BLAST ON SHIP FATAL TO TWO
Seattle Accident Kills--Three Seriously Hurt in Blowup.
SEATTLE. Dec. 18. -- Explosion of coal gases in the bunkers of the steamship Victoria, of the Alaska Steamship company here late today killed two men and seriously injured three others.
The dead:
Bertrand E. Prince, 48, head stevedore, Seattle.
William Lawrence, 40, station man on the Victoria, Hood River, Ore.
The injured:
Albert Hansen, 47, chief officer of the Victoria Seattle.
Geo. Mathson, 50, carpenter foreman, Seattle.
E.W.Raymond, 44, chief port engineer, Seattle.
The dea men were literally torn to pieces and the injured men were badly burned.
Chief Officer Hansen and Prince were in the hold of the vessel, which was tied at pier two, inspecting cargo space. Hansen said Prince struck a match, which, he said, was the last thing be remembered.
Hansen was blown through a port hole into the pier slip. Princes was thrown high into the air and fell back into the Hold of the vessel, while Lawrence, the other dead man, was blown into the water.
City firemen who searched the hold of the vessel for other victims, believed the explosion was caused by the ignition of coal gas which had accumulated in the hold.
The damage to the Victoria was negligible. The open hatch probably saved the vessel from destruction.
The Victoria arrived here last night from Comox, B. C., with more than 1000 tons of coal. She was scheduled to sail Friday for southeaster Alaska.