Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-26
TRAGEDY IS REPORTED BY
DREADNAUGHT new MEXICO
PASSING THROUGH CANAL
Seamen Killed by Explo-
sion on Ship With Pa
cific Coast Fleet.

On Board the q. S. S. New
Mexico. July 26.-By wireless
and COlOn.)-Six men were
killed today in a boiler explOs-
ion on the United States steam
ship Melville, a naval tender
attached TO the Pacific fleet,
Captain TWining, the chief Of
staff, has been advised.
(The Melville, the first ship built
especially as a destroyer tender
and completed in 1915, was the first
large American naval vessel TO
cross the ocean after the United
States entered the war, arriving at
Queenstown, Ireland, May %, 1917
soon after the first patrol Of de-
stroyers.
She Immediately became the nag
ship of Admiral Sims, command
ing the American naval forces in
European waters and flew his flag
until she started back home in
January. 1919.)
Going Through Canal.
The new Pacific feet started
through the Panama canal.
Four dreadnaughts of the Pacific
feet, the New Mexico, Arkansas.
Texas and New York, we're lifted
successfully through the Gatun
locks today. This was the first at
tempt to negotiate the waterway
with a feet Of dreadnaUghts and
tonight the warships lie anchored
in the fresh water OF Gatun lake,
IS feet above sea level. The dread
naughts will resume their trip to
ward the Pacific ocean Saturday.
at which time the Mississippi andt
Wyoming. now coaling and oiling at
Colon. will commence the passage
of the canal.
Admiral ROdman Pleased.
Admiral Hugh Rodman. in com
mand of the fleet, was pleased with
canal trip. IEe said:
"The flagship was lifted out or
the three locks OF Gatun dam IN
one hour and II minutes. Now let
us go tarpon fishing near the dam
dreadnaughts through the
canal is too easy"
The old battleships Georgia and
Vermont Joined the feet at Colon
today. After the New Mexico had
oiled at Colon the ship swung lazily
into Limon bay. whence she took
the two ships part Of the way TO
the dam, creeping slowly through
the first cuttings of the waterway
amid dense jungle growth like
some weird amphibrian in pre-his-
toric times.
Everything Works Perfectly.
Nearing the locks the crews flung
landing lines outboard, which
quickly drew inboard steel cables
that led TO the electric mules"
running on tracks on each side OF
the locks. The whole operation
seemed to function automatically,
for not an order was heard as the
slid into the loweF
locks as easily as a shuttle into "a
sewing machine.
The steel gates astern the flag
ship then closed like great jaws
and churning water rose up from
yiaducts in the bottom OF the lock
while the New Mexico was lifted as
The flagship was then lifted out of
the next two locks in the same
fashion while crowds standing on
top of the concrete lock walls threw
bananas and cocoanuts at the ships
crew.
Go Through in Groups Of 10.
Twenty destroyers went through
The canal Thursday, passing
through the locks in groups of TO-
Captain Twining, chief OF stan. said
hat the canal had proved It's naval
value beyond a doubt, as dread
naughts may be easily moved from
the Atlantic to the Pacific with ce-
Ierity and without trouble as shown
by today's operation. The Pacific
feet will leave Panama for San
Diego, Cal. Sunday night.