The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-19
HORRIBLE EXPLOSION ON The
RATTLE SHIP GEORGIA.
of Cape Cod Last Monday About
Noon. While Target Practice Was
Going on. a Case of Powder Ex-
pIoded from an Unknown Cause
Lieut.. Goodrich Among the Killed.

al IL AbL@ @~-
of a powder explosion on the battleshlp
Georgia of Provincetown. six were
dad when the battleship reached
here and two more, u of them Lieu
tenant Casper Goodrich, OF Brooklyn
\. Y. son Of Rear Admiral Goodrich,
died later at the hospital.
With the arrival of the Georgia there
became known the details of the most
terrible naval accident that has ever
taken place along the coast Of New
England.
TIE accident occurred shortly before
noon Monday while the Georgia's crew
was at target practice OF Barnstaole'
in Cape Cod bay. In some manner, as
vet unexplained, two bags of powder
became iguited, and in the terrible
fash that followed the entire turret
crew, consisting of three officers and
IS men, were engulfed in fire and re-
ceiyed horrible burns, one n officer
DYING before the ship reached port.
The explosion occurred in the after
superimposed turret, where the men,
under command of Lieutenant casper
| Goodrich, son of Rear Admiral Good
rich, commandant of the New York
navy yard, and Midshipman Faulkner
| Goldthwaite and John 7. Cruise, were
! operating the S-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 cases, as the big 100
pound bags of powder are called, had
inst been sent through the ammunition
| hoists and were in the arms OF the
loader, whose name was withheld by
| the ship's officers. The loader stood at
the breach Of one of the eight-inch
guns ready TO insert the charge. At
| this instant the ret 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 loader dis
covered the spot az the same instant
and thrive himself forward on his face,
at the same time shouting a warning
70 his rurret mates. The other men
who had seen the spot were Eich and
Hansell, and they also threw them
selves On the floor of the turret.
Before the other men in the turret
could understand what caused the
leaders CRY Of warning there was a
binding Hash, as the burning powder
exploded.
Flames, smoke and nsuseOus gases
flled the little superstructure, in
which more than a score Of men were
confined. As the powder was not con-
fined, there was no report, nor did the
vessel suffer any injury, but every nook
and corner Of the rurret was filled with
dame. The loader, who was, of
course, nearest the powder, was terri
bly burned, as was every other man in
the turret With the exception Of Eich
and Hsnsell, who, although scorched,
escaped with injuries much less severe
than others
Blinded by the smoke and flames.
CHECKED By the scrid, penetrating, gas
eous fumes. and maddened with pain.
the men screamed in sgony. Some
: staggered blindly Up the ladder TO tn,
: hstchway in the top Of the rurret floor
Z begging piteously for assistance.
Lieutenant Goodrich and Seaman
: MaIack became crazed, staggered III
the ir1n ladder 10 the TOP Of the turre
ard then threw themselves headlonl
into tie sea. n = dsspair.ng effort I.
choose = death 5y drowning in prefer
ecce 70 death y slow IRE.
= When TIE suCke Of the burning pow
: de- lad cleared away the slipmates o
ire u~-tcr-r-are ue1 rushed 70 thei
zzsz-ce s-5 Ie2dsr.y the sCrferin.
: sailors wee lifted OFT Of tie h-e-blsc.
e-sd tzr-sT ard quickly removed TO III
snip : hospital, where their burns wer
dressed by Ire surgeons.
II re meantime Lieutenant Coed
!. -ca and Seaman Ma.eck had been res
czed ~ = launch that was ~returninI
= from Al inspection q the target.
TIE surgical stat Of the Georgi
vas ac- reinforced By the surgeon o
l. re vessels II the feet. who had bee,
: informed q the scci6ent and summon
: I'd . the scene.
Z 4 wireless message telling the brie
details e the accident was sent TO tn
Z zvz-rE51- wireless station on IL
I highlands q cape Cod and thence owe
tie and wires 70 TIE navy depArtmer
4 az Washington. An examination c
y re z-ret after the sccidenr fsi'ei {
s2Cw thai any serious damage had II
sz-rad q TIE ship
-s Thar & 6cs-nE s2ark caused the al
= ci5e1r seemed evident 70 several mel
51r whether from a gun Or 3 funne
= furnished = tcpic fo- discussion.
al Rear Admiral Goodrich, sccompSl
z led d Ms Goodrich sDi their tw
daughters. arrived late snd went /
= C-ce = TIE bedside OF LiearsnAI
= Goodrich 81 the navy hospital. The
u fuCoi the injured man ~unccnSOioJ
e ard the physicians extended 10 hCy
Is q his recovery.
~ TIE family had been 81 the bS6siC