The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-09
Army and
Navy News
y &aS ass.sssSsS1
Fifth Cavalry Orders.

Leved from treatment al the post nos
pital at Fort Smelling and will rejoin
his station, Fort Yellowstone S. 0. So,
June ID, d. d.
Waialua, Oahu, 7. H., is designated
as the station of First Lieutenant
Thomas II. Cunningham while on duty
in connection with the progressive mill
tary map Of the United States. S. ..
1873, June Is, D. Cal.
Captain Nathaniel F. Mcclure is de-
tailed for duty with the Massachusetts
militia during the eneampment to be
held from August IA to II. W. D.,
June Is.
So much of orders, May %, w. D.,
as relates to Captain George V. IL.
MoseIey is revoked. W. D., June 10.
Captain George " H Moseley is de-
tailed for duty at the encampment of
the national guard of Illinois to be held
at Elgin, H., from July 10 to "A. w D.,
June 10.
The Disaster to the Hull.
At the time of the accident the Hull,
which had left Mare Island at p. M,
was lying-to off Angel Island, some
thing having gone wrong with the steer
ing gear. Some of the crew were busy
repairing it, the engines had been stop
ped, and the torpedo boat was rolling
but slightly when boiler tube blew out
with a loud report.
There was a great rush of steam, the
men on duty say, and they fell back
amazed. Then, as they turned to make
dash for the companionway to the
open hatch above, a second loud report
showed that another TUBE had blown
out, and they were enveloped in ire
mendous cloud of steam.
Frank Mccarthy, assistant engineer
of the damaged torpedo boat, who went
ashore at Mare Island when the injured
men were conveyed to the United States
Naval Hospital, said to representative
of the Examiner that in all probability
it would have been much better for the
men down in the boiler room if the
hatch overhead had been closed.
'tThat may seem unreasonable to a
landsman, but it is theory among
the crews of torpedo boat engine rooms
that the escaping steam invariably
does less damage to the men when the
hatch is closed,'' said he.
''Torpedo boats have abnormal speed
due to their powerful boilers and en-
gines, and when the hatch is closed
the air suction up to fues and smoke
stack is terrific. It probably would
have carried off the clouds of steam so
quickly that these five men would not
have been scalded as badly as they
were while trying to escape through
the open hatch with the steam
ffor 4ho OF bad hsa
boiler room Lieutenant MeCommon
went below with some of his men to
inspect the damage. They found no
mon ordered the engine to be changed
oyer' to the duplicate boilers, with
which all the navy vessels are equip.
ped for emergencies of this kind. When
this had been done he gave the order
to put about and run for Mare Island,
in order that the injured might be hur-
ried to the naval hospital.
Meanwhile the mechanics of the navy
yard reftted the damaged boiler room
of the Hull with two new steam tubes,
and by s p. m. the little warship again
was blowing its way down the bay to
Sausalito, where it dropped anchor
among the fotilla for the night.
Early this morning the fotilla Of ten
torpedo boats weighed anchor and
steamed out through the heads, to join
in the iollifcation of the national holt
day in the North.
: Captain Thomas Phelps, commandant
of the Mare Island Navy Yard, stated
last night that this morning he will
telegraph report of the Hull IS acct
dent to the Navy Department at Wash
ington, and that be expects to receive
orders for thorough investigation.