New-York tribune., 1916-01-04
u Hurtled Through
Deck to Death or
Die in Fiery Hold.
FIREMEN AT BAY
OPEN SEACOCKS
Braving 100000 Gallons OF
Oil. They Rescue Many
from Seething Hull.

Federal scents sre working with city
...to-,.es I'm the investigation o. an
.-a,o.,on ,n which at least dozen men
80, their lives when the big tank
...o7er Aztec. in drydock at Erie
Bs.in was ripped apart by an eXpio-
sion Yesterday afternoon.
Csn.aln Obey, Of the Department OF
1,..ieo and Captain Thomas J. Iun-
- Of the Police Department, will
t..5 .te Investigation. They Will De
,...s.ed by Lieutenant Barnitz, Of the
t,nb squad. Fire Marshal Brophy
..sr.e5 another inquiry. Separate IN
,..t-aacns also were begun last night
y. the District Attorneys Office and
,-s coroner. Fire Marshal Brophy and
i...tar. District Attorney Reuben
wilson. of the homicide bureau. will
,-r.so. Captain Hillisen at Brooklyn
Ire Hea5cuartcrs this morning.
rrsner w..h lanterns searched the
,-..tsi hold Of the Aztec last night
,- bodies Twisted plates Of iron lit
tered the decs. and a sixty-foot hole
,.,ss s.- through which, earlier in the
d7 masses Of steel. limbs and bodies
i.i been hsrlcd in cloud Of thick
HACK smoke and darting flames.
A. o'clock in the afternoon the
ren had knocked out their after din
-er -ires and gone below 10 finish
getting the ship ready for another voy-
s.e Ther. were at least forty men
a.e hold. most OF them in the engine
md the are rooms. Lying off the star
board side MAS tie steamer Rose.ands.
The crew vas having its dinner and
the deck was clear.
Smoke, Then Blast.
IL the hold Of the Aztec, supplying
fuel for its own engines. we're four
tanks Of oil, each containing $4,000 gal
,ors. A thick cloud Of black smoke
rolled Up from the hold. Then came a
terrific crash, flames and iron, and the
men on the deck we're hurtled through
the air An armless, legless body was
shot through the hold and landed on
the deck Of the Roselands.
For several minutes smoke covered
the ship with a black pail. Pstrolman
Arthur Werthe.m ,.ncd in an alarm.
through the entry gate poured shout
Ing men. The crew Of the Roselands
rsn about the deck Of their threatened
ship, while the sea craft on the other
tids Of the Aztec backed out quickly.
Wounded men on the Aztec crawled
TO the sides Of the ship for breath and
safety. Streamers OF fame shot up at
Irregular intervals, while in the furnace
below the trapped men died.
The tugboat Dslzelline braved self
SCes'rueuon by siding up to the Aztec.
Vapiain a. T. Bennett dived and
o4'ehed Paddy Marlin Marlin, q rig
s!' had been blown of the ship. Then
.osAnett ran up rope ladder, dashed
@.0usn the smoke, dragged one OF the
tOunded men 20 the starboard side and
yssSed tae crew Of the Roselands for
assistance. But they had jumped down
The deck Of the Strathallan for
safety.
Bennett carried the man along the
..sung port side and dropped him into
,ae arms Or MS crew on the tugboat.
ne shouted for aid and half a dozen
men scrambled on the hot deck. One
y one they took the injured members
" be Aztec crew TO safety.
Sea-cOcks Quench Flames.
A-t an hour after the explosion
1e Arc1oat William J. Gaynor steamed
ss.0e the blazing Aztec. Fire
N' mior Deputy Chief Lally, had
n-s of hose from the foot
sr Street, over the decks OF
.li"ila.lau and Roselands, and
-e streams Of water into the
lner ciambered over a hastily
'c. td plank bridge and jumped
e decE. With a crash that was
r.-'l Tor miles the top of the oil tank
r.-., through the hoie in the deck,
-.Geo over the heads Of the crouch
s hfe--aghters and landed on the deck
.t. ' hcse.ands, tearing a hole in the
~, "I,nout regard for their safety the
,.t approached the seething hold. Re
,.,'vea Oy the men from the freDoat
r.' ,.ined The streams Of water into
C..t4ia on the sea-cocks." shouted
Nolei Ohcer Mass.
.o "&l-f rushing in through the valves
f,o."e port side quenched the flames
tom beiow, while tho fremen fought
ta'I. dom above The Aztec began
roiisst more and more. 1t was at an
vt..lualon Of about thirty dregrees
a. AZ. me sea-cocks were closed.
9,D5 We gate Of the drydock hun
voos OF shouting, yelling men and
~, 'De" were fighting for chance TO
m ., iAe injured men were rushed
Hospital ~ ''' Holy fam'i'
views News Of ,hc explosion spread Ike
Of .,e. ~. Charles Dougherty. brother
seSmes Dougherty, foreman of the
''ns Drydock Company, who had
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