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Show SURVIVORS TELL HORRORS OF EXPLOSION 627, Passengers Thrown Into Panic When Steam Envelops En-velops Ship NEWPORT, B. I., Aug. 19. (UP) How n scorching burst of live steam turned a gay excursion steamer steam-er into an inferno death was told today to-day by survivors of the ill-fated Mackinac.-' The explosion of a boiler and resultant re-sultant loosening of steam which enveloped en-veloped (he craft caught 027 passengers passen-gers on the crowded decks with no means of escape the open harbor. James II. Kennedy, of Central Falls, It. I., who survived with his wife and four children, although they became separated at the height of panic, was knocked down by the force of the explosion. "The blast semed to tear the vessel ves-sel apart," Keuuedy said. "Many were knocked dowm', some were hurled into the air, others were thrown into the sea by the concussion. con-cussion. .. . 1 "I was standing by the lower deck railing and was one of those hurled to the deck. When I mnnged to scramble to my fet in the panic that followed I was struck in the face by a sheet of steam that . drove me over the side, where I managed to hold on without dropping Into the water." At the height of the confusion which followed the blast, Kennedy reported many instances of men passenger . who strove to save the women nnd children. A year old baby was torn from the arms of Mrs. Florence Johnson, of Providence and became lost during dur-ing the period the steam flooded the boat. "When the steam finally cleared away," Mrs. Johnson snid, "I founc'. my baby again, huddled on the deck near a hatchway. He had been burned nnd I thought of jumping with him into the harbor. But the ship soon was benched aud we were taken off." The explosion hurled many passengers pas-sengers into the water. Shrieks of the injured added to the bedlam as the burning vapor swept the decks. Others leaped into the water voluntarily vol-untarily to escape the sizzling Inferno Infer-no steam, which penetrated every hatch and bulkhead. The myrlnd vessels in the harbor resonded nobly to the crisis. Sieed boats, pleasure yachts, every variety of craft had seen the Mackinac's plight and gone to her assistance. Scores of naval vessels were among those which raced to heed the stricken vessel's whistle. Toriiedo boat destroyers, two scout cruisers, a tender even a battleship participated par-ticipated In the work of rescue. The Mackinac, her decks littered with dead and injured was grounded ground-ed off the nnval station. Coast guard and naval station crews were hastily organized and relief work was begun. Heriosm on the part of the Blue .Hx-keiV res J: ted in many spectacular rescues. Scenes about the naval hospital were of indescribably pity and horror. hor-ror. News of the disaster spread rapidly and brought hundreds of friends nnd relatives of those who hud abandoned the ( oomed vessel. |