The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-09
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DISASTERS CAUSE
Mystery Enshrouds Origin of
Fatal Explosion ON Bat
tleship.

WASHINGTON. September g-The
investigation into the cause of the ac-
cident Oh the North Dakota. where
three men were killed and nine were
injured 1t is believed. here to-day.
will GO behind the returns and
strenuous effort VIII he made TO dis
cover the elementary trouble which
has caused three naval disasters this
year.
The fact that the North Dakota was
the latest product of the highest skill
available in this country, With no
question of money considered III its
construction, makes the situation dis
heartening To naval officials.
Admiral Schroeder, after carefully
examining the machinery and the
equipment in the room where the ac-
cident occurred. declared that in his
opinion the men were not to blame 1t
Is his opinion that no element of care
iessness entered into the situation.
Up To Board.
This. Ii Is believed. viii put ii up
to the board of inquiry 10 find what
the elementary trouble is behind the
frequency of naval accidents, In "A
dispatch to the Navy Department to-
day Admiral Schroeder gave no furth-
er information having been unable to
find any new evidence tnat would lead
to an explanation of the cause.
Officials of the Navy Department ad =
nit that they are non plussed, and
none was willing even to advance a
theory as 10 the Immediate cause oi
the accident.
There Is apparent, however. clear
ly defined feeling that something Is
radically wrong"
ON April :. OF this year Il boiler eX-
( ploded on the cruiser Maryland. off
Monterey Bay, California, killing one
man and inturiug several.
Last February a boiler tube in the
destroyer Hopkins exploded in Sandie-
80 Bay, killing two. and badly MAIN
ing five mn.
In the case of the Hopkins. It was
freely charged that the trouble was
due TO rivalry and bitter feeling be-
tween factions at the Mare Island
Navy Yard, where shortly before
! that time boiler tubes in one of this
ships were discovered to have been
stuffed with trash
The North Dakota was built by the
Fore River Shipbuilding Company
but the work Was done under the
close inspection of navy department
officials
Injured VIII Recover.
Rear-Admiral Schroeder reported
To-Day tHAt the injured were all eA-
pected to recover there having been
no important change in their condi-
ton. He added to the list announc-
ed yesterday the name OF w j. Me
Cauley whose next Of kin is Mary
McNulty, Of Coal Pit avenue, Dan
bury, Conn. The navy department
stated that the name of Lieutenant
Commander Grin O. Murphy, pub
lihsed in some lists of injured. was
obtained through error Murphy was
not hurt. according to the official
reports. The total number of injured
being nine.
The accident may have an import
ant bearing upon the attitude Of the
navy department toward the use OF
oil fuel on naval ships as 1t is COM
parstively an innovation with the
American navy. Only the most re-
Gently constructed ships, the North
Dakota and Delaware or the battle
ship class and several torpedo boat
destroyers are equipped with oil
burning apparatus, There have been
accidents with oil before, but none,
so far as can be ascertained, similar
to the one which occurred on the
North Dakota.
1t is not considered likely that
ordinary fuel oil would explode. This
is one OF the reasons why engineering
officers are disinclined to express an
opinion until more details regarding
the accident are received In official
form at the department