Marion, Massachusetts
Boat Explosion
July
1908
LAUNCH BLOWS UP
FOUR MEN KILLED IN SAD ACCIDENT OFF MARION,
MASS.
TWO OTHERS ARE SAVED
Picked Up After Being in Water Twelve Hours –
Victims Were Prominent Citizens.
Marion, Mass. – Four prominent summer
residents of this town and Falmouth met death
through an explosion on board a 45-foot launch
off here Saturday night. Two survivors were
picked up Sunday after having been in the water
for 12 hours.
The dead: ROLAND
WORTHINGTON, Boston;
JOHN T. TRULL,
Woburn; JOSEPH S. BEAL,
Milton, and GEORGE
SAVORY, Marblehead, captain of the
launch.
The saved: A. P.
Tarbell, Marblehead and
Edward Pecker,
Boston.
Pecker,
who was clinging to an oar, and
Tarbell, who was supported by a life
preserver, were able to swim, and they remained
together until picked up by a lobster fisherman
going out in the early morning to haul his pots.
Mr. Tarbell,
who owned the Dolphin, as the launch was called,
said the boat started out from Marion on a short
pleasure cruise and was well out in the middle
of Buzzards bay when the explosion occurred.
Savory, the
engineer, was suddenly blown into the air and
was probably dead when he struck the water. The
boat caught fire immediately and Tarbell called
to his comrades to leap overboard. He strapped a
life preserver about himself before he leaped,
and Mr. Pecker, who is connected with the Boston
banking firm of Rollins
& Sons, seized an oar and followed. So far as
they knew, none of the others in the party
jumped. Either they could not swim and preferred
to cling to the disabled launch until help came,
or else they were stunned by the explosion.
Mr. Worthington
was a large owner of real estate in the Boston
financial district, but had retired from active
business. He was 49 years old.
Mr. Trull, who
was 66 years old, was well known in Boston
mercantile circles and had a business place
there. He lived in Woburn.
Mr. Beal was
connected with the office of the Osceola
Consolidated Mining company of Boston.
The Stevens Point Journal, Stevens Point,
WI 18 Jul 1908
Transcribed by
Jenni Lanham. Thank you,
Jenni!
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