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Shellfisherman killed in toxic gas incident

By Joe Beaird, Standard-Times staff writer

NEW BEDFORD -- Noxious gas trapped in the hold of a clam boat killed one man yesterday and incapacitated several rescuers who climbed down to save him.

"They got down there, and they couldn't get back out," said a tuna fisherman who was ashore when the incident took place aboard the clam boat John N around 3:25 p.m.

The rescuers descended into the hold to check on another man who officials said was likely overcome by fumes, causing him to collapse and drown in the bilge water.

In all, at least two men working on the ship and two city rescue workers were taken to St. Luke's Hospital, where they were treated for exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas, said New Bedford Fire District Chief Brian Faria.

"It's just lucky that they weren't all down there," said Bill Demusz, a New Bedford clam boat captain who was docked nearby at the time of the accident.

Hydrogen sulfide gas, which is heavier than air, can be produced by decomposing animal proteins. The deadly compound is known to cause convulsions and can induce a coma.

"It can kill you," explained Lt. Paul M. Desrosiers, public relations officer for the New Bedford Police Department, after moving bystanders behind a line more than 300 feet away from the accident site.

Police did not release the victim's name. New Bedford Police Chief Arthur Kelly III said the other gas victims were treated and expected to be released.

At the time of the accident, the John N was docked in a cluster of ships on the waterfront at the end of Antonio L. Costa Avenue in the harbor's North Terminal. Two fish-processing plants, Seawatch International and Atlantic Coast Fisheries, line the road leading to the water.

Although hydrogen sulfide gas is common, it has rarely been involved in local fishing accidents, Fire District Chief Faria said.

"It's not common that it's trapped in a confined space," District Chief Faria said. "I've never heard of it happening before."

Mr. Demusz called the episode a freak accident.

"You'd never know that that build-up of gas is going to be on the boat," he said.

Contrary to initial reports, police said there was no evidence of a gas explosion.

One fisherman on shore yesterday said the clam boat crew had reported "a leak in one of the discharge pumps," and sent someone down to investigate.

Work below deck may have contributed to the accident, which remains under investigation.

"They were cutting open a void," Mr. Demusz said, referring to a hollow under-deck compartment. "They opened it up, (gas) got to the guy instantly -- he was overcome."

A Florida tuna fisherman was standing nearby when he heard yelling.

"Guys were just hollering, 'We've got guys down,'" the tuna fisherman said.

Rescuers followed the man down into the boat's fish hold and did not emerge.

"Police rushed in and they were overcome," Chief Kelly said.

The man who died had "passed out" in the hold after being exposed to the gas, Chief Kelly said. He apparently collapsed in 6 to 8 inches of bilge water in the hold, which "may also have contributed" to his death, the police chief said. The state medical examiner will make the final determination.

Both a police officer and a firefighter were treated at the hospital. Any other rescue workers exposed to the gas also were ordered to get evaluated, Chief Kelly said. The total number of rescue workers treated was not known at the scene yesterday.

Like many of the boats docked nearby, the clam boat John N fishes for large quahogs used in chowder and other seafood dishes. Although its home port is Cape May, N.J., it has been docked in New Bedford for "the last four or five years," Mr. Demusz said.

The John N's captain, Tony Driscoll, could not be reached yesterday for comment.

Staff photos by Mike Couto
Top: Firefighters don masks and tanks to investigate the scene. Bottom: Bill Demusz, captain of a New Bedford clam boat, watches rescue efforts after an incident aboard another clam boat killed a man yesterday. Mr. Demusz was docked nearby the boat at the time of the incident.