Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-16
NO THEORY
ADV ANCED
NAVAL AUTHORITIES UNABLE TO
ACCOUNT FOR DISASTER ON
MISSOURI.
NARROW ESCAPE FOR ALL
Had Not Captain cowIes and Gunner's
Mate Monson Acted Quickly the
Whole Ship and Crew Would Have
Gone to tho Bottom.


Gone to tho Bottom.
Washington, April 15.- Secretary
Moody today transmitted to the house
a request for $4,000 appropriation to
provide for the proper care of the re-
mains Of the victims of the explosion
on the battIeship Missouri.
Washington, D. S., April is. = While
no official explanation of the disaster
on the battleship Missouri is forthcom-
ing, the total number Of dead has been
brought up to thirty-three. The fol-
lowing bulletin, giving the names of ad-
ditional dead has been posted at the
navy department:
The following wounded have died:
John T. Donnelly, ordinary seaman.
"Orvel B. Moe, apprentice, second
class.
"The following additional have been
reported as dead:
James p. knight, ordinary seaman.
"Halbert Edward Elliott, master-at
arms, second class. n
Names in yesterdays dispatch
which did not agree with the records
of tho bureau have been found to re-
fer to the following:
Games X. Peterson, boatswain's
mate, first class.
Herbert Schelbarth, landsman."
Battleship Had Narrow Escape.
That the newest battleship of the
navy, the Missouri, had morrow es-
cape from being blown to pieces by
the explosion Of a magazine, and also
being beached, came to light today.
Captain William S. Cowles prevented
the latter when the vessel was within
$50 yards Of the, beach by giving or
ders that the ships course be changed.
Chief Gunner's Mate Monson saved
the ship and lives of over 600 men by
jumping into the open magazine and
closing the door behind him.
It is stated, though not by officers
of the Missouri, that when the officers
heard the explosion in the turret and
saw the fire tapping through the top
they realized the hot magazine would
next explode and headed the ship for
the beach, intending to beach her if
possible before the explosion.
Gunner's Mate a Hero.
Captain Cowles quickly stopped the
plan and put the ship back to sea. When
the first explosion occurred in the tur.
ret the men in the handling room
knew in an instant what had occurred
The big magazine door was open, and
standing against 1t were four charges
of powder Without moments hest
tation Gunner's Mate Monson showed
these aside and jumping into the maga
zine pulled the door closed after him
The magazine was totally flooded
with water, and when the men opened
the door they found Monson barely
alive, the water having reached his
neck
Vessel Greatly Damaged.
The damage to the battleship is
much greater than was stated at first
In addition to the large amount of am.
munition ruined by the magazine being
flooded. which will amount to thous,
ands of dollars, the after turret is
badly injured, the top being burned
away, and all brasswork melted in.
side. The hoist is a charred mass
and the mechanism Of the guns is
completely ruined The estimated
damage caused by the explosion will
reach $4,000.
Only Part of Powder Exploded.
From a private dispatch received at
the navy department today 1t is learn.
ed that number Of grains of powder
were found unexploded in the gun
This shows that there was only partial
explosion of the powder. though it does
not contribute much toward theory
of cause for the accident.
Regarding the theory advanced by
many naval officers that possibly there
was an effort to fire too rapidly on the
part of the gun crew of the Missouris
| after turret, Rear Admiral Taylor chief
of the bureau Of navigation, said today:
"I hope and believe that we shall
find some other remedy for this difficult
ty thnn be reducing the rapidity of our
fire. II one fleet of three ships firing
| It's gun at the rate of three times q
minute fights another fleet of four ships
| firing it's guns two times minute the
feet of three ships will be the victor
II all other conditions are equal. In ad
dition to this we have reason to believe
that the Missouri was not firing nearly
as rapidly as have many other of our
ships
Gun Was Firing Slowly.
1t is learned from unofficial informa
| ton that previous to the accident tc
the gun on board the Missouri there
had been no flame blown back what
ever: that the rapidity of the fire oi
all Of the Missourf's guns had been
relatively, very slow, in fact only one
half as rapid as that of the Alabama S
The turret roof was not injured, bu
one man was blown overheard from thu
| turret top,
Naval officers fear that the absolut,
facts In connection with the explo
sion may never be known, since al