The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-12-27
ONE KILLED FIVE INJURED
Cause Of Explosion Is Being
Investigated.

Inc use OF an acetylene burner for
removing a rivet Sunday from the
deck OF the steamship Freeport Sui.
| phur No. l, moored at the head of
Patterson street, is blamed for the ex-
plosion which killed George Creatb .
ooliermaker's helper, 29lS Gravier St.
ana injured five others, all employees
OF The Johnson Iron Works.
The injured are: Walter Benoit. age
81 years, 719 Evelina street. Algiers.
Doiiermaker, lacerated wounds on the
left side of the face and neck; John
| Mercler, aged 40 years, boilermaker.
Gayoso street, near Baudin. general
confusion of the chest: Robert Luft.
aged 10 years, 527 Seguin street. help
err slight bruise about the hip; Felix
Leblanc, aged As years, 324 Elmira
avenue, helper, left leg injured and
! bruised about the right side of the
face; George Walsh, aged % years.
helper, 1916 Dublin street, injured on
left leg and shoulder.
None of the injuries was serious.
! Benoit and MERCER were sent to the
| Charity Hospital and the latter was
discharged shortly after his arrival
there. Benoit was kept in ward for
! future observation. Private physic-
ians who attended Luft, Leblanc and
Walsh, said their injuries were slight.
While at first there were conflicting
statements made as to the cause of
the explosion, Superintendent Mooney
and Senior Captain Capo, who made
an Immediate investigation, declared
that Creath was burning a rivet out
of the fifth oil tank in the after part
of the ship on the starboard side with
an acteylene burner. 1t is believed
the rivet was burned too far and the
red hot iron fell into the oil below,
igniting the gas in its fall
The top of the tank was blown off
and Creath shot skyward, striking his
head against an iron pipe, fracturing
the skull and neck. The other men
were thrown about the deck by the
force of the explosion. Charles
lTacklebury, in attempting to slide
down rope to escape the flames, is
said to have fallen into the river, He
swan to shore, however, and ESCAPED
unhurt.
The tugs w. G.. Wilmot and w. A
Bisso had three streams of water OF
the burning ship within fifteen min
utes after the explosion and the Al
: giers fire department also brough
} three lines of hose into play. 1t re
quired about half an hour to extin
| guish the blaze, and 1t was estimated
} that the damage was between $30,00'
, and $4,000.
Captain E. G. Smith, skipper, VIII,
was not on board at the time, sail
that he had instructed the workmel
to keep away from the fifth tank
(which was the only one that had no
been emptied of oil and steamed out
Engineer L. S. FORTRESS is said to hav
, warned the men not to use an acetyl
, enc burner but to use a chisel and re
J move the rivets.
Robert Luft and Felix Ruiz, two o
the injured men, made statements Il
the effect that the acetylene burne
was not being used. Luft said thu
first he knew of the accident wa:
when he saw flames shoot into the
air, adding that Creath was not on the
exploding tank.
Two witnesses, who refused to give
their names, said that Benoit was the
man using the burner, but the police
lwere positive in their report thai
Creath was the man.
: Believing at first that the explosion
was caused by an alien enemy, the
lpolice made rigid investigation to de
ltermine If any Germans were on the
ship, or had access to 1t. 1t was learn
ed that all of the men on the shiI
had been in the employ of the John
son Iron Works for years, and that q
union card was required Of every mai
boarding the ship.