The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-09
I HREE KILLED
IN NO|LEXPLOS|ON
ON BAT TLESH|P
Dreadnaught N o r t h
Dakota Scene of
Disaster.
NINE OF CREW
SUFFER INJURIES
Wild Rurnors in Circulation
After Accident Prove Without
Foundation = Rear-Admiral
Schroeder Makes State
ment and Orders Board
Of Inquiry.


Fort Monroe, ya, September s.-An>
other of those tragedies which go tc
show that the sailor offers his life te
HIS country In time of peace ny well M
in time of war wns enacted this morn
Ing on the Dreadnnusht North DaiSotH
when about twelve miles from Old
Point, In lower Chesapeake Hay. An
explosion of fuel OIL md the ensuing
fire cost the lives of three men nnd
more or less serious injuries to nine
Others, Including Chief Lieutenant Orin
G. Murtln.
The Incident happened far from amy
shore, and for several hours the Wild
est rumors circulated through the
Communities, TINT having widest cir
culntion being to the effect that the
Delaware, sister ship OF the North Da-
kotn, hnd been blown UP.
The official report of Admiral Schroe-
der to the Navy Department names the
following dead and injured in the fire
on the battleship North Dakota Tho
dead:
! Dead and Injured.
| Joseph w. Schmidt, coal passer, en-
listed at New York October %, 1909:
l
Decatur Street. Brooklyn.
| Robert Gilmore, coal passer; enlisted
at Newport. r. l., January. 1908; next
| kin, mother, Nellie Gilmore, 6 Seyms
| Street, Hartford Conn.
| Joseph Strait. coal passer; enlisted nr
Grand Rapids. Mich. June. 1907; next
kin. father. Peter Strait, 81 Bremen
Street Newark, N. j., also sister,
Amelia L. Letsch, IL Cook Street. An
sonia. Conn.
Injured:
j Chief Machinist e. w. Andrews: sis
ters, Mamie A. Cameron. 2t2s Fifth
/ Avenue, New York, and Carrie A.
White, 1887 Wallace Place, Washing
ton.
Machinist It. G. McDonough; father.
T. G. McDonough, 1S9 Park Avenue
Brooklyn.
Charles C. Robins, machinist's mate;
enlisted at Norfolk.
Sebastian j. Wittwer, fireman, first
class, enlisted at Philadelphia.
James A. Brady, fireman, first class:
! enlisted at New York.
Leo F. Piorek, fireman, second class.
| enlisted at Chicago.
John G. Morrison, fireman, first class;
| enlisted at Boston
| Fred P. Kinney, fireman, first class;
enlisted at Mare Island, Cal.
| statement OF Accident.
Rear-Admiral Seaton Schroeder. COM
manding the Atlantic fleet, late to-day
made the following succinct statement
of the accident:
Between 1880 and II o'clock this
morning. oil from room No. 8. in the
North Dakota, caught fire while tho
first squadron of the Atlantic fleet was
making passage from the Southern drill
grounds to Hampton Roads. Under a
| request from the commander OF the
North Dakota, the commander-in-ch
| of the fleet Immediately ordered tho
North Dakota to leave the fleet forma-
tion, and the battleship New Hampshire
put near to render assistance in casa
they should be Of service,
i mo assistance was necessary. and by
/ 1880 o'clock the fire on the North pa-
!. lota was under control.
Il .It has not yet been ascertaned how
the fire started, although 1t Is believed
that the disaster was not due to any
II carelessness of the men on the North
i Dakota A board Of inquiry was named
to investigate the accident, consisting
of Captain C. A. Core, of the Delaware.
senior officer; Lieutenant Commander
II C.. v. Price, of the Delaware, and Lieu
81 tenant Commander A. Nj. Proctor, of the
| Connecticut. This board will thor
II oughly look into the cause of the ex-
plosion."
After naming the dead and injured.
), stating that the three who are dead
We're KILLED outright" Admiral Schroe-
der adds:
."rhe injured men are all expected tc
recover Chief Lieutenant Orin G.
/ Murfn was in the hreroom at the time
of the accident and was burned but
2 not seriously.
i srhe communicating imnedi-
ately upon the anchoring Of the squad
ron. proceeded on the supply tender
/ Yankton to the North Dakota to per-
sonally attend the operations. The fire
was completely under control before
he arrived, and after ascertaining aR
many facts as possible he returned to
the Connecticut, in Hampton Roads
The North Dakota, shortly after tho
accident anchored off Thimble Shoal
/ Lighthouse. The wounded men, who
i are severely but not seriously burned.
were removed from the North Dakota
to the hospital ship Solace, and are
receiving the best medical attention."
Report to Navy Department.
Admiral Schroeder's report 10 tho
i Navy Department.. in addition to nam-
Ling the men killed and Injured stated
/ that while North Dakota under way
/ approaching HAMPTON Roads. fuel oil
caught fire, No. 8 fire room. apparently
near settling tank Oil fuel used for
test at time, and only on boiler /. No
estimate yet regarding injury to boil-
ers. Ship anchored below Thimpla
4 Shoal, VIII probably come to Roads
4 to- morrow Have ordered board tnYes.
tigation,"
The settling tank, neitr which thu
fire apparently brpse out. is part ot q
4 double -hottomed compartment In
4 which the fuel oil is carried in bulk.
In each fire room, are two 250-gallons
!. ltsnks, into which the Oil is pumped I'd