Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-07-19
EIGHT met DEATH
HORRIBLE EXPLOSION ON The
BATTLE SHIP GEORGIA.
off Cape Cod Last Monday About
Noon, While Target Practice Was
Going on, Case of Powder Elk
ploded from an Unknown Cause
Lieut.. Goodrich Among the Killed.


and 10 injured was the grim record a
a late hour Monday night of the result
of powder explosion on the battleshiJ
Georgia off Provincetown. Six were
dead when the battleship reached
here and two more. one of them Lieu
tenant Casper Goodrich, of Brook Ign
N. 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.
The accident occurred shortly before
noon Monday while the Georgia's crew
was at target practice off Barnstable,
in Cape Cod bay. In some manner, as
yet unexplained, two bags of powder
became ignited, and in the terrible
flash that followed the entire turret
crew, consisting of three officers and
Is men, were engulfed in fire and re-
ceived horrible burns, one one 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 T. Cruise, were
operating the 8-inch guns.
The guns in the forward turret had
finished eight rounds of practice and
the guns of the after turret had fred
one round. Two cases, as the big 100
pound bags of powder are called, had
just been sent through the ammunition
hoists and were in the arms of the
loader, whose name was withheld by
the ships officers. The loader stood at
the breach of one of the eight-inch
guns ready to insert the charge. At
this instant the turret was seen to be
smoky, and two men who stood near
the loader saw black spot on the bag.
indicating that the charge had ignited
and was smoldering. The loader dis
covered the spot at the same instant
and thrive himself forward on his face, |
1T the same time shouting a warning
20 his turret mates. The other men |
who had seen the spot were Eich and |
dansell, and they also threw them
elves on the floor of tho turret.
Before the other men in the turret
could understand what caused the
oader's cry of warning there was
flash, as the burning powder
Exploded.
Flames, smoke and nauseous gases
illed the little superstructure, in
which more than a score of men were
As the powder was not con-
med, there was no report, nor did the
'essel suffer any injury. but every nook
nd corner of the turret was filed with
lanes. The loader, who was, of
curse, nearest the powder, was terri
'ly burned, as was every other man in
he turret with the exception of Eich
nd Hansell, who, although scorched.
scaped with injuries much less severe
han others.
Blinded by the smoke and flames,
hoked by the acrid, penetrating, gas
GUS fumes, and maddened with pain.
he men screamed in agony. Some
taggered blindly up the ladder to the
atchway in the top of the turret floor,
egging piteously for assistance.
Lieutenant Goodrich and Seaman
ialeck became crazed, staggered up
ne iron ladder to the top of the turret
nd then threw themselves headlong
lto the sea, in despairing effort to :
hoose a death by drowning in prefer
nee to death by slow fire.
When the smoke of the burning DOW :
or had cleared away the shipmates of (
ne unfortunate men rushed to their
ssistance and tenderly the suffering ,
ailors we're lifted out of the fire. black !
ned turret and quickly removed to the ]
hips hospital, where their burns were /
ressed by the surgeons. {
In the meantime Lieutenant Good ]
ch and Seaman Maleck had been res
ued by launch that was returning
'om an inspection of the target.
The surgical staff of the Georgia '
as soon reinforced by the surgeons of '
lie vessels in the fleet, who had been |
lformed of the accident and summon {
to the scene. 3
A wireless message telling the brief S
etails of the accident was sent to the g
overnment wireless station on the !
lghiands of Cape Cod and thence over c
lie land wires to the navy department t
Washington. An examination of t
he turret after the accident failed to
low that any serious damage had re-
ilted to the ship.
That floating spark caused the ac- /
dent seemed evident to several men. Z
ut whether from gun or funnel, c
FINISHED topic for discussion. {
Rear Admiral Goodrich, accompan- r
ID by Mrs. Goodrich and their, two {
aughters' arrived late and went at {