Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-10-17
FOUR KILLED.
CONTINUED from page ~

M by ordering the bag OF 20 POUNDS
of powder placed in the breech back ol
| the missile.
| These orders were carried out with
military precision and promputude ana
Privates Higgins and Kelly, whose
duty it was to put the breech-block,
weighing 800 pounds, into place ana
, screw It home. We're fastening the
block. as Strgt. NeVlnS stood between
them and nearly in front OF the breech-
block. directing the work, when, with
| a deafening roar the powder IN the
gun exploded blowing the block out OF
the gun and into the firing squad.
| There was not the fraction OF a sec
ond's notice of what was coming ana
] nor a soldier in the pit had time 10
.van think before the ruin mad been
wrought.
Nevfns, Higgins and Kelly We're
LiII.d Instantly and their bodies ter
ribly manSled.
rho block must have struck Nevins
between his chin ana shoulders. for it
fore off his head and blew the head
| through the barrel of another 12-inch
| gun which was opposite that IN Whlch
| the explosion came.
|
across the pit, which is several feet
wide. struck another gun on its muZzle'
and being detected there banged off at
a right angle and brought up against
the heavy masonry Of the pit.
Higgins and Kelly were terribly
mapglcd. but their neads remained on
tb.ir bodies and they could be identi
| fed when taken out Of the pit.
! Private Tomlinson was probably
nearer in the direct line of the explo-
sion than any of the other injured sol
dicrs and he received a terrific charge
of the burning powder i'll his face ana
eyes. and much of it WAS driven into
the upper part of his body.
Al the time of the explosion Scrgt.
! Ervins stood at the right of the breech
of the. gun. Sergt. Woods was working
No. ) gun. located Il few feet away in
a diagonal direction. He escaped with
out injury.
| immediately after the tragedy Col
| Mills had the general call to quarters
sounded and the entire garrison. con-
| siSting of the officers ana men of the
| 18th and seth companies. coast artil-
| lery, was TUNED out to carry tho
wounded to the post hospital and care
! for the bodies Of the dead.
col. Mills was greatly affected by
the acridcnt and at 4 meeting which he
| granted the newspaper men who visit
| ed the fort he broke down completely
ana for a minute or more was unable
to speak when he started to read the
names Of the dead and injured. He
,.tI l., ~ u,,aIle ~ otata the causa
Salu ne N"S u''''"', ~ 90 o',,,, ~ A.
of the accident. ana mat IL coulu pe ue-
tcrmined only after an official inquiry.
..,., = :; ,,t,;.t, ,b, o>nlosiop oo-
me SuH ~ wiz u ~
Cured said CoI. NILS u ne" gun
and b.,d ,ot nom fired today The pro-
an" ,i'...'.:t,l =, +;,o ,,r
jcct tile had teen deposited ~ 'h' SUI
! which was clean ana in perfect cOndl-
.i..,, . r,, &c. ,,,,,Id bf observed and lhc
tl"n /" lar III t"ul,' r. ''','' ~ .'i',' '''
charge OF - pcuhdS 81 SIiler"- IL N' sum
Iowder which WAS t" llre it had also
l t.an nI1crd in proper position, ana the
.,,...,.,,r !, H., tro, ct;o,L
gun ere" were l'""l'E III ','c 'ie' Ni'''>
when the explosion occurred.
What caIised Tia explosion I do not
| 80, -, ,,
KNOW ana no one else can zen ui''ii stF'
, eral days from now. when an official in
o,iiry is held to establish the facts The
a,,,,',si,,, ,n,.,,i, L. co,,,d not have beer
,.,iir,d Ill yl1I' sI,,,S Inft IN thr ba RI.
cf m. ,rIn from = former dischalgr, be.
f cans. As rs have said The gun had not
laap hpf tnllV
5 'rCT L',u ,"tole tirf un,if, biol, la. Lca,
Nv n'lH tNpi,'i'%tiom ~, f :. th,
r. ~ ~ t,aii a,,i M, u
. ,'io , t,i ~ ,,i''t ~ ar frnr, M Ill
ri"tm H"S @ IN ny tn' III ,,rt tiI nr,.iI,'.
d n1,v b2Ve sattind iinnnticrd on III
n III II nowdcr r-,,iIb xy.ts nm INTO iii
- Ind tI,at !, %nt INTO tha now,!ar IN,
y SnIIsnd lis ignition ar the moment whei
j. Inc hrrrchhlcck was being nut in place
% .I do NOT eynrrse my own opinion a
=, to whether the affair happened in Iii
1Htl,i tn ,r.i
have to hr determined later when a fuI
investigation has been held.
I'VE certainly were not trying to max
any record for rapid firing, and thcr
was no haste in loading or firing IN
@ guns. We had no occasion 7" he in a hui