YACHT EXPLOSION

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 144, 21 June 1930, Page 23

YACHT EXPLOSION

/ , MILLIONAIRE'S LOSS

A large storage tank of petrol deep in the hold of %. Cornelius Vanderbilt's re-cently-purchased stream-lined yacht Winchester has exploded, says the ."Daily Telegraph." The ship was tied up at the New York Yacht Club anchorage in East River at the time, and the terrific concussion set windows rattling for miles round., Nobody was injured.

A ttuge cloud of oily smoke rose a hundred feet above the yacht, and a moment, later flames leaped up from a great hole which had been torn through the decks. Then the yacht broke loose from her moorings and began drifting down the river, closely pursued by. two fire-tugs. These, grappled with the craft, and within an hour had subdued the flames. Jlr. Vanderbilt was not on board at the time, and by a piece of extraordinary luck every man- of the twenty-three members of the crew escaped' without'a''scratch. Captain Jeffries, the first mate, and sisteen seamen were forward in the messroom when the blast rent the ship. They were able to rush on deck and jump overboard to safety before the flames enveloped the vessel. Bellevue Hospital, which is close to the Yacht Club wharf, felt most of the force of the blast, and the patients were thrown into a momentary panic when then: beds trembled and chairs rocked.

The-Winchester is a beautiful vessel and the fastest private yacht afloat. She is equipped with powerful turbines., Her luxurious interior has been destroyed and the superstructure blackened and burned, but the hull has not suffered serious damage. *■ ■."•■ ■ . It is estimated that the cost of the Winchester, with all her luxurious fittings, was over £200,000. Only recently Mr. Vanderbilt spent £40,000 on overhauling the ship. She is 225 ft Ipng, with a 21ft beam. . -