Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1916-01-15
Disaster Occurs in the
Navy Yard at
Brooklyn.
X
MORE THAN THIRTY MEN
BELIEVED TO BE INJURED
Report Most of Grew of Thirty.
five Were Aboard
Vessel.
INFORMATION REFUSED
BY NAVY YARD OFFICIALS
SubmersibIe Was First of Its
Kind Equipped With Edi-
son Batteries.

NEW YORK. jan 1.-THE United
states submarine E-2 was blown up
and partially destroyed in the Now
York navy yard today. The body OF
one man killed in the internal explo-
sion was recovered, and a report to
Brooklyn police headquarters said
seven others We're killed.
The cause of the explosion, which
was said to have opened up several
plates of the craft, could not be
learned some time after the accident
occurred. Several rescue parties
which undertook to enter the sub
marine. were driven back by heavy
gas fumes.
Several officers, who were lowered
into the craft, We're pulled ont after
becoming unconscious The one body
recovered was found near a hatch
way.
Details of Explosion Refused.
Newspaper men were barred from
the yard and ii was with much diff
Guilty that the report the explo-
sion could be con" AZ trough yard
ofiioi' and all details col.cxfning
the oident were ref. ID.
was reported thas the engineers
In the navy yard We're testing one OF
the new Edison batteries installed
III Aut VI ait at me tliilt Ol lllS tA-
plosion. These batteries were in
tended to obviate the danger to thr
crews of, submarines from gas fumes
Recently submarines of the "E' class
We're reported TO have made success
full trips with the batteries in use
Later reports that came from the
navy vard were that twelve men had
been ken out from the hold serious
ly red and twenty with lighter
iniuris They were removed to ~5fi7-
Naval Hospital in the yard.
While the work of rescue was in
progress officers at the navy-yard
said 1t was impossible to say whether
the number of dead would exceed tlle
one known to have been killed. All
of the men taken out were black with
smoke and Crime, and at first it was
impossible TO tell whether they were
badly injured or only suffering from
slight burns.
Had Crew of 30 Men.
The E-2 had a crew of thirty-five
men. Most of them were on the sub
marine ut the time of the explosion
Repairs were being made and the
work was being done by the crew.
AS II began to appear that the acct
dent might prove to be more serious
than first indicated, the navy-yarl
was closed. Officers said the number
of dead and injured might be raised,
but that it would be some time be-
fore additional casualties, If any.
would be known.
One man was killed outright and
at least nine others were injured I'm
the explosion, according to a navy
yard employe who was near the
scene of the accident
The submarine was afire inside, he
y 10 a.
flames the little craft was flooded
Al the time of the explosion the E-2
was on the stocks in drydocx No. 2.
Two of the injured died shortly
after they reached the Naval Hos
pital
rhe E-2 was built in 1910. She dis
placed $50 tons on the surface and
43O submerged and is 140 feet long.
The submarine has a speed of four
teen knots on the surface and eleven
submerged. The E-2 is petrol
burning boat and is equipped with
four torpedo tubes
Rear Admiral Usher, commandant.
was in the yard at the time of the
explosion. and he, with his staff hur..
ried to the scene and helped in the
fight to get inside the boat and
rescue the men who were caught
there.
Lieutenant Charles M. Cooke, who
had command of the E-2. was not In
the submarine at the time of the ex-
plosion, according to the belief of
the rescuers. He was close by, how
ever, being on deck.
The E-2 in September. 1914, had a
narrow escape from an accident
similar to that which befell the FL
outside Honolulu harbor While the
submersible was engaged in maneu-
vers off the Brenton Reef lightship.
Ensign Gillian detected chloric gas
when the vessel was submerged fifty
feet.
He ran to the surface by using the
pumps instead of blowing up the
tanks When the submarine reached
the surface the coming tower was
quickly opened to give the crew fresh
air. Everyone of the nineteen mem
bers of the crew. it is said were mora
or less affected by the gas, some
bleeding from the nose and mouth
The E-2 was the only vessel in the
world equipped with the Edison
nickel batteries and she made her
first trip successfully with them on
December z last, with Lieutenant
Charles NJ. Cooke, ir., in command.
The E-2 made an extensive run on
the surface, then dived and ma
neuvered for several hours. After
these experiences the E-2 made a.
successful run submerged and the
crew found no trace of chlorine gas.
The run proved ii was declared on
excellent authority, that the new
batteries gave better speed with less
fuel.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-The sub
marine E-2 was at the New York
navy yard, having installed the new
batteries which Thomas A. Edison
has developed for the United States
navy. She was the first submersible
being so equipped.
Ten men We're known to be aboard
the E-2 when the explosion occurred.
Two injured men have been taken
out A preliminary report to the
navy department gave tn Sc facts
and added that the cause of the ex-
plosion was unknown. The E-2 was
in drydock.