The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-18
GAVE HIS LIFE
TO SAVE OTHERS
Extraordinary HeroiSm on the
Part of One of the Victims ct
Georgia Disaster.
DID NOT TRY TO ESCAPE
THE STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN
HENRY MlcREA.

The STATEMENT OF CAP AIN
HENRY M'cREA.
Boston, July lion board the Georgia
in Boston harbor this afternoon. Captain
Henry McCrea told to the Associated
Press the story Of the disaster ON board
the hattleship On Monday, which has
cost the lives of nine men of the United
States navy and caused injury. in some
cases probably fatal, to thirteen others.
Captain McCrea said:
Il was ON the bridge making the run
tons of each shot As shot after shot
was hit from the eight-inch guns, | saw
We We're beating the records of the other
ships of the fleet. On the bridge | could
hear the commands from the after tur-
ret So | knew when the next shot was
coming.
Il heard the shout. Fire but there
was no shot, and then | saw men run
ming aft to get the fire hose that is
always laid out in readiness when there
is firing going on.
None Knew What Had Happened.
Il rushed to the after bridge near the
turret to see what was the matter. The
water was already being poured into the
turret. The boatswain and Midshipman
Gravescroat led the way for their men
with the hose. ] tell you, there was cour-
age No man knew what had happened,
and no man knew into what danger he
/ might De TuSnlhS- But those men never
thought of self or danger. That brave
act will look well on their records.
Victims FrightfuIly Burned.
Then they began to bring out the men.
One of the frs. was the one in whose
hands the powder was when it flashed.
He was laid on top of the lower turret
with a blanket under his head | went
to him. l could not recognize him. His
hands were burned to the bones. The
flesh was gone. With those hands raised
above his chest and the tips of the fin
gers bent toward each other, l could hear
him whisper: oh, God; Oh. God; Oh,
| God. He could not move his lips enough
to utter other words.
4 bent closer and said to him. My
| dear fellow, God has heard your prayer
He was breathing, but in snort Sasps,
! and soon died.
THE men were brought out as fast as
they could be taken from the turret.
| Most of them felt relief as soon as they
got to the open air. The gases from
smokeless powder are terrible. That's
what kills. The external burns were hide
Gus, but to breathe that stuff is fatal
One Man Unhurt.
zone man in that turret was not hurt
Mdshipman Kimball-and / do not IN
derstand how he could have escaped. He
helped take out the men. He, too, show
ed grit after the shock he had had Lieu
tenant Goodrich set an example to his
men that none but a coura seous officer
could set, when he plunged right into the
! the flame and gases to lead the way to
safety. told his father. Rear Admiral
Goodrich, that it was such officers that
made great navy. His example will not
! be forgotten. After he got to the deck
he threw himself overheard. If our
, launch had not been nearby on its return
from the examination of targets he would
have drowned.
Bravery of an Unknown.
Probably one little act. or rather one
s.UN1. g Of ~ 04~gI
far greater disaster. 1 don't know his
name. He's dead He and one other stood
by the second gun that had just been
, loaded The last powder bag had been
put in, was protrudng a little from the
gun. When he saw the flash, instead of
; dashing for the ladder to save himself,
! he crowded home the charge in the gun
and with the help of other men got the
; gun closed before the flame reached the
; bag. If the flame had touched that bag
, there would have been an awful explo-
sion, for the powder was confined in the
, gun and would not have flashed as the
other did, but would have exploded. Not
, a man in the turret would have been left
: alive, whether other damage might have
) been done. That man gave his life for
! others.
One Story Unfounded.
81 am told President Roosevelt has in
quired about man that gave his life
in closing the shutter from the ammuni-
ton room to save the ship from blowing
up. 1t would be very wrong to have a
story like that go out, because 1 cannot
find that there is any foundation for it.
or need for a man to make any attempt
5 to do anything of the sort. But if the
president wants herOism, let him look up
this brave man who stood by his gun to
save the rest
i ''Since we went back to the target
grounds the men have been shooting bet
: ter than before the accident.
o I'VE haven't finished practice, and we
e are going back to the targets and break
: the record
3 Board of Inquiry.
V The naval board of inquiry appointed
. to investigate the cause of the explosion
!. | on last Monday visited the United States
!, naval hospital at Chelsea today to take
{ the dispositions of the injured men.
T The board of inquiry is composed OF
y Captain Seaton Schroeder. of the battle
: ship Virginia; Captain W. w. Kimball
= of the battleship New Jersey; Lieutenant
: Commander Mark Bristol, chief ordnance
;, | officer of the fleet. and Lieutenant Ken
: meth Castleman, attached to the flagship
i Virginia.
: The board carefully inspected the tur-
ret in which the explosion occurred, anG
: took the evidence of such officers anC
n men as were familiar with the condi-
n tions about the turret at the time and
> were witnesses of the affair
Il The Georgia steamed up the harbOr this
afternoon and the board of inquiry trans.
ferred it's Investigations to the naval hos
pital at Chelsea.
Only Three Examined.
! Owing to the critical condition of the
injured men in the hospital, four of whom
o it was feared might not survive the
: night, the surgeons in charge of the hos
; pitaI would permit the board of inquiry
? to examine only three of the injured
. men.
: The men who were interviewed by tn,
!, board were Charles Hansell, gunner'l
8 mate, of New York; Charles l.. Eich, or
il binary seaman. of Frankfort, Ind. anC
o Samuel L. Rosenberger, ordinary seaman
. of Philadelphia. The nature of the ques
= tons and answers was not given out
u the inquiry being strictly secret,
II 1t is understood that the investigation
of the board are practically complete, an,
that tomorrow its findings will b.
Transcribed and forwarded to Washing
ton through Admiral Thomas.
: New Theory of Accident.
Il Among the naval officers of the flee