New-York tribune., 1922-08-14
Stirring Tales of Bravery
Among Crew Following
Mid.Sea Explosion Are
Related by Passengers
Engineer Braved
Gas to Save Man
Also Led Bucket Brigade
Into Burning Hold; 8
Hurt i'm Hospitals Here

With four OF her crew dead, one miss
mo and three seriously injured, the
wbita Star liner Adriatic arrived here
Yesterday evening, after having expert
4 eaced one Of the grayest accidents at
AAa that has occurred on any trans-At-
aaic passenger steamship in recent
Fyears.
Passengers on the vessel, who told
about the explosion that ripped the
cover off hatch No. 8 at 1 o'clock Friday
morning, soaring mems bodies and
twisting great steel girders in its path,
had but one impression uppermost in
their minds: the discipline, courage
and efficiency of the Adriatic's master
and crew in the emergency.
When the call to quarters came, they
said, every man took his post and went
about his allotted task as roolly and
quietly as though the possibility that
q hole had been blown in the steamers
hull, as was feared at first, did not ex-
ist
Meanwhile, with the fumes of the ex-
plosion still eddying through hold No.
3, an act Of great heroism was being
performed. An electrician, Leslie Alb
lett, who afterward died Of his in
!uries, had been stringing a light just
inside the No. 5 hold and was caught
there and frightfully burned by the
blast, AS soon as this was known Of
feers called for volunteers to bring
hin out, and every seaman within hear
Ing, it is said, stepped forward for the
task. But before them all was Senior
Second Engineer James C. Corrigan.
Braves Gas to Save Man
Hes my man; I'll get him out" said
the officer, and crawled through the
hulkhead regardless of the poisonous
gases with which the compartment was
clicked, totally unmindful Of the fact
that the hold might be blaze OF fre
or where its flooring had been there
might be sheer drop into the sea
.
Corrigan brought out the dying cleo
trician and the information for Cap
tain David that the whole force of the
explosion had been upward and that
very little fire had been generated by
the gas He was quickly followed by
other members of the engineering
force with buckets Of water, and by the
sime three streams from the ships hy-
dfantsl had been turned into the COM
partment the flames were practically
exflngushed, SO that after twenty min
utes' work all danger Of fire had
passed. w
Captain Praised Act.
1T vas a brave act. and you can
say So" declared Captain David, the
!s,driatic's commander, in speaking of
Lnglneer Corrigan's plunge into the
cold. Captain David himself received
testimonial from his passengers
pfaislng him for the way he handled
ms snip In the tense moments after
me explosion. Corrigan is an Irish
man, az years old, who makes his home
in Liverpool.
seven men were at work about the
entrance to No. hold at the time of
the explosion, according to Chief En-
gheer F.. W. Ruddle. Two of them.
a. :. DIlley. Of Liverpool, a fireman,
Snd j. Redmond, of Liverpool, a coal
81 smer, were killed instantly. Abb
a, the electrician, and John K. Nor
nam trimmer, were so badly in
ioss!. ioteq mat they died later in the ships
noi, hospital. Three others, Edward Don
lheliy. Robert McCarty and Simon How
ley; trlmmers, all of Liverpool, were
naaiy wounded, Donnelly being the
most s. gravely hurt. They were taken
p; pineent's Hospital last night by
ssnoulances that met the vessel at the
Believed Blown Overheard
,ner vsner men were asleep on the upper
aa.en over No. hold, as the night
@as vas war warm and muggy. One of these
ona, @ss stephen McGuiness. fireman, who
y ssgG not be found afterward and who
t. eeiseved to have been blown over
DUTro T with the hatch cover.
.hahe sdnatic's mainmast, just abaft
WIG pfidge, was blackened and scorched
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