The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1904-04-14
AWFUL ACCIDENT
ON THB MISSOURI
------
Happens Wills the Warship Is
OF Pensacola.
MUCH POWDER
WAS BLOWN UP.
Officers and Men Were Engaged In
Target Practice.
NUMBER OF THE DEAD
rs TWENTY NINE.
Prompt Action Of Commander, who
Is Brother.In.LaW Of President
Roosevelt, Saved the Vessel
From Destruction.

Pensacola. Fla. April i4.-By the ex-
plosion Of 1000 pounds of powder In the
twelye-inch turret and tn the handling
room OF the battIeship Missouri Wed
nesday william s Cowies. command
ing. twenty-nlue OF the men we're in
stantly killed and Ave injured. two OF
whom will die The Missouri was on
the target range with the Texas and
Brooklyn at practice shout noon when
q charge of powder In the twelge-inch
left hand gun Exploded. ignited from
gas and dropping sparks below. iEnited
four charges Of powder ia the handling
room. and all exploded and only one
man or the entire tnrrst and handling
crew survived. But for the prompt
and efficient work Of Captain Cowies
In flooding the handling room and
magazine with water one OF the maya
zines would have exploded and the ship
would have been destroyed Captain
Cowtes. completely overcome by this
disaster referred all ne Sspaprr men
To Lieutenant Hammer. the ordnance
officer The latter gave out q state
rnent Of the explosion and ils probable
cause According to him. about noon.
after the frat pointer of the after
t~elvs-tnch piece had fired his string
ard the second pointer had fired the
third shot OF his string. the charge ig
Hltsd The fourth shot was being load
ed ard from ali Indications the first
half OF the charge had been Tammed
hnfna and the second section was being
rafnrned home wheu gases from the
shot previously fired or portions n she
cloth covered. lgnited the powder. The
breed VAS open. and = ~ thud gave
notice % something unusual. No loud
report was made but flames were seen
Go leap from every portion 81 the tur-
ret A ts~ seconds afterwars another
explosion. somewhat hpfcer. occurred,
Thl- was ia the handling roam below
where 1900 pounds ~ powder. or four
charges. ready 80 ee hoysled above -
EgntsI Fire quarters W~r~ soun, (
ard every man of the ship renpans~I
aud the magazine and handling rooms
we're flooded with water. In lrsS than
five seconds after tbs arst explosion
~ 81 the rooms. and eh~n volunteers
were called for every mar ~ the ship
responded. eager 90 go into the turrtts
and rescue the cre@. Captain Cow les.
cool and collected, gave his commands
ard bat for his presence OF mind and
that ~ the officers OF the ship the
Missouri would have gone down. The
second explosion occurred near ore Of
the magazines. and SO hot Was the
IRE that the brass work 81 the maya
gtnes was melted, Smoke and the
fumes OF the burning powder made il
almost Impossible 10 enter either the
turrst or handling room but officers
and men. with hAndkerchiefs over their
faces. made efforts to rescue the men
inside leading the rescuinE party
was Captain Cowl*s. The officer en-
deavored so keep him from going be-
iuw. as men fell unconscious as they
entered. and had TO be pulled out by
their comrades. but unheedink the ad
vice the commanding officer rushed
below. followed by Lieutenant Ham
mer, the ordnance officer. and Lieut..
CIelian Davis.
Captain Cowles caught up a dying
blue jacket In his arms and staggered
20 the deck with him. The blue jacket
with two others from the handling
room. had crawled partly from their
place OF duty when they had been
overcome Before the fumes OF the
burning powder had left the turret Of
fcers and meu were lifting out the dy-
ing men and dead. Three minutes aft
er the explosion all were on deck and
the surgeons from the Missouri Texas
and Brooklyn we're attending 10 those
not dead The twenty five men OF the
turret were found lying ia a heap
They had started for the exit when the
first explosion occurred. and had just
reached the door when the more ter
Fihfe explosion ia the handling room
occurred. which burned and strangled
them 10 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 TO pass him to get out
Of the turret. The bodies were hardly
recognizable the terrible and quick
fire having burned the ciotimng from
the bodies Of the men. and the flesh
hung from them ia shreis Their faces
were mutllated from smoke and flames.
Only one man was breathing when the
turret crew was rescued. and he died a
moment after he reached the deck
Commander OF vessel is President