New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-14

ielsned TO the Missouri wher she went into COM
omission. and was serving as a turret officer at
1.-THE tine OF his death His wife. Mrs. Juliet l.
Davidson lives at No 1903 McCuIloh-st. Bal
fillmore, where telegram was sent from the
Navy Department announcing the death of her
. husband. Lieutenant Davidson served on the
Brooklyn. the MonOcacy. the Concord, the Ali
lance the Franklin. and at the torpedo station
lat Newport before his assignment to the Mis-
lsouri.
Lieutenant Ernest A. weichert Ounior grade
was attached TO the Cleveland, and it is as
| sumed at the Navy Department that he was
,abOard the Missouri at the time Of the disaster
las an umpire in the target practice. He was
fnative Of Connecticut, and was appointed to the
! Naval Academy from that State on September 6,
1895. He served at different times on the
Massachusetts. the Marblehead. the Gloucester,
the Helena and other vessels He returned 10
the United States IN December, 1903. from
1 tour in Asiatic waters, and in January last was
promoted from the grade Of ensign, attained in
| 1901, TO lieutenant 0unior grade) He
/ signed TO the Cleveland on March = His father.
}. f. Weichert. is a resident OF Danbury, Conn.
CAPTAIN GRIDLEY's SON KILLED.
Lieutenant Grdley was a son Of Captain
! Gridley, who commanded the Olympia, Dewey's
( flagship in the battle OF Manila Bay. He was a
| marine officer on the Missouri. he was ap-
pointed to the Marine Corps on March 26. 1900.
from Pennsylvania, his native State. A tele-
gram was sent by the Navy Department TO his
mother at Erie, Penn. advising her OF the death
Of her son.
AIidshipnlan Thomas Ward. f. was son OF
General Thomas Ward. who recently retired
from the active list in the adjutant generals
corps Of the army. He was appointed to the
Naval Academy on May %. 1899. from New
York. in which State lac was born. He COM
pleted four years course at the academy last
year, and was assigned 10 serve his allotted two
years at sea after graduation.
AIidsnipman William L. T Neumann entered
the academy at Annapolis from California on
September 16. 1899. and completed his course
last year. when he began service OF two years
at sea. He native Of California His
mother is living at Honolulu The young Off
Ger was assigned to the Missouri in February.
THE SHIP AND HER CAPTAIN.
The Missouri is the latest Of the big battle
ships 70 go into commission The flag was
hoisted on her in December last at Norfolk by
Captain CowIes brother-in-law Of President
Roosevelt She was in collision with the Illinois
OF Pensacola few weeks ago, and has had
little practice with her big guns; in fact, the
nine or ten rounds which had been fired from
each big gun were in the Of official trials.
and She is now going through her first regular
target practice.
Captain William Sheffield Cowles. the COM
mander OF the Missouri. was born in Farming
Ton, Conn. on August !, 1886 and was grad
uated from the Naval Academy in 1867. He has
served on the Mediterranean. Pacific. North At
lantic and Asatic stations and on the Isthmus OF
Panama in guarding the property Of American
citizens He has also been detailed to the Navy
Department as aid 10 the Secretary, with charge
Of the naval militia, and assistant in the
Bureau OF Navigation. From 1893 TO 1897 he
naval attache OF the United States En-
bassy in London. After this service he
manded the Fern and the Topeka. Since 1899.
UP to the time he took command Of the Missouri.
he was or duty IN Washington as naval aid 10
the President
WHAT A BLOWOUT Is.
Naval officers here. particularly the chief Of
the Bureau Of Ordnance. would not express any
opinion as to the cause of the disaster. Most
naval experts believe however, that what had
happened was an occurrence like that on the
Massachusetts a year ago last February. when
"blow-out'' occurred. That means that the
powder charge in the breech Of the gun becomes
accidentally ignited before the breech is COM
pletely closed sending the blast back into the
turret. The accident on the Massachusetts re-
suited in the immediate death OF the nine men
In the turret and for that reason great difficulty
dent.
To guard far possible against the igni-
tion OF powder In this way, Admiral Converse.
chief OF ordnance. issued a stringent circular
forbidding any bag Of powder to be raised from
the magazines above the floor OF the turret IN
I'll the gun had been discharged and the breech
thrown open. II is feared that the great spirit
OF rivalry between the crews Of the warships in
rapidity Of fire has led the gun crews into such
haste as TO prevent them from observing proper
precautions IN the turrets. In the charge for
the 12-inch gun Of the Missouri there were 800
pounds OF smokeless roUder contained in four
separate bags-enOugn 10 blow the top Of the
turret OF.
: Naval officers say they do not understand how
80 many men happened TO be in the after turret
at one time. ordinary turret crew
tafns about nine men. Ensign Weichert, al
though attached TO the Cleveland. was in the
turret Of the Missouri umpire. a modern
naval custom, but why more than two other
officers were there is not known.
OFFICIALS FEARED AN ACCIDENT.
The fact that three rounds had been fired and
another shell had been seated and two sections
OF powder rammed home when the explosion
occurred, IN the opinion Of an official OF the de-
rartnent would lead to the inference that the
disaster might have been caused 10y some pow
-der from the previous charges which remained
IN the gun when the third charge was put In
officials OF the department FOR more ;han a
= week past. while rejoicing IN the world break
ing records in target practice on warships have
feared just such an accident as has occurred on
the Missouri.
!. The smokeless powder is put into the twelve
Inch guns IA three sections. each bag or section
weighing 10 pounds. Some officers say that
the turrets OF the Missouri had nc bottoms. ard
fexpress the opinion that after this accident the
turrets OF az battleshiPs viii be equipped with
bottoms for the protection q the men IN the
handling room underneath