The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-14
TWenty-nine Men Killed by
Explosion ON the
Missouri.
A TURRET GUN LET co
Among Those Instantly Killed We're
Five Promising Young
Naval Officers
Shocking Disaster Occurs While the
Men Were Engaged In Tar
get Practice.

Washington, April 1.-THE most
serious accident that has occurred in
the American navy since the blowing
up of the Maine in Havana herbor in
tleship Missouri while she was engag-
ed in target practice at a range about
fifteen miles distant from the naval
station at Pensacola. Twenty-four
men and five officers were killed out
right by an explosion of the Pinch
gun in the after turret, and two more
men will probably die.
News of the disaster was conveyed
to the commandant at Pensacola by
wireless telegraph from the Missouri
and thence by him transmitted to
Washington, while the big ship was
creeping back to port with the dead
lying on her deck. The account which
reached Washington of the accident
was contained in the following official
dispatch:
Secretary Navy, Washington: Five
officers and twenty-four men are dead.
Two more cannot live-result of ex-
plosion on Missouri Three rounds
had been fired from after 12-inch gun
and shell had been seated and two
sections of powder rammed home
when explosion occurred, killing every
officer and man in the turret and all
but three in the handling room. Com
handing officer has informed relatives.
Names of dead follow: w. G. David
son, lieutenant (junior grade), E. A.
Weichert, lieutenant of marines; j.
V. p Gridley, midshipman; w. E.
T. Neumann and Thomas Ward, jr.;
J. K. Peterson, boatswains mate first
class; j. Bloxopalos, coxswain; w. ].
Bogard, o. N. Sender, E. r. H. Alison,
seamen; C. H. Meyer, r. c. Tobin, j.
w. Cole, c. Rice, c. J. Killen, j. &C.
dris, j. w. Kennedy, J. P. Starr, ]. c.
Num-, C. III. NJ. Franks, ordinary sea-
men; H. S. Cherbarths, B. ]. Milligan
and ]. NJ. Roach, landsmen; T. F. Row.
lands, electrician (second class); A.
Smith, gunner's mate (second class;
T. E. Braun, chief gun captain; w L.
Shipman, private marine; j. G. Hardy
and P. r. CASTER, apprentices (second
class. The two men who cannot live
are j. T. J. Donnelly, ordinary seaman,
and o. B. Moe. apprentice Second
class. BARKER"
The receipt of this message caused
CONSERVATION at the department Sec
rotary Moody conveyed it to the presi-
dent at the White House, and officers
and CLERKS at the department were
soon engaged in making out dispatches
To hn r0I0 nd friO of n fl
GERS who were killed, SO that they
might not have to receive their first
news from the newspapers. Short bio
graphical sketches were prepared,
also Nearly all the dead officers were
in the flush of early youth.
Lieutenant VIM. C. Davidson il a
native of Indiana and WIS appointed a
midshipman from South Dakota Sept.
%, 1891 His wife, Mrs. Juliet L. Da-
wilson, resides at 1908 McCulIoch
street, Baltimore Lieutenant Ernest
A. Weichert (junior grade) was at
tached to the Cleveland and it is as
sumed at the navy department that he
was aboard the Missouri at the time
of the disaster as an umpire during
target practice. He was a native of
Connecticut. Lieutenant Gridley was
a son of the late Captain Grfdley, who
commanded the flagship of Admiral
Dewey's squadron when he sailed into
Manila bay and fought the Spanish
ships. He was marine officer on the
Missouri, appointed to the marine
corps March 26, 1900, from Pennsylva-
MIA, his native state. Midshipman
Thomas Ward ,jr., was a son of Gen.
Thomas Ward, who recently retired
from the active list in the adtutant
general corps in the United States
army. He was appointed to the naval
academy May %, 1899, from New York.
In which state he was born Midship- |
man VIM. w. T. Neumann entered the !
academy at Annapolis from California |
Sept 16, 1899, and completed his
course last year, when he began a
two-years' service at sea- He was !
native of California His mother is !
living at Honolulu.
The Missouri is the very latest of |
the big batKeships to go into commits |
sion. The flag was hoisted on her in |
December last at Norfolk by Captain |
Cowles, brother-in-law of President |
Roosevelt. She coilided with the ILL
nois 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 |
big gun was in the course of official !
trials, and she is now going through |
her first regular target practice.