The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-06-09
EXPLOSION
ON CRUISER
STEAM PIPE in ENGINE ROOM OF
TENNESSEE BURSTS WITH.
OUT WARNING.
SIX SAILORS DEAD

Every Man in Compartment Either
Burned or Scalded to Death-Ad.
miral sebree Had Narrow Escape.
Accident Occurred While Whole
Ship Was Undergoing Inspection.
San Pedro, Cal, June 5.-A terrible
accident occurred on board the United
States armored cruiser Tennessee at
III O'clock this morning, while the
ship was steaming at 10 knots on a
speed trial off Point Hueneme, a
steam pipe in the %starboard engine
room bursting under 235 pounds pres
sure, killing six men and injuring
eight others-all of the men in the
compartment at the time.
The explosion, the cause Of which is
unknown, occurred only a few min
utes after Admiral Sebree, Captain r.
B. Howard and Chief Engineer Rob-
ertson has left the engine room on a
tour of inspection. Four of the men
were killed instantly and two more
died tonight. .
Dead and Wounded.
The dead:
GEORGE WOOD, water tender,
Scranton. Pa.
3. G. BOGGs, second class fireman,
Woodlawn, Ala. T
A. REINHOLD, machinist's mate,
second class, Germany.
GEORGE W. MEEK, first class fire.
man, Skidmore, Kas.
s. s. THOMAS, first class fireman,
Norfolk, va.
p. S. MAXFIELD, second class fire
man, Toughkena, Chester, county, Pa,
died from the terrible injuries, the
latter two hours after the accident &C.
Cured. q
Seriously injured: 3. J.. Burns, coal
passer, New York; Walter s. Burns,
coal passer, Brooklyn, N. Y; ]. p. A.
Carroll, second class fireman, Hart
ford, Conn.
Slightly injured: R. w. Watson,
fireman, second class, East st. Louis,
Ills; R. T. Rutledge, coal passer, Ath-
ems, Pa; G. M. Corns, fireman, e c
ond class, Ironton, o.; A. Hays,
water tender, Brooklyn, N. Y.;H. Fftz-
patrick, fireman, first class, Brooklyn,
In. Y.
Torrent Of scalding Steam.
There were ID men in the fire room
when the tube which is four inches
in diameter and enclosed with water
inside the boiler blew out driving a
torrent Of scalding steam, coal dust,
cinders and hot ashes through the
ash pit and showered the half naked
men.
A blast Of white steam from the
ventilators told those on deck Of the
accident and Lieutenant Commander
S. S. Robinson, the navigator Instant
" sounded a general alarm and drop
ped 20 lines of hose ready for instant
use in case of fire. Within the doomed
fire room, number three, amidship on
the starboard side which is one Of the
16 enclosed fire compartments the
surviving eamen were fighting for
life. Reinhold and Meek were strick-
en- dead at their posts. Boggs and
Wood crawled or were dragged into
the adjoining fire room No. IL and
died almost Immediately. The surviv-
ing seamen, all OF whom received
some injuries acted with the greatest
heroism in rescuing their unfortunate
mates.
sebree Narrowly Escapes.
Rear Admiral Sebree himself es-
capped death OF serious injury in the
fated firepit by only a moments time.
He had left the room where the explo-
sion occurred not so seconds before
the fatal blasts. The admiral stood in
the engine room adjoining the fire
room with Chief Engineer Robertson
and Captain Howard. His first init
nation OF the tragedy was as he
mounted the ladder and a half naked
fireman leaped past him suffering
from eve scalds.
When the smoke came from the
fire room the first call was sounded
and the crew went to their stations in
perfect order and in q few seconds is
to 90 lines OF hose were ready to turn
on the fire. Several OF the crew be-
haved with heroism and will be re.
ported to the department later when
full particulars are known.
semi-annual official speed trial provid-
ed for by naval regulations. Admiral
sebree had ordered the cruisers to
run full speed and the Tennessee had
just concluded a series Of evolutions
and started straightaway at a speed
of between is and 10 knots. The adj
miral in the engine room had just
taken note that the dial recorded a
steam pressure Of 235 pounds when
the explosion occurred. Less than Is
minutes earlier the tubes had en-