The Bourbon news., 1904-04-15
AN AWFUL DISASTER.
Powder Explosion ON the Big
BattleShip Missouri.
Five Officers and Twenty-Four Men
Killed and Five Others More or
Less lnj1red-Two viii
Probably Die.

Washington April 14.-The most Sc
rious accident that has occurred in the
American navy since the blowing up
OF the Maine in Havana harbor in 1893
happened Wednesday, on the magnif-
cent battleship Missouri while she
was engaged in target practice at a
range about 15 miles distant from the
naval station at Pensacola.
BY the explosion of 1000 pounds of
powder in the after 12-inch turret and
the handling room of the battleship
Missouri, Capt. William S. Cowles,
commanding. 20 men were instantly
killed and five injured, Of which two
will die Five Of the dead were Off
GERS. About noon a charge of powder
in the 12-inch left-hand gun ignited
from gases, exploded. 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 action of Capt.
COWles in flooding the handling room
and magazine with water, one of the
magazines would have exploded and
the ship would have been destroyed.
Lieut.. Hammer, the ordnance officer,
save out statement Of the explosion
and its probable cause. According TO
him, about neon, after the first point
er Of the after 12-inch piece had fired
his string and the second pointer had
fred the third shot on his string. the
81 ic7oi406 EO OBJ 81
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-
tiOns of the cloth cover, ignited the
powder The breech was open and
dull thud gave notice Of something
unusual No loud report was made but
flames were seen to leap from every
portion on the turret. A few seconds
later another explosion, somewhat
more fierce. occurred. This was in
the handling room below where 800
pounds OF powder, or four charges,
ready to be hoisted above had ignited
Fire quarters were sounded and ey-
cry man of the snip 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 the rooms and when volunteers
were called for every man OF the ship
responded, eager to go into the tur-
rets and rescue the crew. Capt Cowles
gave his commands and but for his
presence of mind and that Of the Off,
GERS Of the ship the Missouri would
have gone down. The second explo-
sion occurred near one of the maga-
zines and so hot was the fire that the
brasswOrk Of the magazines was melt
ed. Smoke and the fumes of the burn
ed powder made it almost impossible
to enter either the turret or handling
room, but officers and men with hand
kerchiefs over their faces made eff
forts to rescue the men inside.
Leading the rescuing party was
Capt. COWles. The officers endeavored
to keep him from going below, as men
fell unconscious as they entered and
had to he pulled out by their COM
rades, but unheeding their advice the
commanding officer rushed below, fol
lowed by Lieut. Hammer, the ordnance
officer. and Lieut. Cleland David.
Capt. Cowles caught up a dying blue
jacket in his arms and staggered 10
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 over.
come.
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 the
surgeons from the Missouri, Texas and
Brooklyn were attending to those not
dead.
The 25 men of the turret were found
lying in a heap. They had started for
the exit when the first explosion oc.
CURED and had just reached there
when the more terrible explosion in
the handling room occurred, which
burned and strangled them to death
Lieut.. 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 raen, 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 burnt
clothing from the bodies of the men
and the flesh hung from them in
shreds. The faces were mutilated by
the smoke and flames only. Only one
man was breathing when the turret
crew was rescued and he died a mo-
ment after he reached the deck.
The entire navy department is stun
,,o1 ~, =