The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-30
FIREMAN KILLED,
DOZEN INJURED IN
BLAST in TANKER
Gas Tank EXplodes in Yes
sci in Erie Basin Dry
Dock.
WORKMAN WILL DIE
Engine Company, Having
Put Out One Fire, Caught
on Dock.
PROPERTY LOSS HEAVY
All Windows in Ncighborhood
Smashed-Deck Is
Torn Up.

An explosion on board the Vacuum
Oil Company's tanker Charles NJ.
Everest, lying at Pier l of the Robbins
Dry Dock and Repair Company in the
Erie Basin, Brooklyn, killed one man
last night, injured more than a dozen
other persons and smashed windows
within q radius of several hundred
yards. The blast, supposed to have
been caused by the ignition of gases
in the hold of the vessel by workmen
using acetylene torches, was heard as
far away as Borough Hall, three miles
from the dry dock. and in many Sec
tons of Flatbush.
The man who was killed was Fire
man keupp of 1879 Stockholm street.
Brooklyn, a member of Truck Com
pany 101, which, together with Engine
Company 279 and Engine Company
202, under command of Acting Chief
Patrick Hickey, had been working on
a fire on board the steamship West
Wind, owned by the United States
Shipping Board
The ffremen extinguished the flames,
which had been caused by a short cir
cult in the electricians room. and on
their way from the companys plant
stopped at Pier to watch several men
at work on the sides of the Charles NJ.
Everest with acetylene torches. The
workmen were on scaffoldng near the
bow Of the vessel and on the dock be-
low was small acetylene gas tank,
which was afire.
Crushed by Hatch.
The iremen had been there but few
moments when they were lifted from
their feet and hurled to the dock by an
explosion. which was followed almost at
once by another but slighter blast.
Chief Hickey was the first of the fire.
men to recover his senses and regain his
feet He saw that all of his men had
been knocked down and most of them
were unconscious. Fifty feet away lay
Fireman Keupp. with an iron hatch
beam ten feet long and foot wide
stretched across his body. 1t had been
catapulted off the vessel by the force
of the explosion and had struck the
fireman, breaking both of his legs
smashing his skull and causing internal
injuries. Chief Hickey hurried him to
the dry dock company's first aid sta
ton. where he died before surgeons
could reach him.
Chief Hickey also saw that the, four
workmen who had been working on the
sides of the vessel had been thrown
from the scaffoldlng to the dock and
were crawling on their hands and knees.
uninjured but badly frightened, to the
shelter Of one of the company's office
buildings several hundred feet away
Two men, however. lay unconscious on
the dock. They were Joseph Dave of
10 Pioneer street and Robert Rushford
OF 500 Prospect avenue, both Of Brook
Tyr and employees Of the dry dock COM
pany. who had been cleaning up about
the dock when the explosion occurred.
Dave was sent in one of the three am
balances which were summoned to the
Brooklyn Hospital, where it was found
a leg was broken. Rushford was sent
20 the Holy Family Hospital, where it
was found that he had suffered internal
injuries. He probably will die.
Dozen Given First Aid.
All OF the companys employees who
work in the Office buildings had gone
for the day when the explosion occurred.
but Chief Hickey heard the screams of
a woman almost as soon as he regained
his feet. He sent a fireman into one
of tho buildings He found that Mrs
fsllLdDtNil HliNWOIill VI To ANlehdIh
street. a scrubwoman had been hurled
down n flight OF stairs by the force of
the explosion. She was only bruised,
however and was able to go home after
she had been treated by a physician.
More than a dozen persons were taken
to the company's first aid station and
treated for bruises and cuts by the am
bulance surgeons.
Chief Hickey turned in another fire
alarm. which brought other engine COM
panies and Chief Smoky Joe Martin.
who took charge of tho situation. Chief
Martin sent details of firemen on board
the Everest when he received reports
that five men were missing. but they
could find no trace Of them. They did
find. however. that the explosion had
badly damaged the interior of the ves-
sci. almost wrecking the forecastle. Sew
cral heavy pieces of iron work, among
them hatch cover more than ten feet
square, were blown Off the vessel and
hurled from so to 100 feet away into the
yard Of the plant.