The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-14
DISASTER OH MISSOURI Most Serious Disaster in American Navy Since
 the Destruction of
 the Maine.
OCCURS IN AFTER. .TURRET.
TWENTY-NINE KILLED, IN0LUD-
 ING EYE OFFICERS.


 Lieutsnant weichsarss of Danbury,
 Among the Latter-AIso Iieutcnant
 Gridiey. Son of Late Captain GridIeys
 Commander of Dewsy's Flagship in the Manila Bay Battle, Lieutenant ".
 c.Davidson and midshipmen W. R. T.
 Newman and T. Ward, Jr.
 Pensacola. Fla, April 13.-By the ex- plosion of 1000 pounds of powder in the after 12-inch turret and the handling room of the battleship Missouri, Cap- tain William S. Cowles commanding, twenty-nine men were instantly killed, five injured. of whom two will die. It was The worst accident in the navy since the blowing up of the Maine. The Missouri was on the target range with the Texas and Brooklyn at practice about noon, when a charge of powder in the 12-inch left hand gun ignited from gases exploded and dropping be- low ignited four charges of powder in the handling room and all exploded. Only one man of the entire turret and handling room survives. But for the prompt and efficient work of Captain Cowles in flooding the handling room and magazine with water one of the magazines would have exploded and the ship would have been destroyed. 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 it's probable cause. According to him about noon after the first pointer i of the after 2-inch piece had fired his string and the second pointer had fired the third shot of his string, the charge lignited. The fourth shot was being loaded and from all indications the first half of the charge had been ramned home, and the second section was being ramlned home, when gases from the shot previously fired, or portions of the cloth cover. ignited the powder.
 The breach was open, and a dull thud gave notice of something unusual. No loud report was made but flames were seen to leap from every portion of the 1 turret. A few seconds later another explosion, somewhat more fierce oc- cured. This was in the handling room below, where 1,600 pounds of powder, or | four charges, read to be hoisted above, Fire quarters were sounded and ev- lery man of the ship responded and the magazine and handling rooms were flooded with water. In less than five seconds after the first explosion, two streams of water were being played in lthe rooms and when volunteers were Icalled for every man of the ship re- sponded, 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 off, cers of the ship, the Missouri would have gone down. The second explosion occurred near one of the magazines and so hot was the fire that the brass work of the magazines was melted Smoke and the fumes of the burned powder made it almost impossible to 4 enter either the turret or handling room but officers and men with handker- chiefs over their faces, made efforts to rescue the men inside. Leading the rescuing party was Captain Cowlss. The officers endeavored to keep him from going below, as men fell uncon- scious as they entered and had to be pulled out by their comrades, but un-i l needing their advice, the commanding officer and Lieutenant Cleland DOS officer rushed below followed by Lieu-s tenant Hammer. the ordnance officer,s and Lieutenant Cleland Davis. Cap tain Cowles caught up a dying blue- Jacket in his arms and staggered to the deck with him. The bluejacket with two others from the handling room had crawled partly from their places of duty when they had been overcome.
 Before the fumes of the burning DOW der had left the turret officers and men were lifting out the dying and dead men. Three minutes after the explo- sion all were on deck and the surgeons from the Missouri, Texas and Brooklyn were attending to those not dead. The twenty-five men of the turret were found lying in a heap. They had start ed for the exit when the first explosion occurred and had just reached there when the more terrible explosion in the handling room occurred which burned and strangled them to death. Lieuten- ant Davidson, the officer in charge Of the turret, evidently had given some command to the men, as he was on top of the heap of men, having fallen there after ha had allowed them to pass him
 Continued on Third Page.)