The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-04

that Ned's body might be taken TO Os-
wego and that a double service be held
there, I ON Ward to be buried and Ned's
body be brought TO Annapolis To this
Mrs. Hasson consented and the bodies
were sent to Jacksonville, Florida, from
Pensacola, under an escort from the
Missouri and were there met by General
Wards brother They were then taken TO
Oswego and the service held The wish
of the daughter, that they might be bur-
led side by side was finally acceded to
and both bodies were accordingly
brought to Annapolis for internnent in
the Naval Cemetery, which you will re-
member occupies a point OF land on the
Severn River overlooking the Naval
Academy The date set for their ar
rival was Wednesday.
Il have never seen, in all my expert
ence, such a spontaneous outburst of
sympathy as [ have upon this occasion;
It was widespread IN all parts of the
country. On the morning of the tuner
al, flowers poured IN from all directions.
The Superintendent of the Naval Acad',
envy was deeply touched and gave ex-
preston to his sympathy by ordering out
the full battalion of cadets. Never IN
the history of the Naval Academy has
any one been given the honors accorded
these two young men IN taking them to
their final resting place. All of the oftl-
GERS of the Yard, the Naval Academy
band, cadets and civilian professors, met
the bodies at the station and gave the
military escort. A lot was assigned near
the edge of the water on grassy slope
overlooking the Severn and three large
oak trees stand sentinel near the head
of the graves. The entire plat was sim
DIV bank of flowers. Services were
first held over the body of Ned by IA
Their Court, a Catholic Priest then by
Chaplain Clark over the body of 1 ON
Ward. and when they were lowered into
the grave they seemed to disappear IN
hank OF flowers. The mourTers then
retired from the grave and three volleys
were fred BY the full battalion of ca
diets. TAPS were sounded and the bodies
consigned to their final resting place.
The whole service was beautiful in the
extreme and no greater horors could
have been conferred upon the greatest
Of heroes.
ssNo doubt you have seen great deal
in the papers and heard great deal q
the probable cafise of this accident.
have had an opportunity to talk with
some of the foremost ordnance experts
and have come to the conclusion that
the following explanation is a logical
one. The charges for these large guns
are made up into three cartridges OF
Ieo pounds each. Originally the cart
ridge bags were made of wooden bun
ting. but the weight was SO great and
fhe diameter so large that it became
necessary to put some Strengthening
tame round the cartridge and longitu-
dina1lv. The powder used is of the
sn1okeIess variety, cylindrical IN shape
and perforated longitudinally with small
round holes; it is OF slow burning
variety. but when fired under pressure IS
entirely consumed. A small charge OF
| black powder is placed III the base OF
each cartridge to produce INITIAL ignition
! and to promote decoration ne powder
;+seff sttnplies sufficient oxygen to be
entirely consumed. but It an excessive
amount of bag is used the heat OF es-
nlosion NAV simply coke or char the bag
o;np Enthusiastically this is what hap
oened and small portions of this bagging
IN the shape of carbon remained IN the
| bore Of the gun. When the breech plug
was opened tbs. wind blowing into the
I nnuzz1e of the gun carried this carbon
4 ;rto the powder chamber and famed IT
into GLOW. The shell was inserted and
4,,,o of the three CARTRIDGES of powder;
as tbey were inserting the third cartridge
70 con1p1ete the CHARGE, ore or the hTst
| two was ignited (without exDlos1on) and
nowder was thrown back into the turret
Slowly burning. Some of this dropped
down into the LOADING station below.
| where there were three other CHARGES OF
100 pounds each ready to be transferred
to the gun I hese were IN turn lgnlted
ard partly burned and nertlv exploded.
filing the turret with the products. OF
cor,,h,.eticn creating something OF a
pressure and raising the terrperature Of
| the air and passes in the ttfrret to A very
high degree. The result was, instant
death to every man in the tt1rret and
poor Ned and Ward were but two OF the
| thirty-three victims.