Evening journal., 1904-04-14
2S MEN KILLED
IN GUN TURRET
EXPLOSIONS
Rapid Fire Overheated
Twelve Inch Gun on the
Battleship Missouri
BULK OF CREW AND SHIP SAVED

Figures as a Dauntless Hero After
the oisaster-Prevents Blowing Up
Of Monster Magazine.
Pensacola. Fla. Aprn 1t-The third
and worst horror Of it's class within two
years on United States battleshlps-the
explosion Of 2OOo pounds OF powder In
the after 12-inch turret-cost the lives
OF five officers and "a men on board the
battleshlp Missouri, OFF Pensacola yes
terday morning.
Rear Admiral A. $. Barker, COM
manding the North Atlantic Squadron.
who Is here, says that two more OF the
Missourls men are so badly wounded
that they VIII die. and that the dis
aster was probably due to a back
fire"
Among the dead officers is Second
Lieutenant John T. " Gridicy. Of Erie.
Pa, one Of the best-known officers OF
the Marine Corps and the only son OF
the late Captain Charles v. Gr'diev
Cfou may fire when ready. Grldley").
who commanded the cruiser Olympia
during the battle OF Manila Bay.
Presidents Relative in Command.
Captain Cowles. a brother-ln-law OF
President Roosevelt was in command
of the Missouri. which was the very
latest Of the big battleships to go into
commission. The flag was hoisted on
her In December last at Norfolk by
Captain cowies. She collidod with the
Illinois on Pensacola a few weeks ago.
and has had very little firing with her
big guns. In fact. the nine or ten
rounds which had been fired from each
big gun were IN the course OF Official
trials and she was today going through
her FIRST regular target practice.
Information from the Missouri this
evening stated that the names OF the
officers killed were:
The Dead.
Lieutenant W. c. Davidson, in charge
OF the 12-inch turret
Ensign =. A. Weichert. Of the cruiser
= Cleveland, gun umpire.
|. lMldshipman w T. Neumann.
Lieutenant John p. v Gridley. u. S.
NJ. c.
= Lieutenant Thomas Ward. Jr.
The explosion appears 10 have been
directly due TO what Is known In naval
parlance as d "hang-nre" In one Of the
after Pinch rifles. and besides IT'S aw-
> ful work, as described above, the body
OF one poor victim was blown into the
Gulf ana was not recovered The con-
oussion lifted him bodily 200 feet.
Everybody on the afterdeck was hurl-
; ed into eternity IN an instant.
+ The Missouri had been at anchor in
the bay for two weeks. In the latter
part OF last week she was ordered to
the Gulf for target practice.
cowles Saved the Ship.
The 20 men were instantly killed and
lhve were injured, OF whom. as already
stated, two VIII die
charge Of powder In the f2-inch
iefthand gun, ignited from gases. ex-
ploded. and, dropping below. had. Il
appears, In turn 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 work
OF Ward S. 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 disasteH referred an newspaper
men 10 Lieutenant Hammer. the ord
nance officer. The latter gave out a
statement Of the explosion and its prob
able cause.
, Ramming a Shot Home.