Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-01-19
f
BLOWS Up IN DRY
DOCK; THREE DEAD
American PIunger Wrecked BY
Internal Blast While Test.
ing Out New Edison
Batteries.
HYDROGEN GAS EXPLODES
At Least Six Sailors Seriously
Injured-Fumes Impede the
Work of Rescue-Fire
Follows Blast.
HYDROGEN GAS ExPLODEs

New York, Jan. 15.-An explosion
at the New York Il v yard, caused
the death today of at least three mem
bers of the crew and injured a num-
Der of others %variously reported at
from six to 20.
One was killed outright and two
died later at the naval hospital at the
yard. Six seriously injured were taken
to the hospital shortly after the ex-
plosion occurred, at about las o'clock.
AT 3 o'clock others rescued from the
interior of the ubmarine We're being
brought in.
IN explosion was said to be due
to hydrogen gas ignited while the new
batteries invented by Thomas A.. Edi-
son were being recharged.
Reporters Are Barred.
Newspaper men were barred from
the navy yard and authentic details
could not be obtained during the first
two hours following the explosion.
Some reports had it that 10 men were
III the submarine at the time and that
eight or nine were instantly killed.
Several officers who attempted to
enter the submarine at the head of Il
rescue party were driven back by the
FUMES and 1T was reported ut 3 p. m.
that Il number Of bodies were still In
the interior. -Four of the injured, who
were removed to the naval hospital just
outside the yard. were thought by sur
geons to have little chance for recov-
cry. They were:
L.. c. Miles. chief electrician. OF
Brooklyn.
John Holsey. seaman, Baltimore.
Guy III. Clark. jr., Frankfort, N. Y.
Ramon Otto. M~iddleburg. Md.
Rear Admiral Nathaniel r. Usher,
:ommandant of the navy yard. was
On preparedness, at the Democratic
club here, when he was informed of
the explosion. The commandment, &C
;ompanied by an aide of Secretary
Daniels, went at once to the navy yard
md told newspapermen he would make
an immediate investigation.
Plunger On Fire.
One man was killed outright and at
east nine others were injured in the
explosion, according to a navy yard
employee who was near the scene.
The submarine was afire inside, he
'aid. and IN order to put out the flame
he little craft was flooded AT the
ime of the explosion the E-2 was on
he stocks in drydock No. 2.
Men working near the E-2 heard a
.eriffic defamation and then saw a
great burst of flame shoot from one OF
he hatchways.
The submarine E-2 was built in
1910, and displaced 43O tons. She was
capable of travelling IA knots on the
surface and IL knots submerged. IT.
September, 1914. she had a narrow
escape from an accident similar to tina,
I which befell the ia outside of Hon.
)lulu harbor.
Had Marrow Escape.
While the Submersible was ir
naneuvers off Brenton reef lightship,
Ensign Gillian detected chloric gas
when the vessel was submerged So
feet. He ran to the surface and the
coming tower was quickly opened tc
give the crew fresh air. Every on
of the Is members of the crew, it is
said, was more or less affected by
the gas, some bleeding from the nose
and mouth.
AS a result of the accident Ensign
Gillian was under medical treatment
at the naval hospital at Las Animas
Colo, for several months.
The E-2 was the only vessel in the
world equipped with the Edison nick
eled batteries and she mad her first
trip successfully with them Deem
Der Z last. With Lieut.. Charles NJ.
Cooke, jr. in command the E-2 made
an extension run on the surface, then
dived and Unanswered for several
hours. After these experiments the
E-Z maze II SUCCESSFUL run submerged.
The run proved, it was declared on
excellent authorities. that the new
batteries gave better speed with less
fuel.
The E-2 went into commission at
Boston in the spring of 1912. The boat
was built in the yards OF Electric
Boat company at Fore River. Mass.
The E-2. with her sister ship, Ell.
We're the first two naval vessels to be
equipped with the DIESEL oil burning.
interior combustion engines n they
were the first submarines t. be
equipped with wireless telegraph APP
paratuS.
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