The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-14

N-@~fDfA~CA%2af Il Id April 1"'-Dy the
explosion Of 1000 pounds of pow
der in the after twelve-inch turret
and the handling room of the battleship
missouri. Captain William :. Cowles
commanding, twenty mine men were in
stantly killed and five injured, Of whom
Two VIII die. The Missouri was on the
target range with the Texas and Brook
iyn at practice about noon. when a
charge Of powder in the twelve-inch
lett-han6 gun ignited from gases. ex-
ploded and. dropping below. ignited
four charges Of powder i'm the handling
room and all exploded. ONLY one man
Of the entire turret Snd handling crew
survived But for the prompt and ef-
Dcient action of Captain Cowles i'm
flooding the handling room and maya
zine with water one of the magazines
would have exploded and the ship
would have been destroyed.
Captain Overcome.
Captain Cowles. completely overcome
by the disaster, referred all newspaper
men to Lieutenant Hammer the ord
nance officer. The latter gave out a
statement of the explosion and its
probable cause. According 10 him.
about noon. after the first pointer of
the after twelve-inch piece had fired
his string and the second pointer had
fired the third shot of mis- string. the
charge ignited. The fourth shot was
beng 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-
tons of the cloth cover, ignited the
powder.
Two Explosions.
The breech was open and a dull thud
gave notice Of something unusual. No
loud report was made, but flames were
seen TO lead from every portion of the
turret. A few seconds later another ex-
plCsiOn, somewhat more fierce. oc-
CURED. 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 of the crew re-
sponded, and the magazine and hand
ling rooms were flooded with water In
less than five seconds after the first
explosion two streams. OF water were
being played i'm the rooms, and when
volunteers We're called for every man
responded, eager to 20 into the turrsts
and rescue the crew. Captain Cowles
gave his commands. and but Tor his
presence of mind an6 that Of tlie Of
ficers of the ship the Missouri would
have gone DOWN The second eNplo-
sion occurred near one OF the uaga-
zines, and so hot w ',the lire that the
brassworh of the ma zines was melt
ed.
Rescue Was angerous.
Smoke and the fumes of the burned
powder made IL almost impossible to
enter either the turret or handling
room, but officers and men, with hand
kerchiefS over their faces, made ef-
:, forts to rescue the men inside. Lead
4 ing the rescuipg party was Captain
Cowies. The officers endeavored TO keep
him from going below. as men fell un-
conscious as they entered and had 10
be pulled out by their comrades. but.
unheeding their advice. the command
ing officer rushed below followed by
Lieutenant Hammer, the ordnante -
ficer. and Lieutenant Clelland Davis.
Captain Cowles caught up a dying
hluejacket in his arms and staggered
10 the deck with him. The bluejacket
1 with two others from the handling
room, had crawled partly from their
place Of duty when they had been over
come. Before the fumes of the burning
powder had left the turret officers and
men were laying out the dead and dy-
ing men. Three minutes after the ex-
plosion all We're on deck, and the sur
geons from the Missouri. Texas and
brooklyn were attending to those not
dead.
Burned and Strangled.
I nc twenty-five men OF the luIEeL
were found lying in a heap. They had
started for the exit when the first ex-
plosion occurred, and had just reached
there when the more terrible explosion
in the handling room occurred. which
burned and strangled them to death.
Lieutenant Davidson, the officer i'm
charge Of the turret. evidently had
given some command to the men. as he
7yas on top of the heap of men. having
fallen there after he had allowed them
10 pass him 10 get out of the turret.
rhe bodies were hardly recognizable.
the terrible and quick FIRE having
burned the clothing from the bodies OF
The men. and the flesh hung from them
in shreds. The faces We're mutilated
by the smoke and flames only. Only
s one man was breathing when the tur-
ret crew was rescued, and he died a
moment after he reached the deck