The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-10-05
.DECATUR'S CREW
CALM IN DANGER
Rush To Rescue OF Men Hurt and
Imperiled BY Explosion
{ ! On Destroyer

reached here by mail in the TRANSPORT
Thomas last night. Thcrc was nothing
out of the ordinary going on in the
ship, il was stated, and all that was
known was that Chief Gunner 3 mate
Hayden and Gunner's mates Bell and
Blkins, the last of whom was killed
were putting away tools or at some
similar work In the ordnance room wheI
the explosion occurred Additional
information may have been obtained
from some of the injured men since.
however.
Tore Down Bulkheads
The explosion tore down bulkhcAds
all around the storeroom and the
workroom, the terrific force of the
blast wrecking tho bulkhead protect
ing the magazine. There was one long
tongue of fame, which shot forward
curled up into the magazine contain
ing prepared explosives, among them
four torpedo, warhcads, and scorched n
baseball shirt hanging nearly thirty
feet away. Above the wrecked com
partments men were thrown out OF
their hunks, the deck plating was loos.
ened, and the alarm was first given by
Fireman Callahan, who was shot bodily
out Of the forecastle on the deck anil
who shouted "fre." and then rushed
back into the smoke filed forecastle
to rescue, his mates. ,".
Explosfves Were Prepared" -.
That the Decatur was not blown
into atoms was due to the fact that
all of the explosives forward were what
is known in the navy as prepared -
ammunition. This is ammunition.
which as Wilfred f. Clarke, commander
Of the Decatur, said afterward, "will
not go al IL you build a fire under II. .
and which will explode only after
primers or detonators have been fitted
to the various pieces, Thus. while r
tongue of fame shot through the ma
gazine, scorching everything in 4. its
path, and, the force of the explosion
was enough to loosen deck plates and
tear down heavy bulkheads, the war
heads and other deadly explosives were
found intact after the disaster. De,
tonators or primers had not been fitted
to these explosives and thus under
the conditions which prevailed they
were as harmless as so many empty
shells.
All Explosives Accounted For
Lieutenant Clarke stated that every
ounce of powder and guncotton on the
Decatur had been accounted for. HI
had searched for clue as IN the cans'
of the disaster, and the only possible
thing he could think of was that onC
Of the three men might have taken
some gasoline from tank above decks
and carried il below, for cleaning pIir
poses. This might in some waV have
caused the explosion, bat the whole i:
a mystery. To-, ....era.s. 3.
Strangling fumes issued from the for
ward part Of the Decatur immediatelv
but none on board was able 10 detect
from the smell Of these what the, com
bination was that caused the exnloSion
A combination of acids of some kind
the sick bav OF the Decatur immedi
atelv adioins the storeToom--is con
sidercd to be the most logical theory
and after the disaster several acid
burned articles we're picked up nv tn
Investigating board which, through
analysis, hoped to determine just what
mixture caused tn" explosion and thur
ferret out the truth.
Hatch Fell
For heroic work Immediately after
the explosion, Lieutenant Clarke is t.
recommend for special honorable men
tion Chief Watrrt"nder Smith an'
FIRST Class Machinist s Mate Corriean
aud two others. The shock Of the ex
plosion caused the hatch Of the ord
nance storcrOOm TO fail in, and will
heroic disregard for his own life anc
unmindfuI of the Consequences which
might follow his act, 0iler Wakham
who is believed to be another of thu
mon to be recommended by the com
mander Of the Decatur, dashed to thu
hatch and threw II open, allowing thu
rescuers to pour down into the gas
filed hold and locate the injured mel
below. What lay beneath that. hatcl
after it changed shut immediately fol
lowing the explosion, Ofler Wakhau
lid not know; whether death dealing
flames would shoot out and char hii
"odv to crisn he cared mt; he 81"
his duty and he cleared the way fol
himselr and his heroic shipmates tina
'hev might all the poor fellows lynn"
crushed by debris and ehoked with
gases, below.
Plates Were Loosened
Some idea of the force Of the ex
pIosion may be gathered from the fac
that the hatch opened by Wakhan
after the disaster was an apertnr,
twenty eight by twenty eight inches
and in spite Of the fact that this BIZ
vent leading Immediately out of thu
place Of the explosion was open, tn,
shock Ioosened plates on the deck anC
tore down solid bulkheads.
The splendid heroism of the d"
catur 5 crew is still the talk of tn
navy yard at Cavito, but the men o,
the little war craft themselves modest
Iy disrnimed the right to any partiru
Tar distinction. From Lieutenan
'larkr and Ensign Hatch, the executiv,
officer Of the Decatur, down to the las
Filipino cook : helper, all declared tina
I was "onlv in the line of duty. ;
Every member of the Decatur's crew
could be applauded for his action, IA,
Manila papers, and when all were do
ing their best it was difficult to singl
out any particular men for spccia
praise However, beside those me
pamcd above, Coal Passers Payne an,
u II !