The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-04
OIL ship BLOWS UP;
2DEAD; 10 MISSING
Some Men Thought Trapped
in Fire Room After Wreck
ing Explosion.
Z INJURED: 8 MAY DIE
Thirty-seven Men on Vessel
When It Is Ripped by Gases
in Erie Basin.

The Norwegian steamship Aztec. an
oil burning freighter which recently car
ried a cargo Of gasolene TO France and
was soon to depart with another load.
blew up In her slip In the yard OF the
Robins Dry Dock and Repair Company
at the foot OF Dwight street South
Brooklyn. yesterday afternoon. Two
men are known to have been killed and
ten are missing. Three OF the seven In
jured men who were taken to the Holy
Family Hospital are likely to die.
Although nobody has been found who
knows just what caused the explosion
which spouted workmen and sailors into
the air in a Eeyser Of flaming oil. hatch
covers and fragments Of steel plates
there is no suspicion that II was the
work Of the war plotters. Upon this
point Capt Tunney OF the Manhattan
pol,ce bomb squad. Fire Marshal
Brophy. Police Capt. Conboy Of the
Hamilton avenue station. the Robins
company officials and officers and agents
Of the ship are agreed. il Is supposed
that a spark touched of gaseous vapoi
between the tanks in the vessel or II
the bilges. But as to where the spark
iion.
The Dead.
DoHERrY. James. 4? years old. who
lived at 81 Coffey street. Brooklyn,
with his wife and seven children. He
was foreman of the Robins workmen
who were overhaullng the Aztec.
JAcoBsEN. ole, Norway: fireman OF
the Aztec.
The MissinE.
Robins company employees. j. Col
lIns No. >, Il. Sherman. c. swanson.
Q. Nelson.
Crew OF the Aztec: Henrik krug.
third engineer Just Schneider. fourth
eneineer: y. Anderson. donkey en-
gineer. Raymond Alvarez and d.
Souchy, fremen.
The Injured.
The three injured men whose burns
and other hurts are likely TO prove
fatal are:
MARoSEy. Matthew. rigser for the
Robins company, OF 2Os LuGuer
street, Brooklyn.
ANoLIoNE. Joseph. machinists help
er. OF ass Fifty-~igAtR street Rrook-
lyr.
RASMUSSEN. Charles, Norwegian cook
Four others who were at the Holy
Family Hospital were able to go home.
The Aztec. returning from Rordeau'
on December Il, was overbauled in tn
Robins dry dock and on January
shifted to the adjoining slip for m'no
repairs TIE empty cirgo tanks wer
cleaned with acetylene. In order Il
make sure that no dangerous gases re
mained a chemist for the Robins com
pany took samples of the air in varioG
parts OF the ship yesterday morning AM
reported. according TO Andrew NECTAR
vey, the company's superintendent, tina
the men could work in safety.
There were .hlrty-seven men on boar,
at O'Clock. twenty OF them Robin
gangs, seventeen belonging to the Aztec
The captain, Edward Hilliesen. WI
! ashore. There was no Are on the vesSs
except the oil flare under the boiler OF
donkey engine near the freroom. whic
ran a small dynamo. All OF those VIII
/ might be able to tell what really hap
I pened are now at the point OF deitl
! but others who were on tho ship sal
. that the explosion was in the fire roor
/ or the engine room. There was no o.
( tank within twenty feet. the nearest o
! the four tanks that contained the shi p
! supply OF fuel being separated from III
/ nre room by II water filled cofferdan
| The cargo oil tanks, which have
| capacity of $500 tons. were empty
Atl:25 o'clock workmen on the doze
/ other ships in the yard and the crews o
tugboats that were scurrying throug
/ Erie Basin heard the roar OF the ex
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