The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-04-22

and the flesh hung from them IN shreds.
Their faces were mutilated by the
smoke and flames. only one man was
breathing when the turret crew was
rescled. and he died moment after he
reached the deck.
News of the disaster was conveyed to
the commandant ct Pensacola by wire
less telegraph from the Missouri. and
thence by him transmitted to Washing
ton, while the battleship was steaming
back to port with the dead lying on the
deck.
The account of the accident which
reached Washington was contained in
the following official dispatch;
Five officers and twenty-four men
are dead. Two more cannot live, as
result of the explosion on the MIS-
souri, Three rounds had been fired
from the after twelve-inch gun, and
shell had been sealed and two sections
of powder rammed home when the
explosion occurred, killing every Off
Ger and man in the turret and all but
three in the handling-room. The com
handing officer has informed rela-
tives. BARKER
The entire Navy Department is
stunned by the appalling catastrophe.
The bureau of navigation has been
active since the first news of the ac-
cident reached here, shortly after 4
o'clock. Although the commanding
officer of the Missouri, Captain w. S.
Cowles, as soon as he arrived at Pen
sacola, sent dispatches to the nearest
of kin of the men killed, the depart
ment is also sending out these an
nouncements so that there may be no
mistake.
Captain John e. Pillsbury, assist
ant chief of the bureau of navigation,
remained constantly at his desk, and,
with the other officers of the bureau
and a clerical force, started arrange
ments to care for the bodies of the
officers and men. Secretary Moody
is preparing a dispatch of sympathy
to be sent to Rear-Admiral Barker,
commander in chief of the North At
lantic fleet requesting him to convey
to the commander, the officers and
men of the Missouri the profound
sympathy of the department.
With only the brief dispatch from
Admiral Barker telling how the acct
dent occurred, all the officials of the
department, from Secretary Moody
ton of it.
If can be stated that officials of the
department for more than a week
past, while rejoicing in the world
breaking records in target practice on
our war ships, have feared just such
an accident as has occurred on the
Missouri.
A naval expert tonight said: 1.-THE
Missouri accident is too appalling to
discuss. But / fear that enthusiasm
in making world records has led us
past the danger line. In our anxiety to
surpass the world in the rapidity of
big gun fire / fear we have permitted
our enthusiasm to get the better of our
judgment. How narrowly the entire
ship escaped destruction outright is
realized when it is recalled that near
the handlng-room is a magazine con-
tanning anywhere from so to 100
charges"
The Missouri is the very latest OF
the big battle ships to go into COM
mission. The flag was hoisted on her
in December last at Norfolk by Cap
tain Cowles, a brother-in-law of Presi-
dent Roosevelt. She collided with the
Illinois off Pensacola a few weeks ago,
and has had very little firing with her
big guns; in fact, the nine or ten
rounds which had been fired from each
gun was in the course of official trials.
and she was going through her first
regular target practice when the dis
aster occurred.
The smokeless powder is put into the
twelveinch gun in three sections. each
bag or section weighing 100 pounds.
Some officers say that the turrets of
the Missouri had no bottoms and ex-
press the opinion that after this acct
dent the turrets of all battle ships will
be equipped with bottoms for the pro-
lection of the men in the handling
room underneath.