New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1904-04-20
AWFUL DISASTER
ON A BATTLEsH|P
THIRTY LIVES sNUFFED OUT IN
POWDER EXPLOSION ON
THE MISSOURI.
FURTHER CALAMITY
NARROWLY AVERTED

Presence Of Mind of Capt. Cowles
Alone Saves Entire Ship and Crew
from Observation-Disclosures oc-
ours Near Pensacola, Fla.
Pensacola, Fla, April 15.-Later and
more accurate reports of the catastrO-
! phe to the United States battleship Mis-
souri, while at target practice off Pen
sacola, Wednesday, give the total num-
Der Of dead as &c. of whom five were
ships officers All but one man of the
aft turret, where the firing was in
progress, persisted.
List of the Dead.
Lieutenants, w. G. Davidson, ]. v. p.
Gridley, b. A. Weikert; midshipmen, w.
ID. T. Neumann and Thomas Ward, Jr.;;
boatswain's mate, J. X. Peterson; sea-
men, w. j. Bogard, o. N. Souder and E.
r. H. Alison; ordinary seamen, c. Rice,
G. j. Killen, J. Gedris, J. F. Kennedy,
, II. P. Starr, j. G. Num-, c. H. M Franks
and ]. T. J. Donnelly; landsmen,
! II. S. Cherbarths, B. j. Milligan and J..
M. Roach; electrician, T. F. Rowlands;
gunner's mate Second class, A. Smith;
chief gun captain, T. E. Braun; ma
| rine private, w. l.. Shipman; appren-
tees (second class), J. C. Hardy and P
r.. CASTER
| o. B. Moe, a second class apprentice,
| was wounded
Cause of Disaster
According to Lieut. Hammers state
ment, the Missouri had fired three
shots with a precision which spoke
| well for her equipment and the accuracy
of her gunners, and the fourth shot was
being loaded in the Pinch left-hand
gun in the aft turret The first section
of the charge had been placed and the
second was being rammed home when
the gases from the previous shot ig-
| nited the powder There was dull de-
tonation and the entire turret was in
stantly enveloped in flames A few sec
| onds later louder report from the hand
| ling-room indicated that the ignited
charge had dropped below, where, COM
| ing in contact with four charges of pow
der, all exploded. The four charges had
ready to be hoisted above 1t is esti-
mated that they aggregated 1000
| pounds
| Expert turret officers Of the vessels in
| port say that the explosion was the re-
suit of a blow-back, known as the wind
blowing the flames back from the muzZle
Of the gun, and through the open breech,
nh l,o;,,
hoisted.
Further Calamity Averted ~
The danger of spreading conhagra-
ton was Imminent. If the flames had
! swept to the powder magazine the Mis-
souri, would undoubtedly have been de-
molished and the loss Of life would have
nearly equaled that on board the fated
! Petropavlovsk at Port Arthur Such a
! calamity was averted by the prompt &C
ton and presence of mind of Capt
Cowles. Five quarters were instantly
sounded and the magazines and hand
ing-rOoms of the battleship were flooded
with water. Before the blaze was ex-
tinguished Capt. Cowles led rescuing
party to the aft turret, where it was
found that one man alone out of 'SS5 sur.
4 vived Cap CoWles snatched up the
/ wounded bluejacket and bore him to thu
i deck
Seamen Are Buried
1 Impressive ceremonies were conduct
ed over the graves of the seamen Thurs
day afternoon at the national cemeter.
at the navy yard The Missouri moved
down the harbor in the morning to ;
point near the yard and at noon the q
bodies were brought ashore. At tw,
fso'clock the funeral procession moved t,
the cemetery where hundreds of officer
and blue-jackets were present and tn
remains were inferred. The bodies o
the five dead officers are being he'll
here awaiting advices as to the burial O
shipment home.
Last to Receive Commission.
The Missouri is the very latest Q
the big battleships to go in commits
sion The flag was hoisted on her i
December last, at Norfolk, by Cap
L Cowles, brother-in-law of Presiden
; Roosevelt. She collided with the Hi
nois off Pensacola few weeks ag
and has had very little firing with he
big guns. In fact, the nine or te
r rounds which had been fired from eac
. big gun was in the course Of officis
!, trials and she is now going through he
{ first regular target practice.
! President Makes Contribution.
: Washington, April 15.-The presider
: has contributed the sum Of 500, and th
secretary of the navy a like sum, as th
nucleus Of a fund for the relief of til
dependent next Of kin of the enliste
men who lost their lives in the disas
!, ter on the Missouri.
: The president accompanied his chez
. for 800 with the following letter to SCI
rotary Moody:
n my Dear Secretary-May sen
!. through you this contribution, to /
f used for the dependent kinsfolk of tL
enlisted men who have just been kille
on board the Missouri? Under the col
ditions of modern warfare, in order e