Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-11-11
ONE KILLED,
ONE MISSING,
OIL TANKER
is WRECKED


the Sun Shipbuilding Company fleet
az the time It was launched, and
named after the former head OF the
company, entered drydock last night
at o'clock for repairs. Work on
the vessel was commenced early
this morning. when Hunter and
Schley entered the tanks with their
torch. The explosion followed a few
minutes later. Six tanks. all CON
nected by pipes, blew up in quick
! succession.
Second Mate Stolk was in com
mand and was standing on the bridge
when the explosion occurred. Quar-
termaster Edward Callahan was on
the deck. Neither was injured.
Quartermaster Callahan told OF
the explosion this morning.
THE night was unusually clear"
he said. and was standing on
deck looking out over the river. sud
denly there was a terrific burst of
flame and conclusion which
knocked me down. I thought that
NthAAH0ae AAAA NAaANA n kAaA VI
dynamite in the hold
There was great confusion on
board a moment later. The crew %
twenty men scrambled 10 the deck
terrified. Many of them staggered
up the hatchway helf conscious from
having been thrown against the sides
of their steel bunks
Il ran TO the nearest telephone
to summon police and hospital aid,
knowing that many were bound TO
be injured, but the telephone wires
had been torn away by the concus-
sion. I had a man run outside the
shipyard to a telephone and no noti-
fed the police"
The tanker is one o. the largest of
the thlrty-nine vessels launched at
the Sun yard. II has a single screw
propeller, is 49S feet inches long
has a beam OF 65 feet Q inches, and a
depth OF 81 feet.
The J. n. Pew was virtually de-
molished by the explosion. The tanks
were amidship, and the vessel was
ripped fro mstem to stern. II looked
as though half a dozen twelve-inch
shells had struck Il. A large steel
vince. used in loading the vessel,
was blown a hundred feet away, and
he air was filled with rlvetB and 4
pieces of steel.
The steamer Pawnee, which lay
alongside the Pew. was also dam
aged Captain weagert. Its COM
nander. estimated the damage to
ais ship at $4,000. The railings,
ifeboats. smokestacks and pilot
house on the Pawnee were blown
away, among other things.
II was in my cabin asleep when
he explosion occurred Captain
Weagert said. "A forty-five-pound
bolt crashed through the portfolio
and buried itself in the wall on the
opposite side Of the cabin"
1.-THE explosion" he said. was
like the explosions that
sometimes occur in mines. The
anks were empty and theoretically
should not have had any gas in
hem, but 1t was there nevertheless
md when the two men went into
me OF them with a torch the gas
vas set on
Flames burst from the tanks af-
er the explosion and an alarm OF
Ire called out the Chester fire de-
,artmeRt. The fire lasted but a few
n oments. and died out when all
he gas had been consumed.
Damage to the shipyard was not .
extensive, due TO the fact that the
where the explosion oc- =
,urred is at the extreme end Of the /.
rards and surrounded by large .
,pen place. Windows were broken :
,ut. however, and flying pieces OF (,
teel and bolts broke electric lights J,
md did other damage along the =
Shortly after the explosion efforts
o find the missing men mmenoed.
from the Pawnee were
,layed over the wrecked tanker and =
,ver the water. Volunteer rescue
rews went on board and searched
he wreckage. but after two hours
rome OF the missing had been found.
Tor had any bodies been seen float
ng in the Delaware.
Burglar alarms from banks and
BUSINESS houses in Chester were set
II by the explosion.
At police headquarters In the Ches
err City Hall. Captain Cummings was
n duty when the burglar alarms be- b
an coming in. Quickly arming the /
olicemen under him with sawed on
hot-guns, the captain and a squad a
( policemen ran into the street. In