Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-03-13

, peared. We hurried to the scene but
saw only wreckage."
CAPTAIN NOT ON BOARD.
f. j. Antsey, captain Of the Alum Chine
was in this city on business when his ship
was blown up. He could assign no cause
for the disaster. The general theory is
that there was fire in the ships coal
hunlters which spread to the dynamite in
the hold.
The Alum Chine was 2s9 feet long
with a 4o-foot beam. She was built
at Cardiff, Wales, in 1905. Most Of
her crew We're from Cardiff.
For radius Of scores of miles, the
shock of tho explosion was felt Re-
ports came early from many cities
and towns where windows were shat
tered and it was at first rumored that
disastrous earthquake had done
much damage at Baltimore. Reports
also came from neighboring States.
and it was said that the entire state
Of Delaware had felt the shock.
William f. Van Dyke of Baltimore,
captain of the wrecked tug Atlantic,
lost his life in herocally rushing to
the aid of the imperilled British sea-
men on the doomed Alum Chine and
his vain effort carried with him to
death many members of his crew.
When curling smoke from the bow
of the Alum Chine warned members
of her crew, the stevedores engaged
in loading her, and the crew of the
Atlantic alongside, that fire was rag
ing in the coal bunkers. there was in
slant realization that flames soon would
reach the 800 tons Of dynamite stored
in the Alum Chimes hold and the
barge roped besides her.
Instantly there was rush to the
ships side. Fourteen members Of the
crew and four of the stevedores leap
cd over tho rail and tumbled pell nell
| into the launch Jerome. that had
! moment before brought two fremen
aboard the Inflated ship. All of the
other members OF the crew and steve
dorcs who could reach the deck leap
ed for the decks Of the Atlantic. The
tug and launch cutting their hawsers,
sped away from the scene of the i'm
pending catastrophe, the Jerome pick
| ing up speed first and rushing to
safety.
| The Atlantic had proceeded a few
hundred feet when two frantic figures
were seen clambering from the Alum
! Chimes hold. They We're sailors who
had been left behind. Reaching the sides
Of the vessel they shouted piteous appeals
for rescue.
Needed CALL OF SAILORS.
Captain Van Dyke. despite the know
| ledge he must have had that hail OF
death soon would be pouring over the
harbor, needed the call of the imperilled
sailors.
The engines We're stopped, the Atlantic
wheeled and rushed again to the fire
doomed vessels side. The two sailors
jumped aboard.
Again the Atlantic wheeled. Captain
Van Dyke standing in the pilot house
gave hurried orders which again sent the
tug toward safety
But It was too loate. The Atlantic s
nose had scarcely been turned toward
open water, when, With a roar like the
eruptionof volcano, the deathladen
vtals of the Alum Chine exploded. The
conclusion hurled all before it. A dense
pail of smoke developed the waters and
when 1t cleared the ship and the barge
had disappeared, and the Atlantic, a dis
mantled hulk, helpless on the surface of
/
Death in a dreadful form had descend
Cd from the sky. The Alum Chine had
been torn into shreds and boxes OF dyna-
mite mingled with the flying fragments
of steel and timber, filed the air. These
fell on the packed decks of the Atlantic
the dynamite exploding as It fell ant
lsweeping them as a charge of shra pne
levels charging troops
| f,A,
their bodies. From ships and launche.
nearby We're seen dismembered bodies
flung across and tumbled about thu
Atantics decks
GAVE LIFE FOR GALLANTRY.
n Captain Van Dyke gave his life for hi
t gallantry. His body. with one arm
r severed, was among those recovered BY
e the rescuers and was one OF the frs
e identified when brought to this city witt
him died Jos. T. Hood, stevedore, whom
his ship had first rescued and Rober
Diggs, a member of his crew, who ha'
8 stood beside him when the explosion
e occurred.
# Those who escaped death in the ex
g plosion brought vivid but disconpecte'
accounts OF the explosion when the,
g Preached this city with the dead AM
r, wounded
o Capt, j. r, Thompson, captain of tn
new collier Jason, which tomorrow wa
< to have taken her trial trip, had mar
d row escape when boxes Of dynamit
II crashed on to the Jason's decks and ex
e ploded He had seen the smoke issuin
from the Alum Chimes hold.
!, 81 was warning my men OF the dan
l. ger" said Captain Thompson tonight
'e because | knew that the ship was sur
l. to blow up, ! had already gone belo'
n and instructed the chief engineer to re
d Up steam and get under way at once. II
n was doing this while | had other men a
J. work pulling up the anchor, | was stand
ing near a ventilator when ! was tosse
a into the air fully six or seven feet.
% turned two or three somersaults thre'
r out my arms and grabbed a railing, Thi
1t kept me from going overheard.
n in another instant a terrific shower @
D. pieces Of iron of all sizes were hyin