Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1907 — ROASTED BY A BLAST [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ROASTED BY A BLAST

Two Hundred Pounds of Powder Explode in the Turret of a Battleship. BINE MEN BURNED TO DEATH - 9 Dozen Others Seriously Injured, Several of Them Fatally. Warship Georgia the Scene of ths Horror, Which is Caused Prob* ably by a Spark Blown from Outside. Boston, July 1G. —Lieutenant Goodrich, Edmund I. Walsh, ordinary seaman, and William F. Pair, of Brooklyn, N. ¥., ordinary seaman, are dead at the naval hospital, increasing the list of dead to nine. * Boston, July 16. —With six of her officers and crew dead and fifteen others either dying or suffering from terrible burns received Ln an explosion of powder In the after superimpose! turret the battleship Georgia steamed slowly up Boston harbor from the target practice grounds in Cape Cod bay

and landed the dead and injured meh at the Charlestown navy yard. With the arrival of the Georgia there became known the details of the most terrible naval catastrophe that has ever taken place along the coast of New England. Two Bags of Powder Explode. The accident occurred shortly be fore noon while the Georgia’s crew was at target-pracUce off Barnstable la Cape (‘O,l bay. Jn some manner as yet inmxplained two bags of powder became ignited, and in t.he terrific flash that followed the entire turret crew, consisting of three officers and eighteen men, was enveloped in fire and received lutrrible burns, one officer and five men dying—before the ship reached port. List of Dead and Wounded. 'Die victlins of the accident are: Dead—Faulkner Goldthwaite. mlds’dpman. Kentucky: Wm. J. Thatcher chief turret captain. Wilmington, Del.; Wm. Joseph Burke, seaman, (ju ney. Mass.; George G. Hamilton, ordlnarjseaman. South Framingham, Mass.; George E. Miller, ordinary seaman Brooklyn. N. Y.; William M. Thomas, seaman. Newport, R. I. Seriously Injured—Lieutenant Gasper Goodrich, Brooklyn, N. Y.. burned fatally; John T. Cruse, midshipman. Nebraska, hands and face burned very seriously; Frank Schlapp, boatswain’s mate, second class, North Adams. Mass., bach, chest, arms and face burned: Chas. Hansell, gunner’s mate first etas*. New York, face and hand burned; Orly Taglund, chief yeomtyt Rleltford, Minn., arms, back and face burned; Wm. Pair, seaman, Brooklvn. whole body burned, fatally; Edw. J. Walsh, seaman, Lynn, Mass., cheat and face, fatally; John A. Bush, ordinary seaman. New York, face, arms and chest burned, probably fatally: Chas. L. Eich, ordinary seaman. Frankfort, Ind., face, arms and hands bnrneA: John A. Fone. ordinary sea man, Southwick, Mass., and Harold L. Gilbert, ordinary seaman. Southwick. Mass., two-thirds of bodies burned; John C. Maleck. ordinary scan an. Cleveland. 0., arms ami face burned: Louis O. Meese, ordinary seaman. Berea. 0.. arms, face and chest burned: Samuel L. Rosenberger, ordinary seaman. Philadelphia, arms and face burned: James P. Thomas, ordinary senman. Brooklyn, N. Y.. face. arms, chest and back burned, fatally. Four other men received minor injuries whoso names were not given out and who were not taken off the ship, JUST OUT OF THE MAGAZINE Blast of Death in the Hand* the Man Loading. The men. under command of Lieutenant Casper Goodrich, son of Rear Admiral Goodrich, commandant of the New York navy yard, and Midshipmen Faulkner Goldthwaite and John T. Gruse, were operating the eight-inch guns. Two cases, as theb.g 100-pound bags of powder are called, had just been sent up through the ammunition hoist and were in the arms of the loader, whose name was withheld by the ship’s officeras. The loader stood at the -breech of the eight-inch guns, all ready to insert the charge. At this instant the turret was seen to be smoky, and two men who stood near the loader saw a black spot onthe bag. indicating that the charge bad Ignited and was smoldering. The loader discovered the spot at the same Instant and threw himself forward on his face, at the same time shouting a warning to his turret mates. The other men who had seen the spot were Eich and Hansell, and they also threw themselves on the floor of the turret. Before the other mefi in the turret

could understand what caused the loader’s cry of warning there Was » .blinding flash as the burning powder exploded. Flames, smoke and nauseous gases filled the little superstructure, in which more than a score of men was confined. As the powder w-as not confined there was no report, nor did the vessel suffer any Injury, but every nook and cranny of the turret was filled with flame. The loader, who was, of course, nearest the powder, was terribly burned, as was every other man in the turret, with the exception of Eich and Hansell, who, although scorched, escaped, with Injuries much less severe than the other. Two theories are entertained.. One belief Is that a spark from the discharge of the guns floated back into the turret through a gun port and settled onto the powder cases. Another theory is that the spark that caused the trouble came from the fun nels of the ship and floated through the gun ports. Why Practice Was Resumed. Washington, July 17. —Some comment Is likely to be caused by the action of the navy department In ordering the Georgia to return to the range and resume her target practice as soon as the victims of the accident had been removed from the ship at the Boston navy yard. The explanation Is found in the fact that there is extreme danger of a genera! demoralization of the crew of the ship which has sustained such an accident if they are permitted to brood over it before undertaking again to handle the big guns. The almost Inevitable result is a los,< of “nerve” such as the acrobats suffer when they have sustained a fall, the only means of avoiding which is to. Immediately renew the attempt to accomplish a particular feat of strength or agility which led to the accident.

BATTLESHIP GEORGIA,