Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-24

Continued From First Page)
after deck caught fire, and of all the
persons there Sargent, King and my
self are the only ones left"
Kennedy said that some Of the men
were filling powder cans in the maya
zine, and that some was spilled on the
floor and then, offered as his version
Of the explosion, "a spark from a pipe
fell amongst the loose powder"
The vikings navigator lapsed into
unconsciousneSs.
Capt Kean picked up the rescue story
at that point.
1--WE made for Horse Island" the
sealer said, land tried to put doctors
and medical supplies ashore.
''Drs. Patterson and MooreS took a
crew Of IS and a new Gloucester dory
and when the island was reached the
dory was so badly broken up by rough
going over heavy broken ice that she
was useless and lost on the beach
without rest or sleep, in the pierre
ing cold the two doctors from the Sa-
coma and DR.. F. Everett Fawcett of New
York, surgeon aboard the Imogene, min
istered to the Viking survivors.
THE few people on the island were
exhausted from continuous work and
loss of rest, and the limited supply Of
food on the island was nearly ex-
hausted.'
He told of the unseIfish giving Of the
islanders, how the women gave their
beds and homes to the sick and injured
and the men gave clothing that they
Scarce could spare.
AmbuIances Were Waiting.
The old sealing captain told his story
simply and without display Of emotion
other than a PARKWAY look, born Of
memories of the injured men he had
taken aboard, that came into his eyes.
The ambulances that waited at the
dock were ready to take the Vikings
men to hospitals, and Capt. Jake turned
to see them taken safely ashore.
Eager ears listened for first-hand
stories Of the Vikings fate; The stories
came reluctantly.
At 8 O'Clock that fateful Sunday the
crew of the Viking was below singing
hymns The sealer, making slow prog
ress. hit a pan. Of heavy ice and
lurched.
Hell burst loose!" said one survivor
George Day of Placentia was the
only man aft Of the smokestack who
survived. He said he was flung into
the air and pitched onto the deck.
When he regained consciousness the
whole stern Of the ship was gone and
flames were licking at him. He jumped
over the side to loose ice pans and had
hard time of it to hold his footing.
Men were scattering in all directions.
Kept Them Together.
Capt. Abram Kean, IT,, master Of the
Barkentine, picked himself up from the
ice where he had been flung from the
bridge, barked quick orders to keep
1-ae TN ma nv
death between the pans. Together then
they struggled over the ice and hours
later reached Horse Island.
On the cause of the explosion nearly
all had theories, hardly any two Of them
alike.
The powder magazine of the Viking
was in the very stern on the star
board side Next to 1t was the boat
SWANS cabin in which there was be-
lieved to have been an oil lamp.
The captains cabin was next forward.
On the opposite side were rooms occu-
pied by Navigator Kennedy and Wire
less Operator King. Between was the
cabin of A. G.. Penrod, cameraman;
Harry Sargent and FriSsel
Frissell had been speaking of the
danger Of the powder magazine with
its ton OF explosives.
Planned to Post Sign.
He had just said: I'm no artist, but
I'm going to make a danger notice"
Penrod was engaged with some films.
Sargent was discussing the next days
operations.
Frisseu had scarcely spoken when the
ship lurched before the explosion.
Operator King was in his bunk be-
hind where Penrod was sitting, and
was blown out through the side onto the
ice. His face and eyes we're badly
burned anu his leg was fractured. On
the ice his feet were badly frozen and
one leg must be amputated. Sargent
was flung out with piece of wreckage
hauled King up with him and was
joined by Navigator Kennedy.
Sargent and Kennedy managed to
gather from the ice near them some Of
the debris, including tins of milk, pre-
serves, two flags and piece of burlap
which was laid over King. They drifted
all night and all the next day, suffering
untold hardshjps.
Sargent was suffering from burned
eyes and an injured arm. Kennedy had
fractured skull. The pan in which
the wreckage was Embedded broke and
gradually became smaller. The drifting
men watched it disSolving as they ap-
preached open water. Then to their
eyes came the welcome sight of a ship.
1t was the Sagona.
The night before the disaster, said
the survivors, there was q shrill blast on
the whistle of the Viking
Master Watch Johnson ran to the
bridge. The officer on watch had seen
no one pull the whistle cord.