The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-16
FIFTEEN OFFICERS AND
 MEN RECEIVE INJURIES
Explosive Had Just Been Taken
 from Ammunition Hoist.
Was Seen to Be Burning and h In- stant shock Was Felt-Lieuten- ant Goodrich Passes Away-Great Fighting
 Machine Was Not
 Damaged.

Boston, July 15.-With six of her officers and crew dead and fifteen oth- CTS dying or suffering from terrible burns received in an explosion of pow der in the after superimposed turret. the battleship Georgia steamed slowly up Boston harbor from the target prac- tice grounds in Cape Cod Bay late to- day and landed the dead and injured men at the Charlestown navy yard.
 With the arrival of the Georgia there became known the details of the most terrible naval catastrophe that has ever taken place along the coast of New England. The accident occurred shortly before noon today while the Georgia's crew were at target practice off Provincetown in Cape Cod Bay. In some manner, as yet unexplained, two bags of powder became ignited and in the terrific flash that followed the en- tire turret crew, consisting of three of fcers and eighteen men. were envel- oped in fire and received horrible burns, one officer and five men dying before the ship reached port. The victims of the accident are:
 Dead: Lieutenant Casper Goodrich died II a. m.; William Thatcher. chief turret captain. Wilmington. Del: Faulk- ner Goldthwaite. midshipman. Ken lucky; w. J. Burke. ordinary seamon. Quincy, Mass; G. G. Hamilton. ordi- nary seaman, South. Framingham. Mass; W. H. Thomas, ordinary sea- man. Newport, R. l.; George E. Miller ordinary seaman. Brooklyn. N. Y.
 Injured: Midshipman John T.. Cruse, Nebraska; Frank Schlappk, boatswains mate, North Adams. Mass; Charles Hassett. gunner's mate. New York: Orley Tagland. chief yeoman, Richford. Minn.; William s. Pair. or dinafy seaman. Brooklyn. N. Y.; J. .. Thomas. ordinary seaman, Brooklyn, N. Y.: s. l.. Rosenberger, ordinary seaman. Philadelphia; Edward L. Walsh, ordinary seaman. Lynn, Mss; John O. Mallick. ordinary seaman. Cleveland O.; John A. Buch. ordinary 'seaman. New York; L. O. Mees. ordi- nary seaman, Berda, O.; H. L. Gilbert, John A Zone. ordinary seaman. Tren- ton, N. J.; Charles J. Rich. ordinary seaman, Frankfort, Ind.
 Four other men received minor in 1uries, whose names were not given out and who were not taken off the ship.
 The explosion occurred in the after turret where the men, under command of Lieutenant Casper Goodrich and Midshipmen Goldthwaite and John T. Cruse, were operating the eight-inch guns. The guns in the forward tur- rets had finished eight rounds of prac- tice and the guns of the after turret had fired one round
 Two cases of the big 100-pound bags of powder had just been sent through the ammunition hoist and were In the arms of the loader. whose name was withheld by the ships officers.
 Charge was Ignited.
 The loader stood at the breach of one of the s-inch guns. all ready to insert the charge. 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 ignted and was shoulder ing. The loader discovered the spot at the same instant and threw himself forward on his face, at the same time shouting a warning to his mates. The other men who had seen the spot were Eych and Hansen and they also threw themselves on the floor of the tnrret. Before the other men in the turret could understand what caused the load CTS cry of warning there was blind ing flash as the burning powder ex- ploded.
 Flames, smoke and nauseous gases filled the little superstructure in which more than a score of men were con- fined As the powder was not confined there was no report. nor did the vessel suffer any injury, but every nook and cranny of the turret was filled with flames.
 The loader who was, of course. near est the powder, was terribly burned, as was every other man in the tur- ret, with the exception of Eych and Hansel, who, although scorched. es- caped with injuries much less severe than the others.
 Pietous Cries Heard.
 Blinded by the smoke and flames, choked by the acrid. penetrating gas eous fumes, and maddened with pain. the men screamed in agony. Some staggered blindly up the ladder to the hatchway in the top of the turret. while others crept along the turret floor begging piteously for assistance.
 Lieutenant Goodrich and Seaman Maleeck became crazed. staggered up the iron ladder to the top of the tur rent and then threw themselves head long into the sea in despairing effort to choose death by drowning in pref erence to death by slow fire.
 When the smoke of the burning powder had cleared away. the ship mates of the unfortunate men rushed to their assistance and the suffering sailors were lifted out of the fire blackened turret and quickly conveyed to the ships hospital. where their burns were dressed by the surgeons.
 In the meantime. Lieutenant Good rich and Seaman Maleeck had been rescued by launch that was return ing from an inspection of the target
 The surgical staff of the Georgia was soon re-enforced by the surgeons of the other vessels in the fleet. who had been informed of the accident and summoned to the scene. An examina- tien of the turret after the accident failed to show that any serious dam age had resulted to the ship.
 Immediately upon learning the de- tails of the accident, Captain H. Crae, commander of the Georgia, notified