Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-17
GEORGIA DISASTER.
Gunner Hansel From Hospital
 Got Tells the Story.
YAMANOTO SHOWS HIS KIND HEART
Wounded Man Praises Commanding Officer, Captain McCrea, For His Care of Sufferers Five
 Injured Dying.

F AhJurca Dyln&.
 BOSTON, July 17.-From his cot f
 the Naval hospital at Chelsea Actin
 Gunners' Captain Charles H. Hanse
 was able to tell the story of the accl
 dent on the United States battleshil
 Georgia which cos. nine lives ant
 caused injuries to twelve other mel
 in Cape Cod bay. Hansel's story wal
 as follows:
 None of us knew much about 1t If,
 1t was all over, 1t was so quick. Wher
 l saw that first flash instinct told m,
 what was up, and I kept presence ot | mind enough to dodge back from tn,
 sheet of flame that began to enveloI the turret. I got down to the floor
 crawled under the gun and out to the
 port hole as far as could get. Here
 could get some air. and I was so low
 down that the fumes did not hurt me
 seriously. Kimball was with me, and
 he did not get burn. My hand was
 burned where held an iron rod, and
 got burned around the head, but l
 guess 1t is not very bad.
 "The instant the flash came Lieuten.
 ant Goodrich. who was in charge of the work in our turret, rushed for the ladder in the hatchway on top of the turret, thinking to get out before the turret filled with smoke and gas, but the powder was too quick for him, and he was horribly burned before he could get to the air and safety. Sea man Maleck was sitting on top of the turret, where he was stationed to take messages. with his legs hanging down the hatchway. Influenced probably by Lieutenant Goodrich, who. maddened by his suffering, plunged into the sea, he threw himself overheard too.
 "The first flash was followed quickly by a second from the other bag of powder, each containing about hun dred pounds of smokeless powder That was moment of terror to all who were still conscious. and they were few. Men were lying in heaps. moaning, dying, unconscious, baking and suffocating.
 ''The next minute seemed eternity, but help from outside came quickly, and the men were lifted out and taken away to be cared for. But living men could not enter the turret until the heat had been overcome by pouring in water, which also settled the smoke ayd hA tn tent. Those poor fellows were terribly burned Some were burned so as to be Eyes were burned out, faces, bodies and arms and legs black ened, and there were no features left on some of the eharred faces.
 "NIidshipman Cruse was pointing the gun when the flash came. and I was by his side. He did not move away from the sheet of flame as quickly as did and was fearfully burned. We were a record all right.
 Lieutenant Goodrich took great pride in the work and had all the men worked up to enthusiasm. We had fired nine shots and made nine hits and still had time enough to fire twice more, and that meant two more hits the way we were shooting and still be within two minutes. Now. when you fire eleven shots with eight inch guns in two minutes you're doing some shooting, whether you hit the mark or not. But we were hitting.
 How those fellows suffered after they were taken out! Captain McCrea won the love of every man on that 'hip yesterday. Time and again he would come down to the hospital and would bend over some dying fellow | with his face close to the lips that ! were trying to speak and try to make ! ut the last words and then turn away | with the feelings of his heart written i m his face. All the officers and the i nen behaved splendidly through 1t all. ' nd there was no confusion. It's a inc ship, and if go back ] want to E, ! Iack to the Georgia"
 Two huge boxes arrived at the naval ospital, one marked for Midshlpman 'ruse and the other "for the sailors of he Georgia" They were from Ad- lirai Namamoto. and each one was He'd with flowers. The hospital au- horities, in behalf of the injured men. i'll express to the distinguished Jap nese visitor appreciation of his 
 Adding to the death roll of the gal. mt men of the battleshlp the name of dward J. Walsh of Lynn. seaman. lio died at the Naval hospital. makes total of nine who have suceumbed to { le accident in the turret Surgeons [ ho are making every effort to save yelye suffering men at the hospital i've little hope but that five more lmes will be added to the fatal list.