The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16
THE MARBLEHEAD ACCIDENT.
Caused by Handling a New Ride.
Mrs. McCnIIn Hurt.

Caused by Handling a New Ride.
Mrs. McCnlla Hurt.
Further details of the explosion in the
cruiser Marblehead, at Key West, mention
of which was made in the Morning News
of Friday. are given in a special to the
New York Journal. According to the
Journals story, the second division Of the
crew of the cruiser was at drill and target
practice with the Lee rifles, under the
command of Lieut.. Boughter. The Off
Ger had his force ranged in company
front for the firing. He gave the order
Cease firing, unload" The men had been
instructed In the use of the breech block
for Withdrawing cartridges, but evidently
they worked unhandily with tarry thumbs
The Lieutenant followed the command to
unload with the command "About face"
Several of the men had not withdrawn the
cartridges and as they turned the guns
were DISCHARGED in a voiley. The men
at the left of the line pulled the triggers
instead of the spring that releases the
load. Some of the steel bullets passed
through a ventiiator and We're shattered.
The injuries of Mrs. McCana
and three of the sailors evil
IDENTIFY were caused by splinters
and not by direct impact of the swftest
bullet that is shot from a gun Mrs. Nc
Gala, who was visiting on board the
cruiser of which her husband is in com
mand, was struck on the leg. The wound
is slight.
The Lee straight pull rifle, recently
selected for the use of the United States
navy, is one of the marvellous. firearms
of modern times. The contract with the
American manufacturers who make this
rifle contains a condition restricting the
IL - T,,ft aA q
even single rifle is sold to any purchas-
er save the government of the United
States.
The Lee rifle is 1856 caliber and shoots a
steel jacketed bullet under the impulsiOn
of smokeless powder The velocity of the
bullet is 2,460 feet per second, and the
penetration at the range of fifteen feet is
siXty-two pine boards each seven-eighth
of an inch thick The pressure upon the
gun by the discharge of the powder is Co.
600 pounds to the square inch. The rifle
has an extraordinary range and will kill
at more than a mile distance IT is the
weapon of the highest power ever made In
the world.
The noticeable points of the weapon are
the very small caliber, the extraordinary
velocity of the projectile, the vast pres
sure generated and the immense range.
The bullet is but little larger than that
used in the ordinary 22-caliber rifle, which
is hardly more than a toy. The bullet
for the Lee rifle is clad with steel, and the
power of penetration is so great that the
passage cut by il in a human body Is a
clean, smooth channel. The tissues are
not torn nor rent as they are by leaden
bullets. The velocity is about twice that
of the leaden bullet from an ordinary rifle
the great pressure there
is little recoil when the gun is fired, though
owing to the size of the charge and the
force of the powder there is a tendency
for the gun TO Jump
The Lee rifle is neat in construction and
the mechanism was supposed TO be so
simple as to be readily understood. The
on the Marblehead shows, how
ever, that there are complications that
require thorough familiarity in order to
prevent disaster. The breech block Is
drawn straight back when the weapon Is
10 be loaded or unloaded hence the name
straight pull" rifle. By a simple contriv-
ance the breech block can be entirely
from the gun. The purpose of
this continuance is to make the weapon of
no value should there be certainty that it
would fall into the hands of an enemy.