Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-03
WORK OF A ,4-c. NJ. SHELL.
How Spanish Projec,lle Caused Damage on
the New York al San Juan de Porto Rico.


the New York at San Juan de Porto Rico
The following article by Assistant
Surgeon Raymond Spear, on board the
flagship New York. showing the effect
OF the explosion of n 14-C. NJ. shell, APP
peared in the New York Medical News
Friday, June 3:
During the bombardment Of San Juan
de Porto Rico on May IL. the New YORK
was struck once by li-C. NJ. shell AZ
distance of about $500 yards. The
shell came owe the stern Of the snip
and struck an Iron stanchlon' three
Inches in thickness, which was broken
short OFF at the point Of contact. The
shell went on for distance of about
Is feet and exploded In wooden boat,
which was covered with canvas. Tne
boat was demolished, the lighter plank
Ing being badly splintered and driven
downward and forward against an IRON
steam winch. The oars in the boat wero
broken and one piece was driven Tor
ward along the spar deck but did no
damage. The canvas covering the holt
was torn and rent into shreds by the
foce of the explosion and by splinters
passing through It, and caught IRE,
showing that canvas under such condi-
lions viii not stop spliniers.
The shell itself burst into many
pieces, varying from the size of a pea
TO large pieces Weighing about Ave
took was forward, downward, upward
and to both sides. many OF them going
over the ships side, others passing
through the copper ventilators ana
smoke pipes and doing but little dam
age.
The fragments that went downward
and forward struck about the port y
inch waist gun. whore there were IL
men stationed. killing one man and in
turing several others. The man killed.
Wldemark, was struck by piece OF
shell about two inches square by one
inch thick. II entered the left side oil
his neck near the angle OF the jaw,
severed the blood vessels proceedd up
ward and backward into his brain.
probably injurin~ the medulla ana
lodged under the skin just beneath
the occipital branch. The man fell Tor
ward losing consciousness Immediate
w. His respiration ceased as soon as
he was struck but his heart continued
to beat feebly for about Ave minutes
when all signs of life disappenred;
Another fragment of the shell or
about the same size struck man
named Fettman on the anterior sur
face of the left thigh, about three
inches above the knee. and went
throgh the limb taking backward
and downward course. The femur
was shattered into numerous fragments
and the muscles were torn considera-
The leg was operated on and por-
ton of the femur resected, the spllnt-
ers and crumbs of bluc were removed,
the fragments were trimmed off and
wired together and through and
through drainage established, the limb
being put In fenistrated plaster dress
ing. The wound Mt last accounts was
healing by primary union and there Is
every reason to believe that the leg
will be saved.
Another man was struck in the left
leg by piece of shell about one inch
by half an inch. II entered the leg
about Its middle on the outer side.
went inward and forward. growing
the anterior surface of the tibla. The
fragments of bone were taken out OF
the leg by the piece of shell.
There were several other minor in
juries Pieces Of shell struck several
men but did no damage one man
felt something hot on his breast and
on Investigation found small piece
OF shell that had burned Its way
through his clothing and reached his
skin. The fragments OF the shell were
all hot, as was shown by burnt wood
and canvas. The men injured by
the shell all said they felt n burning,
singing sensation about their wounds
and in some cases the clothing was
scorched
The shell receives great deRl OF
heat from tho friction IT occurs in
leaving the gun; some of this heat Is
lost through radiation In its flight
through the air. more heat is devel-
foped on the impact of the shell, and
still more energy takes the form of
heat when the missile explodes, maxi
ing the fragments hot enough to set
fire to wood
All Of the wounds made by the pieces
of the shell We're aseptic, but they
all were sluggish in healing. due to the
lowered vitality and burning OF the in
jured parts