Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-07-23
DISASTER ON GEORGIA
EIGHT SEAMEN klLl.ED AND
& MANY INJURED,
Powder Explosion In Gum Turret
Causes Horror-Accident Occurs
in Target Practice on Cape Cod
Vessel Itself Undamaged.

Eight officers or members of the crew
of the battleship Georgia were killed
and thirteen Others terribly burned
Monday by an explosion of 200 pounds
of powder in gun turret during target
practice. Six of the victims died before
the ship reached port, and two more
in the naval hospital.
The warship, itself unchanged to any
appreciable extent, steamed into Boston
harbor late in the day from the target
grounds in Cape Cod Bay, bringing the
dead and injured The latter were
rushed to the hospital at the Charles
town navy yard, where it wds found
that several were SO severely burned
that they cannot recover.
The accident occurred shortly before
noon in the after superimposeG turret
shielding the S-inch guns. In some
manner one of the bags of powder or
cases as they are called, became ig-
nited. In an instant there was flash
which ignited the other bag of powder
and filed the entire turret with fire.
Crew Enveloped in Flame.
The entire turret crew, consisting of
three commissioned officers and eight
cen men, was enveloped in fame and
received agonizing burns. All were alive
when rescuers rushed to their aid, but
death quickly ended the sutferings of
several
The explosion occurred in the turret,
where the men, under command of
Lieutenant Goodrich, son of Rear Adj
miral Goodrich, commandant of the
New York navy yard, and Midshipmen
Goldthwaite and Cruise, were operating
the eight-inch guns.
The guns in the forward turret had
finished eight rounds of practice and
the guns of the after turret had fired
one round. Two 100-pound bags of
powder had just been sent up through
the ammunition hoist and were in the
arms of the loader, whose name was
withheld by the ships officer. The load
er stood at the breach of one of the
guns, all ready to insert the charge.
slight Warning Given.
At this instant the turret was seen
to be smoky, and two men who stood
near the loader saw a black spot on the
bag, indicating that the charge had
ignited and was smoldering. The load
err discovered the spot at the same in
slant, and threw himself forward on
his face, at the same time shouting a
warning to his turret mates. The other
men who had seen the spot were
Charles L. Eich and Charles Hansell,
and they also threw themselves on the
floor of the turret.
Before the other men could heed the
cry of warning there was flash as
the burning powder exploded. Flames,
smoke and gases filled the little super
structure. AS the powder was not con.
fined there was no loud report, nor
did the vessel suffer any injury, but
every nook and Granny of the turret
was filled with flame.
Horror Scene on Ship.
Blinded by the flames, choked by the
fumes and maddened with pain, the
men screamed in agony. Some stag
gered blindly up the ladder to the
hatchway in the top of the turTet, while
others crept along the turret floor, beg
ging for assistance.
Lieutenant Goodrich and Seaman Ma
leck became crazed, staggered up the
iron ladder to the top of the turret and
then threw themselves into the sea.
Before the smoke had cleared away the
shipmates of the unfortunate men rush
ed to their assistance, tenderly lifted
them out of the fire blackened turret
and quickly conveyed them to the ships
hospital
In the meantime Lieutenant Goodrich
and Seaman Maleck had been rescued
by launch that was returning from
an inspection of the target. The sur
gical staff of the Georgia was soon re-
enforced by the surgeons of the other
vessels in the fleet, who had been in
formed of the accident and summoned
to the scene,
A wireless message telling the brief
details of the accident was sent to the
government wireless station on the
Highlands of Cape Cod and thence over
land to the Navy Department at Wash
ington.
Two Theories of Cause.
Immediately upon learning the de-
tails of the accident Captain Henry
McCrea commander of the Georgia, no
titled Rear Admira. Charles Fl. Thomas,
commander of the squadron, of what
had occurred. Rear Admiral Thomas
ordered an investigating board to eX-
anime into the causes of the accident.
Two theories are entertained. One
belief is that a spark from the dis
charge of the guns tioated back into the
turret through gun port and settled
on the powder cases. Another theory
Is that the spark that caused the trou-
BILE came from the snokestacks of the
ship.