviving seamen
were fighting for life. Reingold and
Meek were stricken dead at their.
posts. Boggs and Wood crawled into
the adjoining fire room No. II and
died almost Immediately. -
The surviving seamen. all of whogH
suffered some injuries. acted with the
greatest heroism in aiding their un-
fortunate mates. Rear Admiral Sebree
himself escaped death or serious in
jury IN the fated fire pit by a narrow
margin. He had left the room where
tho explosion occurred not so seconds
before the fatal blast.
The admiral stood In the engine room
adjoining the fire room. with Chief En-
gineer Robertson and Capt Howard.
His first intimation of the the tragedy
was as he mounted the ladder and 8
half naked fireman leaped past him.
suffering from severe scalds. ", H.
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 a few seconds Is to
20 lines of hose were ready to turn or
the fire. Several of the crew behaved
with heroism and will be repUrted to
the department later when full par.
ticulars are known.
The ship was undergoing inspection
by the commander of the second divf-
sion and had been under way for over
two hours. the engines. boilers and all
machinery working perfectly and fully
equal to the acceptance trial. Tfiils
The boiler was of the standard, tu-
bular kind, the Babcock & Wilco1
make. used on many warships. It con-
sists of O. large cluster of 4-inch tubes,
carrying water into the main boiler.
Only one tube. and this one Of the bots
tom tier, exploded. The break was
less than six inches in length. Thera
was no wreckage, but the explosion
was described by the survivors az
frightful So great was the blast d
SCOT and steam that every man in tha
(Contnued On PAGs Twslvay