The Explosion on H.M.S. Wallaroo.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXL, Issue 6164, 9 January 1904, Page 2

The Explosion on H.M.S. Wallaroo.

Painful Scenes.

A Survivor's Story.

United Press Association—By Eleotric Telegraph—Copyright. Sydney, Jan. 8

The explosion occurred when the Wallaroo was about 200 miles en route to Hobart, There was no loud report, only a Bound .as of the boiler being blown off with a rush of steam escaped. It was at once apparent that something serious had oc ourred, and a party of anxious bluejackets and petty officers made a rush to get below and help their mates, but the steam repulsed them. Then from up the hatchway a man came rushing screaming in agony. It was the chief etoker, Hall, who was dreadfully burned about the face and blind. In a sightless condition lac had rushed through the engine room find up to the deck above, only to fall, and died shortly afterwards. The only man killed outright was Moore. As soon as possible a relief party got below into the stoke hole, and found it flooded to a depth of two feet by boiling water. In this the body of the unfortunate man was being washed from side to side. The corpse had been practically boiled. Two other men, Ellis and Cleal, also got out of the stoke hole only to succumb to their injuries within a few hours. Of those injured, Sandow is in a serious condition. The other men are progressing favorably. It was found on examining the boiler on ' the port side forward, that the combustion Chamber had 1 buckled right in and the whole of the boiler stays had been torn out of position. Heroic efforts were made by the engineering staff under the chief engineer and Lieut. Glasspole, to get , below, but they were repeatedly driven back. Streams of water poured into the stokehole finally enabled the party to face it. Lieut. Glasspole wis badly blistered by the steam. The Tauranga was in company of the Wallaroo at'the time of the accident. The doctor and, nursing staff aboard stood by I till the Wallaroo resumed her voyage to I Sydney in a crippled condition at a reduced speed of six miles an hour. Albert Dorren, a stoker who escaped with i a scalded arm, stated there were four boilers in the ship. Two were fired at the fore end and two at the after end. " I was working with five others aft, while forward i were the men who were killed nnd injured. I can't tell how it happened. I heard no explosion but just a noise as of steam being blown off the boilers. The next instant there was a rush of steam and fire along the passage. Stoker Pretty was more directly in the line of fire. He was blown from my side while I was knocked backwards and fell over a bucket. I scrambled up the nearest bunker crept inside, and threw myself face downwards on the coal, as it occurred to mc ihat the steam would rise and by keeping low down T would e3cape. It;was only a few seconds before the steam was almost gone, but after it came the boiling water. I knew from what happened to us aft that the unfortunate f fallow a in the fore stoke hold were done for. By stepping on pieces of coal I minaged to get along the passage to the other stokehold. Some of the others managed to reach.the deck but there were still two who were badly scalded. Fortunately there was plenty, of aid and they were rescued as soori L "as possible, though so badly injured that they died before night. Except for the presence of the water, which was soon pumpad out, the stokehold showed no signs of the terrible tragedy." When the men who jumped from the deck below nt the first sign of disaster reached the stoko hold, they found the body of the sfcoker lying in boiling water on tho floor. Tho worst of the steam had escaped. A single glance sufficed to show chat'the great boiler hid belched its lqad of scalding steam and water out upon the imfortunaies feeding the furnaces. Sea boots were thrown down to the rescue party and having donned these, they plunged into the boiling water, from which they quickly pulled the body of stoker Moore. All the other stokers had made their escape or been rescued. When it was ascertained that all had escaped ov been taken out, the engineers sent flushes of salt water through the stokehold to cool it off. Then <\ thorough inspection was mide, and it was found the top combustion chamber had collapsed, allowing the contents of the boiler to escape into the furnace. The steam here acted as an injector, and foTced the boiling water out into the stokehold, blowing the ashpan with great force up against the bulkhead, several feet away. It is surmised the ashpan struck Moore, killing him instantly. The stokehold was at once filled with escaping steam and boiling water, and there was literally no escape, The men who happened to be at that end of tha boiler were knocked down by the steam into the water- below, and only their great nerve and hardihood permitted them to escape by ways they knew so well fyom the inferno. The men at the other end of the boiler were enabled to scramble into comparative safety. It believed the mistake made over the Wallaroo's signal wa«j due to thp, lack of acquaintance oVibepart6i the lighthouse keeper with a comparatively WY code of signals.