New-York tribune., 1906-04-15

States battleship Kearsarge has arrived here
The casualties resulting from the explosion on
board the vessel off Culebra Island on Friday
are reported to be officers and five men
killed and fourteen men injured eight of them
seriously
The bodies of the killed will be buried in
the naval cemetery here tomorrow.
Washington, April 1.-two years 10 a day
after the Missouri disaster. and as superstitious
sailors remarked on Friday and the 18th
of the MONTH six men were killed yesterday in
the forward tpfrret of the batteship Kearsarge.
then at target practice in the Caribbean Sea, by
one of those accidents which acquire additional
terror for sailors because Of their obscure origin
and the seeming impossbility of preventing
them.
The official account of the disaster Is con-
tanned in the following cable dispatch from Ad-
riral Evans:
Caimanera. April 1t, 1906
Secretary Navy Washington.
on April 13 about $.lI =. IN, shortly after
completion of target practice of the kearsaT.e
forW ard turret while the powder was going De
low three sections Of a 13-inch charge Of powder
iust below and one section inside l3-inch
manned intact. Cause not yet determined, nor
accountability. Matter Is being investigated
Lieutenant Joseph w GraeIne, gun umpire,
has been sent to the Maryland in very crlucal
state about p m The iolowhs ntHe SIltsV tg
died Lieutenant John NJ HudginS, turret oll-
Ger: Peter Norberg. gunuer's mate: IhecdoIe
EaegeIy. seaman. Anton o. Ihorsoh ordinary
seaman. Julius A KoesteT. JuTret captain. nrSt
class and Ellis II. Athey. seaman. The follow
ing was dangerously injured by accident ere
Covery doubtfuD; W. King. ordinary seaman
VIII bury dead at Guantanamo. NeSsel ui'i'-
jured.
Immediately on receiving the 6isPatch Acting
Secretary Newberry carried It to the President
at the White House. and was authorized to send
the following expression Of sympathy:
April II, 1905.
Evans Maine Caimanera:
The department Is deeply grieved by the un-
fortunate accident on board the KeersarBe
which occasoued the death and injury in the
performance Of duty Of brave officers ana men
in the navy, ana IL extends us heartIeIt sym
pathv to th. injured and wishes for speedy re-
coverv from their wounds Spare no e1ort 70
ease the st,frertngs OF the injured in every pos
sible manner. and show every honor 70 the dead
NEWBERRY-
Mr.. Newberry also communicated the report
TO Secretary Bonaparte at his home in Baltt-
more over the long distance telephone Mean
while. by direction of Admiral Converse. chief Of
the Navigation Bureau. Captain Potter The as
sistant chief and Commander Wilson looked UP
the addresses of the relatives OF the victims OF
the explosion and sent kilograms telling them OF
the accident Nothing more could be done in
Washington until further details were received
from Admiral Evans.
PRACTICE HAD BEEN GOOD.
III, >+,,,.,, aa. ,r,a s+ro,sast Npbtipe foot
America has ever owned had been for weeks en-
gagged I'm the most severe drills In the waters Of
the Caribbean Sea. eliminating in the quarterly
target practice This practice was almost over.
with most satisfactory results. and it con-
fdenuy expected at the department. the
basis of preliminary reports received. that all
records would be broken IN the matter of rapid
ity of fire and efficiency of the gunners, But to-
day just at the close of the weeks work at the
department. came the dispatch from Rear Ad-
nlIraI Evans 1t came from Cafulanera. a little
cable station at the mouth of Guantanamo Bay,
indicating that the Kearsarge itself had arrived
at that place. A slight teIegraphc error caused
some delay in the deCpherng OF the message
and added to the anxiety of the officials when
they had made out the fact that a serious acci-
dent had occurred.
The first feeling of the officers at the Navy
Department after reading the dispatch one
of surprise that the accident had resulted in
little loss of life. The Kearsarge's forward tur-
ret is of the superposed type; in other words.
an S-inch gun turret is the top OF the 10
inch gun turret. where the accident occurred.
In the lower turret twenty-four men and
in the upper turret sixteen. An ammunition
hoist connected the two. and had the powder in
the lower hoist exploded probably every man
i'm the two turrets would have been killed
The full charge OF powder for 13-inCh gun
is too large TO be handled by one man, so it
is divided into sections in canvas bags. and ii
was three of these probably Just enough TO fill
one compartment in the ammunition hoist.
which ignited. AS the dispatch states, the cause
of the ignition is not known, but the first
belief at the Navy Department is that in clean
ing I'D the turret and throwing open the breeChes
of the big guns after the last round had been
fred some small bit of smouldering canvas bag
gfnr was blown out of of the guns as the
big breechblock swung around and fell on
the loaded ammunition hoist where the surplus
powder was being returned to the magazines
below.
BIGGER DISASTER NEAR
Had all this powder exploded there might
have been repetition of the Missouri disaster
1t may be noted. however. that the cause of the
accident in the case of the Missouri entirely
DEWEYs RICH OLD PORT WINE.