Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-04-17
AN EXPLOSION
ON KEARSARGE
Six Men Done to Death in the For
ward Turret Of This Great Bat
tleship.
THE CAUSE IS NOT UNDERSTOOD
Lieutenant Higgins is One OF the VIC
tims-Naval Officers Are Sur I
prised.

Washington. April 1.-TWO years
ago to a day later than the fatal Mis-
souri, disaster. as every sailor lmn,e-
diately recalled. on Friday, and the
18th of the month, six men were done
to death in the forward turret of the
battleship Kearsarge by one of those
accidents which acquire additional ter
rOr for sailors because of their obscure
origin, and the almost impossibility OF
prevention.
The Atlantic fleet had been for
weeks engaged in most severe drills
in the waters of the Caribbean sea.
eliminating in the quarterly target
practice. This practice was just about
concluding, with most satisfactory re-
suits, yesterday, and it was confident
ly expected at the department. upon
the basis of preliminary reports re-
ceived, that all records would be brok-
en- in the matter of rapldlty or hre
and efficiency of the gunners. But TO-
day. Just at the close of the weeks
work at the department, came cable
gram from Rear Admiral Evans, com
manding the Atlantic fleet, telling OF
a dreadful accident on one of his best
ships, the Kearsarge. The news came
from Caimanera, a little cable station
at the mouth of the Guantanamo bay,
indicating that the kearSarge Itself
had arrived at that place. A slight tel
egraphic error. requiring the consump-
ton of some time to effect the declph-
ering of the message, added to the anX-
iety of the officials as soon as they
had made out the fact that a serious
accident had occurred When the
message was finally reduced to form,
it read as follows:
"Caimanera April l5.-Secretary
Navy, Washington:
"On April 13,about 3:15 p. M. short
ly after completing target practice on
Kearsarge forward turret, while the
powder was going below. three sec,
tionsof a thirteen-inch charge of pow
der were ignited. Charge of powder in
other list just below and one sec
tiontirteen-inch remained intact. Cause
unknown. Matter is being investigated
Lieutenant Joseph M. Graeme, gun UNI
pire has been sent to Maryland in
very critical state about p. m. The
following have since died:
'LIEUTENANT HIGGINS, turre
officer.
PETER NORBORG. gunner's mate
THEODORE NAEGELY, seaman
CANTON O. THORSEN, seaman.
JULIUS f. KOESTER, turret cap
tain, first class.
ELLIS H. ATHEY seaman.
THE following We're dangerously
injured by the accident. recovery
doubtful:
wv. King, ordinary seaman.
Lieutenant Graeme.
will bury dead at Guantanamo
Vessel uninjured"
Naval Officers Surprised.
The first feenng of the officers at the
navy department, after reading the
cablegrafn was one of surprise thai
the accident had resulted in so little
loss of life. The Kearsarge's forward
turret, where it occurred, is one o
the superposed type; in other words
an S-inch gun turret sat on the top o
the 13-inch gun turret where the ac
cident occurred. In the lower turre
Il IN tho tlJcr1
16. An ammunition hoist connecte'
the two, and had the powder in tn
lower hoist exploded probably ever
man in the two turrets would hav
been killed.
The full charge of powder for l.
inch gun is too large to be handle
by any one man, SO it is divided int
sections in canvas bags, and it Wa
three of these, probably just enoue
to fill one compartment in the ammu
iton hoist, which ignited. AS the C
blegram states, the cause of the ign
ion was not known, but the first bell
at the navy department is that
cleaning up the turret and THROWN
open the breeches of the big gun aft
the last round had been fired. son
small bit of smoldering canvas ba
ging was blown out of one of the gun
as the big breech- block was swur
around, only to fall upon the ammu
ition hoist where the surplus powd
was being returned to the magazin,
below. Had the remainder of this po
der exploded. there might have bee
a repetition of the Missouri diSaste
when % men were killed in the II
ret and in the magazines below.
may be noted. however that the eau
of the accident in the case of the NJ
souri, was entirely different from tn
in the case of the Kearsarge. for Il
Missouri turret breech-blOck w
swung open before the burning POI
der had escaped, resulting in the
milton of the powder in the turrt
The ordnance officers were quick
guard against a repetition of an q
cident of that kind, by fitting out Il
big turret guns in the battleships W
automatic spraying devices and q
blasts, which made it impossible