Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1904 — THREE SCALDED TO DEATH [ARTICLE]

THREE SCALDED TO DEATH

Accident In the Fire Room of n Battleship Heroic Officer Is Severely Injured.

Philadelphia, Dec. 16.—Three men lost their lives, and four others, including Lieutenant William C. Cole, were badly scalded by a rush of steam and boiling water in the fire room of the battleship Massachusetts. The dead are Edward Bub. and Andrew Hamilton, boilermakers and civilians; Charles Ritzel, boilermaker’s helper and civilian.

The injured are: Lieutenant William C. Cole, U. S. N., assistant chief engineer of the Massachusetts, In a heroic dash to help the men out of the fire room; William Anderson, ship’s boilermaker; James 'Wilson and Joseph A. Dnran, boilermaker’s helpers and civilians—all badly scalded. There was a ladder accessible leading from the fire room, but only one of the men In the room at the time of the explosion thought of it, and he got out unhurt. The cause of the accident was the blowing out of a rubber gasket In a steam pipe.