Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-07-18
TELLS STORY
OF EXPLOSION
CAPTAIN OF BATTLESHIP LAuDS
MEMS HERoIsM
SAYS ONE SAILOR GAVE LIFE FOR
HIS FELLOWS
Describes Terrible Scene Following
Disaster on Board the Georgia
In Which Nine Men
Lost Their Lives
BY Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
BOSTON, July lion poaru Tic
Georgia in Boston harbor this atternoo"
Capt. Henry McCrea told to the Assoc
ciated Press the story of the disaster
on board the battleship on Mohuay
which has cost the lives or nine Inei,
of the United States navy and caused
injury, in some cases probably tatal' 10
thirteen others Capt McCrea SAID:
'I was on the bridge making the run
for the practice l was taking observa-
lions of each shot. AS shot aIter shol
was fired from the eight-inch guns saw
we were beating the records OF the othel
ships of the fleet. On the brldge coulu
hear the command from the aLteI eu
ret So 1 knew when the next shot was
coming. -,
"I heard the shout fire. but there was
no shot and then 1 saw men run ART
and get the fire hose that is always ialu
out in readiness when firing is SolhS On.
"I rushed to the after bridge near the
turret to see what was the matter. ne
water already was being poured INTO lhe
t,,rret. The boatswain and Midshipman
Cravescroat led the way for their men
with the hose. 1 tell you there was
courage. No man knew what had nap
pened and no man knew into what dam
ger he might be rushing. But e1ght men
never thought of self or of danger. rms
brave act will look well on their recorus.
Bring Out the Dead
"Then they began to bring out the
men. One of the first was the one IN
whose hands the powder was when II
flashed. He was laid down on top OF
the lower turret with a blanket under
his head. 1 went to him. I could not
recognize him. His hands were burned
to the bone The flesh was gone. with
those hands raised above the chest ana
the tips of the fingers bent toward each
other L could hear him whisper:
"'Oh, God, Oh, God, oh, God! He
could not move his lips enough to utter
other words
dear fellow, God has heard your prayer.
He was breathing but in short gasps. He
soon died.
1.-The men were brought out as fast as
they could be taken from the -turret.
Most of them felt relief as soon as they
got to the open air. The gases from
smokeless powder are terrible. That S
what kills. The external burns are hid
eous, but to breath that stuff is fatal.
One Man Escapes
zone man in that turret was not hurt,
Kimball, and l do not I'M
derstand how he could have escaped.
he nelDeu IdkC OuI llS iiS, wv
showed grit after the shock he had met.
Lieut. Goodrich set an example to his
men that none but a courageous officer
could set when he plunged right into
the flame and gases to lead the way to
safety 1 told his father, Rear Admiral
Goodrich, that it was such officers as he
that make great navy. His example
will not be forgotten. After he got to
the deck he threw himself overheard. If
IL, ho1 hU IF
return from the examination of targets
he would have been drowned.
probably one act of one of the men
a far greater disaster. I don't
know his name. He is dead He and
one other stood by the second gun that
had Just been loaded. The last powder
bag that had been put in was protrud-
ing a little from the gun. When he saw
the flash. instead of dashing for the lad
der to save himself, he crowded home the
charge in the gun and with the help of
other men got the gun closed before
the flame reached the bag.
Gave Life for Others
eff the flame had touched the bag there
would have been an awful explosion, for
the powder was confined in the gun and
would not have flashed as the other did,
but would have exploded. Not man in
the turf ct would have been left alive and
other damage might have been done.
That man gave his life for others.
"I am told President Roosevelt has in
uuired about a man that gave his life in
closing the shutter from the ammuni-
ton room to save the ship from blowing
up. 1t would be very wrong to have a
story like that go out, because 1 can
not find that there is any foundation for
1t, or any need for any man to make an
attempt to do anything of the sort, but
Il
look up this brave man who stood by
his gun to save the rest.
"Since we went back to the target
grounds the men have been shooting
better than before the accident. We
haven't finished practice and we are 60
ing back to the targets and break the
record
Inquiry Board Acts
The national board of inquiry appointed
to investigate the cause of the explosion
on last Monday visited the United States
naval hospital at Chelsea today to take
the dispositions of the injured men.
The board of inquiry is composed of
Capt Seaton Schroeder of the battleship
Virginia, Capt w. w. Kimball of the bat
tleship New Jersey, Lieutenant Comman-
der Mark Bristol, chief ordnance officer of
the fleet, and Lieut.. Kenneth Castleman,
to the flagship Virginia. The
board carefully inspected the turret in
which the explosion occurred and took the
evidence of such officers and men as are
familiar with conditions about the turret
at the time and who witnessed the affair.
The Georgia steamed up the harbor this
afternoon and the board transferred its
inquiry to the naval harbor at Chelsea.
Owing to the critical condition of the in
jured men in the hospital. four of whom
it was feared might not survive the night,
the surgeons in charge permitted the
board to examine only three of the injured
men.
Among the naval officers of the fleet
there is growing sentiment to reject the
theory that the powder was set afire by a
stray spark from the tunnels of the ship.
1t is known that the crew of the after
turret had an intense zeal to