The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-16
MISSOURI ACCIDENT TO BE INVESTIGATED
VERY THOROUGH INQUIRY
 UNDER CONSIDERATION.

Navy Depar tment Discussing the AP- pointmentof ofa Boar rd of ofDIstinguished Naval Officers 10 Take Up the Whole
 Question of Target Practice of the
 Navy -Question of Change in Turrete. Washington, April 15.-Searching in- vestigation will be made by the court of inquiry on the Missouri accident re- garding the statement that four charges of ammunition were in the handling room of the after-turret of the Missouri ready to be hoisted to the turret at the time of the explosion This fact has been reported in the newspaper dispatches from Pensacola, and seems to be borne out by the state ment of a number of officers that it has been thought necessary, in order to fire as rapidly as our ships have been fir ! ing, to keep several charges in the tur- ret room, even though it is not in ac- cord with the regulations. that no time may be lost in bringing the charges from the magazine. If such be the case it can be stated that this condition of affairs will be promptly remedied. It was pointed out to-day at the navy de- partment by an authority that the GUS i tom prevailed on board the other ships of the navy of keeping several extra charges in the handling room during target practice, and it was said if this were so no one on the Missouri could be held responsible.
 Tt is the system, and not the person. mel, which would be at fault" said this Ioficial
 Several high officials of the depart ment had not been aware of the prac- tice and expressed surprise at the re- ports that such was the case. Nh ac- ton will be taken at the department until full report of the accident and the findings of the court have been re- ceived.
 l Notwithstanding the mystery which still surrounds the cause of the Mis- souri accident, the announcement was made at the navy department to-day that there would be no suspension of target practice at Pensacola, but that the other ships which have not yet fired will go on the range at the regu- lar time.
 It was learned tonight that the navy department is considering the appoint ment of board of distinguished naval officers to take up the whole question of target practice in the navy, pass up- on the efficiency of the precautions at present in practice, and make report 4 to the secretary showing, among other things, whether the present system of target practice should be modified, The name of Admiral Dewey has been un- officially mentioned as the president of the board, and this has not been de- cided on. It was said that the appoint ment of such q board necessarily will depend on the findings of the court of inquiry.
 Rear-Admiral Capps, chief construc- tor of the navy, who has gone to Pen sacola to inspect the Missouri, at once will look into the question of equipping the turrets with bottoms. Turrets on lwarships of foreign navies are fitted with swinging bottom, which closes when the charge has been hoisted, and the fact that the main explosion on the Missouri occurred in the handling room, the burning powder having dropped from the turret. has revived the criti- cism of our bottomless turrets.
 A telegram received to-day at the navy department announces the ap- pointment of Lieutenant M L. Bristol as judge-advocate of the court of in quiry. Lieutenant Bristol is one of the ordinance experts of the navy and an officer of marked ability.