The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-04-15
POWDER IN A TWELVE-lNCH GUN
IGNITEs AND ExPLoDEs A
LARGER AMOUNT.
OFFICERS SAVE THE VESSEL
ORDER COMPARTMENTS FLOODED
AND THUS PREVENT MAGA-
ZINE BLOWING UP.

Pensacola, Fla, April 14.-By the
explosion Of 1000 pounds of powder in
the after ~twelve-inch turret and the
handling room of the battleship Mis-
souri,, Captain William s. Cowles COM
handing, tw%enty-nine men we're in
stantly killed and five injured, of
whom two will die. The Missouri was
on the target range with the Texas and
Brooklyn at practice about noon. when
a charge OF powder in the twelve-inch
left hand gun ignited from gases, ex-
ploded, and dropping below ignited four
charges of powder in the handling
room and all exploded. Only one man
OF the entire turret and handling crew
survives.
But for the prompt and efficient
work of Captain Cowles In flooding the
handling room and magazine with wa
ter, n OF the magazines would have
exploded and the ship would have been
destroyed.
Captain Cowles,. completely prostrat-
ed by the disaster. referred all news
paper men to Lieutenant Hammer, the
ordnance officer. The latte. gave out
a statement of the explosion and it's
probable cause.
Flames Burst From the Turret.
According to Lieutenant Hammer,
the after twelve-inch piece had fired
fired the third shot of his string, the
ohio rno iurjto1 Tbo fo,,r<h cLo@ ,,rr ~
being loaded and from all indications
the first half of the charge had been
rammed home and the second section
was being rammed home, when gases
from the shot previously fired or por-
lions OF the cloth cover, ignited the
powder. The breech was open and a
dull thud gave notice of something I'M
usual. No loud report was made, but
flames were seen to leap from every
portion of the turret.
A few seconds later another explO-
sion, somewhat more fierce, occurred.
This was in the handling room below,
where 1000 pounds of powder, or four
charges ready to be hoisted above,
had ignited.
Fire quarters were sounded and
every man on the ship responded and
~ AAN6oAAAC oAA AoAuAAL6 lOol1Io
were flooded with water. In less than
five seconds after the first explosion
twelve streams of water were being
played in the rooms and when volun-
teers were called for
Every Man of the Ship Responded,
eager to go into the turrets and rescue
the crew. Captain Cowles gave his
commands and but for his presence of
mind and that of the officers of the
ship the Missouri would have gone
down.
The second explosion occurred near
n of the magazines and so hot was
the fire that the brasswork of the
ma gaines was melted. Smoke and
the fumes of the burned powder made
it almost impossible to enter either
the turret or handling room, but Off
GERS and men with handkerchiefs over
their faces made efforts to rescue the
mon inside. Leading the rescuing
party was Captain Cowles. The Off
GERS e~ndeavored to keep him from 60
ing below, for men fell unconscious as
they entered and had to be pulled out
by their comrades, but unheeding their
advice, the commanding officer rushed
below, followed by Lieutenants Ham
mer and Clelland Davis.
Captain Cowles caught up a dying
b%luejacliet in his arms and staggered
to the deck with him. The bluejacket,
with two others from the handling
room, had crawled partly from their
place of duty when they had been
Before the fumes of the
burning powder had left the turret
officers and men were lifting out the
dying and dead men. Three minutes
after the explosion all were on deck
and surgeons from the Missouri, Texas
and Brooklyn were attending to those
not dead.
Found Lying in a Heap.
The twenty-five men Of the turret
found lying in a heap. They had
started for the exit when the first ex-
plosion had occurred and had just
reached there when the more terrible
explosion in the handling room &C.
Cured, which burned and strangled
them to death. Lieutenant Davidson,
the officer in charge of the turret, evil
IDENTIFY had given some command to the
men, as he was on top of the heap of
men, having fallen there after he had
allowed them t6 pass him t get out
of the turret.. The bodies were hard
~ recognizable, the terrible and quick
fire having burned clothing from the
of the men and the flesh hung
from them in shreds. The faces were
by the smoke and flames.
Only one man was breathing when
the turret crew was rescued and he
died a moment after he reached the
deck.
The dead are: Lieutenant w. C.
Davidson, Ensign e. A. Weichert of
the cruiser Cleveland, gun umpire;
Midshipman W. T. Newman, Lieuten-