The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-04-21
A Charge Ct Powder Ignites Setting
Off |, 800 Pounds
NAVAL DISASTER AT PENSACOLA
The Presence of Mind and Prompt
Action of Captain Cowles Saves
the Ship.

noon 1900 pounds of powder exploded
on the battleship Missouri, killing
five officers and twenty-four men and
injuring a number of others, two Of
whom will die.
The Missouri was on the target
range with the Texas and Brooklyn
AT practice about noon, when charge
of powder in the twelve-inch left
hand gun exploded. ignited from gas
es. and dropping below, ignited four
charges Of powder in the handling
room. and all exploded, and only one
man OF the entire turret and handling
crew survives. But for the prompt
and efficient work of Capt. Cowles in
closing the handling room and maga-
zine. one of til magazines would
have exploded and the ship would
have been destroyed. Capt. Cowles,
completely overcome with the dis
aster, referred all newspaper men TO
Lieut.. Hammer, the ordinance officer.
The latter gave out statement or
the explosion and its probable cause.
According to him. about noon. after
the FIRST pointer of the after twelve
inch piece had fred his string and
the second pointer had fired the
third shot Of his string, the charge
igniteG. The fourth shot was being
loaded and from all indications, the
first half Of the charge had been RAM
med home and the second section
was being rammed home, when gases
from the shot previously fired. or por-
tioas of the cloth cover, ignited the
powder. The breech was open and
a duh thud gave notice Of something
unusual. No loud report was made,
but the flames were seen to leap from
every portion Of the turret. A few
seconds later another explosion, more
fierce, occurred. This was in the
handling room below, where 1900
pounds Of powder. or four charges,
ready to be hoisted above. had lg-
nited.
Fire quarters were sounded, and
every man of the ship responded,
eager to go into the turrets and res
cue the crew. Capt. Cowles gave
his commands, and but for his pres
ence Of mind. together with the Off
GERS of the ship, the Missouri would
have gone down. The second eXpio-
sion occurred near one of the maSa-
zines. and so hot was the fire that
the brass-wCrk of the magazine was
melted. Smoke and the fumes OF the
burned powder made it almost i'm
possible either to enter the turret or
handling room, but officers and men,
with handkerchiefs over their faces,
made efforts to rescue the men inside.
Leading the rescuing party was Capt
Cowies (the officers endeavored to
keep him from going below, as men
fell unconscious 23 they ehtesed, and
had to be pulled cut by theh COM
raGes); but, unheeding their advice,
the commanding officer rushed below.
followed by Lieut. Hammer, the ordi-
nance officer, and Lieut.. Cleveland
Davis. Capt. Cowles caught up a
DYING blue-jacket in his arms and
transferred him to the deck. 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, officers and men were
in. lifting out the dying and dead
men. Three minutes after the explo-
sion all were on deck and the sur.
geons 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 started for the exit when the
first explosion occurred and had just
reached there when the more
terrible explosion in the handling
room had occurred. which burned and
strangel them to death. Lieut.. DaV'
idscn, the officer in charge Of the tur-
ret, had evidently given some COM
mand 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
burnt the 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 one man
was breathing when the turret crew
was rescued, and he died moment
after he reached deck.
The dead: Lieut. W. c. Davidson,
in charge of the twelve-inch turrct;
Ensign E. a. Weiksrt, U. S. NJ. c.;
Lieut.. Thomas Ward, Jr., division
cTcer; J. K. Peterson, boatswain
mate, second class; w. Bougard. or
dinary seaman; ]. Blexaputlan, Cox
swain Charles Rice, Seaman J. c.
Hardy. apprentice, second class; K.
J. Kivlin; Seaman J. Gadris; Ordin-
2r- Seaman J. T. Rolands; Electri-
ciau (second class II. B. Franks,
Coxswa!n ]. ?. Starr, Ordinary Sea-
man !. C. Mum. Seaman N. Soder,
Seaman q. H. Meyer, Ordinary Sea
msn P. R. CASTER, Apprentice (sec-
end c!ass) T. II. Allison. Ordinary
Seaman R. c. Tobin, Ordinary Sea-
>a,- 7 NrJJ;roo JnodSnan w