The Washington times., 1902-02-22
House Passes Bill Appro-
priatingg $4,000 fof
w. C. Dodge.
ARSENAL EXPLOSION RECALLED
Machine Devised to Replace
the Dangerous Handwork.
A LONG DEFERRED DEBT
Five Thousand Dollars Appropriated
for Estate of ex-POstmaster Will
let, Who Fell Down Elevator shaft
and Was Killed.

The disastrous explosion at the Wash-
ington Arsenal. which occurred in June,
1864, was recalled yesterday by the pass
age of a bill in the House appropriating
the sum of $4,000 to pay Mr.. William C.
Dodge. of this city, for the invention OF
a cartridge filling machine.
The disaster is well remembered by the
older residents OF Washington. 1t re-
suited in the death of twenty ne persons.
many Of whom were burned alive, and
others were seriously injured and suffered
horrible torture. Then the cartridge
cases were filed by hand. very dan
gerous process, and which was the direct
cause of the explosion.
The Machine Devised.
Immediately after the disaster Mr.
Dodge set to work upon an invention to
fill the shells by machinery. He succeed
ed in devising a machine, which has
ever since been used in all the Govern
ment arsenals where cartridges are
made.
The Government took his patent but
it has never allowed him anything for his
invention. The reports of ordnance Off
GERS and various boards have, upon
number of occasions, testified to the value
OF the machine, not only in saving time
and expense to the Government, but
greatly reducing the risk of accident.
Six times the bill granting relief to Mr..
Dodge for his invention has passed the
Senate. and eight times the bill has been
favorably reported by committees of the
House, but each time it has failed be-
cause il was not reached on the calendar.
Secretary Root and the Chief of Ord
nance nave both favorably recommended
the bill and yesterday, during the con-
sideratioD of private bills, the House took
up the measure and passed It without
objection. Mr.. Dodge for many years
has been a wel1-known patent attorney
in Washington.
For the WiIlet Estate.
The House also passed bill yesterday
to pay the executors of the estate of the
late James P. Willet the sum of $1,000.
Mr.. Willet was the predecessor of the
present postmaster of Washington, and
had but a short time before his death
completed his term. and was made su-
perintendent of the new city postoffice
building.
He was instantly killed On September
60 1899 by falling down the elevator
shaft of the building. Mr. Graft. who had
the bill in charge, stated that the COM
mittee had carefully examined all the
facts and circumstances in the case, in
Guiding the testimony taken before the
Coroner's jury, and had reached the con-
cluSion that Mr.. Willet's death was the
direct result of negligence on the part of
the elevator operatives in not guarding
properly the open shaft into which Mr..
Willet plunged to his death.
The original bill called for an appro-
priation of $4,000, to be paid to Mrs.
Laura A. Willet, the widow of Mr.. Will
let, but by committee amendment the
amount was reduced to $1,000. and made
payable to the executors of the estate.
Mr.. Graf said that the maximum
amount allowed in the District for death
as the result of accident under such cir
cumstance was SO, 600, but that the COM
mittee had decided to cut the amount in
two. In answer TO question by Mr..
CrumpaclIer. Mr.. Graf stated that the ac-
cident was in no way due to the negli-
gence of Mr.. Wiilet.
Mr.. Mann wanted to know if there was
a precedent for the payment of such
claims. and Mr.. Graft replied that the pay
ments made incident to the Ford The
atre disaster afforded a precedent.