Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-04-04
Miseellaueous Readins.
BLEW UP THE DYNAMITE SHIP.
Vessel Carrying Ninety Eight Tons of
the Explosive to Japan Was Destroy
ed In Suez Canal.

The dynamite explosion at New York
calls to mind some past events Of the
same sort; the amount that went up is
said to have been twenty-five tons, but
being in a large city the results have
been more disastrous and have attract
ed greater attention than have the re-
suits Of other explosions, some of them
involving much larger bulks of dyna-
mite.
Forty tons loaded on cars outside Jo-
hannesburg, South Africa, exploded
about twelve years ago, but there were
few people near at the time and the
loss of life was not great, though an
enormous hole was made in the
ground, resembling the crater of VOL
cano. The buildings near the scene
were mostly small shacks made Of cor
rugated iron and adobe and not very
many Of them were injured. Glass
was broken in the town of Johannes
burg, but the dynamite cars were
standing on the veldt a considerable
distance away and no important build
ings were shaken. About ten years
ago a quantity Of dynamite and other
explosive, amounting in all to over six
ty tons, were condemned by the Brit
ish military experts employed by the
Egyptian government (the material
having been stored for a number of
Abukir and detonated by electricity
from the shore. The column Of water
thrown up was a splendid sight, but,
of course, there was no injury effected
to anybody or anything, and 1t is not
known how much of the explosive ac-
tually blew up. This bay of Abukir
is the same place on the Delta coast Of
Egypt, where Lord Nelson defeated the
French fleet in 1899 during Napoleon's
invasion of Egypt, and it was the
burning and subsequent explosion Of
the French Admiral Bruey's flagship
during the battle that inspired the
well-known poem of THE Boy Stood on
the Burning Deck"
| Perhaps the largest bulk Of dynamite
and other high explosive that has
gone off" at one time in these later
years was the cargo of the British ship
Chatham; laden with ninety EIGHT tons
Of dynamite, as we'll as detonators, etc.
| She was on her way to Japan in 1905,
| where the dynamite was to be used in
the war against Russia. Shortly after
the vessel had been laden and was at
| sea came the news of the naval battle
Of Tshushima, where Admiral Togo
| completely defeated the Russian Baltic
fleet, commanded by that Rodjesvensky
whose act of firing on the trawlers in
the North Sea-under the impression
that they were a Japanese fleet 10000
miles from its nearest base-caused so
| great a commotion in England and ap-
peared for the moment to be about to
precipitate war with Great Britain.
Although the war with Russia was
\ over the Japanese authorities decided
| that the Chatham with her cargo Of dy-
Mantle should proceed on her voyage,
and all went well with her until she
was passing through the SueZ canal.
AS is usually the case in that crowded
waterway, there were number Of ves-
sells close together, proceeding in line
ahead at slow rate. The order came
to tie up in order that other ships
coming in the opposite direction should
pass, and the line slowed down. But
| the pilot on the vessel next astern of
the Chatham did not act quickly
enough and his vessel gently bumped
the Chatham with sufficient force to
| knock over several Of the kerosene
lamps which were alight on board for
the accident occurred after dusk. The
crew of the Chatham fought the fire,
but it had started in several parts Of
the ship at once and they were not able
to get it under control.
| Knowing what the cargo was, the
crew then announced to the captain
| that they believed a stroll on the des-
erts of Egypt in the cool of the night
would be a pleasant relaxation after
their efforts.
| There are traffic control stations
every few miles along the canal and
from the nearest Of these the captain
telephoned to the Canal company's Of
fees in Port Said. offering to turn the
ship and run her back the ten miles to
Port Said and thence out to sea, be-
lieving that he could accomplish this
before the fire reached the cargo. His
| engine room staff and few other
men had promised to stay on the ship
as long as the captain did, and he
might have succeeded in his endeavors,
but the authorities in Port Said were
alarmed lest the ship should blow up
while passing through the town and
bade him scuttle the ship where she
lay. This he refused to do, and offered
the alternative of taking his blazing
ship still further along the canal until
he reached Lake Timsah, the first of
the salt lakes through which the canal
passes. This also was refused by the
canal officials, and they sent one Of
their officers to take charge Of the ship.
On a formal display of force the cap
tain left the vessel and she was scut-
tied and the fire extinguished. She lay
there with her masts and smokestacks
above water for weeks while an expert
from the we'll known firm of Nobel in
| Scotland (who had shipped the dyna-
| mite) came out to Port Said to advise
as to what should be done with her.
Meanwhile the continual procession Of
ships navigating the canal crept past
the sunken wreck with utmost caution.
She so obstructed the fairway, and the
danger of striking her was so great,
that the Canal company seriously con-
sidered the project of burying her up
with sand and cutting new channel
around her.
| On his arrival Nobel's expert decided
at once that the Chatham ought to be
blown up; that If left much longer
the deterioration Of the dynamite in
the presence of salt water might lead
to serious consequences, for 1t might
explode at the moment when vessel
with hundreds Of passengers was pass
ing at a distance Of only a few yards.
All the inhabitants of Port Saba
mixed crowd, very much resembling
that to be found on the East Side Of
| New York city-were terrified to the
point of leaving their homes and camp
| ing on the seashore. Many of them
are Greeks, Italians and Sicilians, in
habitants of countries where earth
quakes are sufficiently well known and
dreaded and they believed that if the
dynamite was blown up a disaster
would happen on scale such as that
which in more recent years overlook
Messina and Reggie. The scenes that
took place at Port Said are said to
have been both dramatic and ridicu-
lous; for, after all, it was by no means
certain that the explosion of even so
large a bulk of dynamite as that on
board the Chatham would do much
harm at a distance of ten miles and in
surroundings Of loose sand and water.
The panic reached such a height that
to calm the agitated feelings of Port
Said the Egyptian government sent
soldiers to keep order and to reassure
the population. A sordon of troops sew
| erol Y,,ileS in extent WAS drawn around