The Harrison times., 1917-01-27
DIES FIGHTING
BLAZE ON SHIP
Capt. John Matthias HomeWard
Bound After Two Years
Away From Family.
AN EFFORT AT RESCUE FATaL
Chief Officer Led His Men Into Hold
Of Burning Vessel TO Save I'm
prisoned Stokers of the
Laurentic.

New 1Ork.-A SURFING romance OF
the sea was told recently when details
Of the death of Capt, John Matthias,
commander of the auxiliary cruiser
Laurentic, reached relatives here by
mail. The Laurentic is a White Star
liner, taken over by the British ad-
miralty.
Only two days from his wife and
babies, and on his way home after
two years continuous patrolling in the
Far East, Captain Matthias died at
tempting to rescue men trapped in
the blazing hold of his ship near the
powder magazine.
Flying the homeward bound pen
nant at the peak, the Laurentic
steamed at full speed for port. From
coal passers in the stoke hole to Off
GERS on the bridge, every man was
bent on pushing the cruiser to reach
port in time for the holidays.
In a hamlet in Yorkshire Captain
Matthias wife and two young children
heard the Laurentic had been ordered
to return to her home station. Mrs.
Matthias, with her two little girls, aged
ten and twelve years, made the trip
to Liverpool.
They Discover Fire.
On December 10, within two days
run from port, a serious fire was dis
covered in hold No. 2. With the chief
officer at their head q squad of men
plunged into the hold to fight the fire.
The fire had gained such headway
that it was sweeping toward the pow
der magazines, cutting off their es
cape.
Signalling frantically to their COM
rades on the deck, the trapped men
succeeded in getting word Of their des-
perate plight to Captain Matthias on
the bridge.
Captain Matthias ordered some Of
his crew to follow him and plunged
to the rescue in the smoke filled COM
partment. The rescue squad succeed
ed in dragging out some of the i'm
prisOned men and then went back for
the rest.
When Captain Matthias was enter
ing the furnacelike hold to rescue the
last of his crew an iron beam warped
out Of place by the intense heat of
the blaze, fell on him and his squad
OF rescuers. Captain Matthias was in
stantly killed and several of his men
were injured. Another squad of sea-
men removed the injured sailors and
succeeded in recovering the body Of
the captain. The fire was got under
control and the cruiser put into Liv-
erpoOl.
Forbidden to Wireless.
Under admiralty instructions the Of
ficers Of the ship were not permitted
to wireless the news of the accident
and fire. With the hOme-bOund pen
nant still at the fore the Laurentic
docked at Liverpool Mrs. Matthias
and her two children waited for the
captain, whom they had not seen for
two years to come off the ship. Fin
ally an officer appeared and told them
how the captain had sacrificed his life
for his men.
Captain Matthias was well known in
this port. The Laurentic, his last COM
mand, after she finished the Montreal
Liverpool summer service, used to sail
from New York on winter cruises to
the Mediterranean and the Caribbean
seas.
The captain first went to sea be-
cause Of the jiltlng he received at the
hands Of little Irish girl. He was
born in York, County Cork, and at the
age Of fifteen was keeping company
with fair colleen who lived near the
Rushpool Docks, Queenstown. one
day ne declared his intentions to the
girl Molly by name,
Jack" she replied, so the story
goes, "any time you want your socks
darned, shirt patched or q tear in
your breeches mended, you're welcome
enough here. But you're only an APP
prentice and l could never take what
you say seriously"
"When | come back I'll be captain
Of an Atlantic liner" the youth an
swered hotly.
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