Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-12
BLAST ON TANKER
CONTINUED from Page One)

board. thus extinguishing the flames
that enwrapped them, later to be
dragged from the water by rescuers
who had rushed to the scene when
the wraclling roar of the explosion
awoke the community. Added TO the
noise that engulfed the harbor was
the wailing of the siren on the Gulf
Company's power house.
Flames Confined to Ship
Belching flame from every portfolio,
her steel plates white-hot and buck
ling from the tremendous heat of the
fire within, the tanker threatened at
any moment to drift away from the
dock and spread destruction to other
shipping in the harbor and to the
great refining plant ashore. Every
piece of fire fighting apparatus in the
city together with the full crews OF
the refinery plants, fought the names
and succeeded in combining them TO
the ship. In the uncertain dawn the
after part of the doomed vessel glow
ed Whitley, so terrific was the heat,
and every few minutes an additional
tank would burst with a thunderous
roar, the flames shooting skyward
and casting wierd light over the
harbor over which pail of thick,
black smoke hung heavily.
The tanker, which had capacity
, of 10000 barrels of gasoline. was
about half full when the first explos-
ion occurred without warning.
Burned Beyond Recognition
The homes of the ships crew are
| in many parts of the country. The
dead were burned beyond identified
ton and the names will be known
only after careful check of the
| company's records. Officials said
that with the possible exception OF
! one or two. they believed the dead
were members of the crew. They did
not know how many dock workers
may have been aboard, however.
The disaster was the third of a
similar nature in the last y hours.
The others occurred on the Missis-
sippi River last Thursday and re-
suited in an undetermined number of
dead. eXpe@, d TO reach 49, however.
An explosion on the Dutch steamer
Silvanus followed collision between
that ship and the Standard Oil tank
er Thomas w. Wheeler, 40 miles from
New Orleans, Thursday night. That
afternoon an explosion occurred
aboard the Standard OIL tanker Q. i.
Warning, lying in dry dock at New
Orleans
The majority of injured were in
critical condition.
Ambulance Busy
AmbuIances We're kept busy dash
ing back to the Mary Gates hospital
with loads of the dying and injured
At the dock there seamen, pipentters
and Others who strove to get the IN
iured to safety. The lead were gath
cred up where they lay or pulled from
the water into which they had Jump
ed or fallen.
tanker moored near the Inflated
ship was torn loose by the explosion
and was towed to safety by others
in the harbor.
Frank Tyler of Port Arthur was the
only one of the dead Identified late
today. l.. f. McFaddin dock work
er of Port Arthur. was among the m
jured. He was shutting a valve IN
one Of the feed pipes, it was said.
when the explosion blew him over
fire wall.
Most of the property damage was
confined to the tanker and. the fre
was extinguished in a few hours. The
vessel was pumped half full of water
and settled at the stern but was stu
floating low. The stern rail was
blown completely awy by the blast.
Damage to the dock and nearby
property was said to be comparatively
slight and was confined to the area
near the tanker.
G. N. Bliss. superintendent OF ma
rine transport of the Gulf refining
Company secuted the theory that one
of the tanks near the engine room
overlooked and was set off by spark.
He said there was no tank near
enough to the engine room.
was Hping Loaded
The Gulf of Venezuela was loading
with high test gasoline when the first
blast near the engine room and with
in few feet of the narrow steel quar-
tiers of the crew, rent the air. The
flaming liquid shot across the deck
forwards to the officers quarters and
was added to momentarily as other eX-
plosions followed
The Gulf of Venezuela formerly was
the shipping board vessel Miskianzi.