The San Francisco call., 1910-08-15

TOUR men were killed late on
Saturday night when the boilers
OF the steam schooner Phoenix.
Captain Peter Halverson, blew up at
sea about 10 miles north OF the Point
Arena lighthouse, off the Mendocino
coast. Two OF them-Chief Engineer
Thomas Houston of o02 Sixty-frst
street, Oakland, and Second Mate An
drew Rasmussen of San Francisco
reached shore with the survivors of
the vessel, but died yesterday morning
from their burns and other injuries
] he msngled bodies of the other two
men, Firemen Chris Hansen and Viii
liam Nicholson OF San Francisco, ride
IN the demolished engine room OF
their waterlogged ship as she floats at
sea, derelict
The vessel Is practically total loss,
as during the night it turned turtle
and dehed the efforts made by the
crew Of the tug Hercules TO salvage il.
The revenue cutter McCulloch has
been informed that the derelict is a
menace to navigation 1t will go to
Point Arena from Sausalito to tow the
boat into harbor, or if that is not
possible, to destroy it,
Crew on Brooklyn
Henry Templeman. principal owner
and manager of the Phoenix, directed
the schooner Brooklyn, operated by the
same company. TO bring the crew and
the bodies Of the victims to San Fran
cisco The Brooklyn viii arrive early
this morning. probably before o'clock
The death of Rasmussen is particularly
cruel, as his wife is about to become q
mother.
Heavy Explosion
The accident occurred Saturday night
shortly after 8 o'clock The Phoenix,
loaded with bark from Needle Rock for
Ss nFrancisco. was making its way
slowly southwark against brisk wind
in a choppy sea. Hansen and Nichol-
sen were stoking below and Houston
and Rasmussen were chatting at the
engine room door when suddenly there
was a binding flash and terrible roar
fro mthe direction of the boilers. The
mate and the engineer were hurled
TO the floor toward the fire boxes and
Chief officer Larson was torn from his
post on the bridge and his body sent
hurting through the air 80 feet to the
decklosd below. The sailors forward
and Captain Peter Halverson, seated in
his cabin. were tossed about in their
quarters by the force of the explosion.
With its bow well out of water and
csreening to starboard, the Phoenix
settled. Pump crews were stationed
and some of the sailors were sent into
the engine and boiler rooms to dis
cover whether the ship was afire. The
men, working amid the tangled wreck
age and the kissing steam. came upon
the PROSTATE forms of Houston and
Rasmussen, who were carried to the
deck, who were still alive Nicholson
and Hansen were never seen after the
explosion
Ship Abandoned
The skyrocket distress signals flasn-
ing through the air attracted Captain
Stitt and his crew of the Point Arena
life saving station and the rescuers put
OF in the life boat for the steam
schooner They returned at midnight
Saturday with Rasmussen and Hous-
ton and several members of the crew,
leaving Captain Halvorsen and the
others aboard the vessel At day break
the skipper and those who had stayed
with him made their way through the
breakers TO the shore in the ships
boat. After making every effort to
beach the Phoenix they were forced
to abandon the vessel at o'clock yes
terday morning TO save their lives. An
effort was made by the tug Hercules
10 put line aboard the vessel yes
terday. but the heavy seas made this
impossible As darkness fell last night
the Phoenix was bottom up 10 miles
below the Point Arena light and about
two miles off Fish Rock.
Captain Peter dalverson of the
wrecked schooner telephoned an ac-
count Of the disaster to The Call yes
terday afternoon just before his depar-
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