The evening times., 1898-09-16
WRECKED By 4 TORPEDO
The Hull of the Schooner Free
man Is Blown Open.
NONE OF THE CREW HURT
Experiments With the Cunningham
Torpedo Were Being Conducted,
When Premature Explosion
Takes Place and the Vessel Sinks
Within Five Minutes.


premature explosion of Cunningham tor
pedo in this harbor yesterday, the expert
ment schooner Freeman, from which the
apparatus was being tested, had her bow
blown off, and sank in five minutes By
a miracle the torpedo boat from Newport,
which was conducting experiments with
the projectile, was not injured by the ex-
plosion. and the Cunningham Company's
crew escaped in a small boat.
The Cunningham torpedo has been sub
Ject of study by Government experts for
three or four years. About year ago the
Government ordered six torpedoes. The
company bought the schooner and fitted
her with a torpedo tube of original de-
sign for the experiment
The expert board from Newport arrived
here Wednesday. 1t was composed of
Lieut.. G. w. F. Holman who was navi-
gator of the Maine when she was blown
up: Lieut.. j. II. Oliver, and Lieut. w. A
Marshall. late of Admiral Erben's coast
defense board. In two tests made that
day the projectiles developed great speed.
but lacked some essentials of success In
the flight. So the other four were modi-
fed. and were to be fired yesterday
The Freeman lay at anchor in a cove
when the party boarded her. After few
preliminary arrangements Lieut.. Marsh
all and Mr.. Gillingham of the torpedo
company withdrew in tug to observe the
course of the torpedo.
The first torpedo was fired without ac-
cident The second was placed in the
gun, and everyone took position for firing.
Lieut.. Holman stood on the bowsprit to
order the discharge. while Lieut. Oliver
STOOD oy the foremast. He was directly
over the breech of the tube, but with
deck between him and the weapon.
The word was given, but instead of the
pro)ectile leaving the gun, the deck and
entire bow burst asunder. while dense
cloud Of smoke shot from the matches
ana the air was filled with flying timber
and other debris
Lieut. OnVer Went up with the hatch
on which he stood and came down In a
plle or wreckage. Beyond a scratched
wrist and bruises he was unhurt
Lieut. Holman, standing on the bow
slrit, was treated to a big shock. but did
not lose his footing, John N Cunning
nam, son of the inventor kneeling at the
battery to fire the gun, saw the deck rts,
and picked himself up fifteen feet aft
covered with blood from a bleeding nose.
L he crew We're thrown about by the ex
piosion, but not hurt
Inventor Cunningham cooIly mounted
the rail and called the roll to see that no
one was missing or wounded Lieut. Hol-
man voice could be heard through tn,
smoke, but 1t was some seconds before he
could make his way through the suTocat-
ing fumes 10 the stern.
The schooner sank bow first, and her
party had just time to jump into a sail
boat at the stern before she settled to the
bottom. The tug picked up the party and
conveyed them to this city. What cans
ed the explosion is mystery. The pow
der in the torpedo was not an explosive
composition. but propelling. and it is not
thought actually exploded. r. is more
likely that the automatic shutter at the
muzzie of the gun failed to open and the
gases from the torpedo accumulated in
the tube till the gun burst. The disaster
Is generally thought to be the result of
an accident rather than from a perma-
nent defect in the apparatus.
In the midst of the explosion Lieut.
Holman had occasion to remember the
Maine Il can say with much certain
tS, ne said, 'that this was not the sort
of explosion which sent the Maine down.
at least so far as my own sensations can
suggest. There was no lifting of the
Freeman and but little outside concus-
sion. She simply burst open all around,
especially on the starboard side. where
the gun was located This explosion was
clearly from inside the hull
In the Maine there was a distinct lift
ing sensation in the first explosion The
second one. when the magazine went OFF.
was quite different, and not unlike the
one yesterday. But | don't care to dis
cuss the Maine much; it isn't pleasant
recollection"
The Cunningham torpedo is a steel
she'll, fourteen feet long. foot in diane
ter at the point and six inches at the tail
When loaded for war it contains one
hundred pounds of dynamite. The rear
part was filled with slow burning powder.
AS this burned, the generated force
pressing against the water drove the pro-
jectile through the water with great We
locity.