The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-04
DAMAGE DONE BY ONE SHELL
DESTRUCTIVE FORCE OF MIS-
SIZES AT LONG RANGE.
Effect of An Explosion On the New
York at the San Juan Engage
ment-One Man Killed.

New York, June 4.-The following arti-
Gle signed by Assistant Surgeon Ray
mond Spear. on board the flagship New
York showing the effect of the explosion
of a II c. NJ. shell, appeared today in the
Medical News:
During the bombardment of San Juan de
Puerto Rico, on May L, the New York
was struck once by Il c. NJ. shell at a
distance of about $500 yards. The shell
came over the stern of the ship and
struck an iron stanchion, three inches in
thickness, which was broken short of at
the point of contact. The shell went on
for a distance Of about 10 feet and eX-
pioded in a wooden boat, which was COW
cred with canvas. The boat was demol-
ished the lighter planking being badly
splintered and driven downward and for
ward against an iron steam winch. The
oars in the boat were broken and one
piece was driven forward along the spar
deck. but did no damage The canvas
covering the boat was torn and rent into
shreds by the force of the explosion and
by splinters passing through it, and then
caught fire, showing that canvas, under
such conditions. will not stop Splinters.
The shell itself burst into many pieces,
VARYING from the size of a pea to large
pieces weighing about five pounds. The
direction these fragments took was for
ward downward, upward and TO both
sides many OF them going over the snip
side, others passing through the copper
VentilatorS and smoke pipes and doing but
little damage.
The fragments that went downward and
fo-VV. I'd struck about the port eight-inch
waist gun, where there were u men sta
toned killing one man and inJurlng sew
eral others The man killed. Wi6emark.
was struck by piece of shell about two
inches square by one inch thick. 1t en-
tered the left side of his neck. near the
angle Of the jaw. severed the blood yes
sells. proceeded upward and backward into
his brain. probably injuring the medulla,
and lodged under the brain. probably in
juring the medulia, and lodged under the
skin just beneath the occiDital branch
The man fell forward, losing CONSCIOUSNESS
frnmedia tely. His respiration ceased as
soon as he was struck, but his heart con-
tinued TO beat feebly for about five min
utes when all signs of life disappeared.
Another fragment of the shell of about
the same size struck a man named Fett-
man on the anterior surface of the left
thigh about three inches above the knee,
and went through the limb, taking q back
ward and downward course. The femur
was shattered into numerous fragments,
and the muscles were torn considerably
in the track of the wound.
The leg was operated on and a portion
of the femur resected. the sDlinters and
crumbs OF bone were removed. the frag-
ments were trimmed off and wired to-
gether and through and through drainage
established. the limb being put into a
frustrated plaster dressing. The wound,
ct last accounts, was healing by primary
union, and there is every reason to be-
Heve that the leg viii be saved;
Another man was struck in the left leg
py q piece Of shell about one inch by half
a inch 1t entered the leg about its mid
die on the outer side, went inward and
forward, growing the anterior surface of
the tfbia. The fragments of bone were
taken out Of the leg by the piece Of
shell.
There were several other minor injuries.
Pieces of shell struck several men, but
did no damage. One man felt something
hot on his breast and, on investigation,
t.. M a small piece of shell that had'l
burned its way through his clothing and
reached his skin. The fragments of the
she'll were all hot. as was shown by burnt |
wood and canvas. The men injured by |
the shell all said they felt q burning |
singing sensation about their wounds and !
in some cases the clothing was scorched |
The shell receives a great deal of heat |
from the friction in leaving the gun; some |
of this heat is lost through radiation in |
its fight through the air: more heat is |
developed on the impact of the shell. and !
stiIl more energy takes the form of heat |
when the missile explodes, making the |
fragments hot enough TO set fire to wood |
All of the wounds made by the pieces of |
shell were .eseptic. but they all were slug |
gish in healing due to the lowered vitali- |
ty and burning of the injured parts.