The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-17
COULD NOT HAVE
BEEN AVOIDED
Accident on Board the Battle
ship Georgia Did Not Re-
suit From CareIesSneSs.
THEORY OF THE OFFICIALS
SEAMAN WALSH DIES OF HIS IN
JURIES.

:. Walsh, seaman died at the naval -
= hospital at Chelsea this after -
:. noon. This is the ninth fatality y
:. resulting from the accident on =
:. on board the battleship Georgia -
- in Cape Cod yesterday. Twelve -
= injured remain in the hospital, of (
:. whom Midshipman James F. -
- Cruise of Lebanon and Seaman =
:. James p. Thomas of Brooklyn are =
- not expected to recover. =
:. Walsh recognized his mother to- -
:. day, stretched out one hand to- :.
= ward her. but could not speak. !
! - Admiral Goodrich returned 10 :.
- New York today. He and Mrs. y
:. Goodrich were with their son an !.
- hour before he died, but the =
= young man was unconscious. =
{: :. !: :: : {.
! Washington, July 16.-It is said at
the navy department that it is ex-
tremely improbable, that the accident
aboard the battleship Georgia resulted
from any carelessness or lack of pre-
caution. on the part of the personnel
| of the ship. short time ago a thor
ough inspection was made of every
detail of the Georgia's ordnance by
Commander Schofield, one of the most
! expert of the ordnance officers of the
navy. This inspection included every
one of the guns the details of the tur-
ret mechanism. the workings of the
ammunition HOSTS (Which in the case
of the supeTimpOscd turrets of the
Georgia are rather more complicated
| than in the ordinary type), and, finally
and most important, the handling of
the guns and mechanism and ammuni-
ton by the sailors. 1t was found that
| the ships company was very efficient
| at all points, and it was claimed that
they were following closely the firing
regulations in every essential detail.
cIot of SCOT.
In the absence of any other pIausi-
BILE explanation, the officials here are
disposed to give consideration to the
| theory advanced by some of the
GeOrgias officers when they came
ashore at Boston, that the powder
charge of the eight-ineh gun was fired
/ accidentally by ciot of SCOT, which
came floating down smouldering from
the ships smokepipe and settled by
chance into the open scuttle on top of
the turret. alighting directly on the
fifty-pound bag of smokeless powder
in the arms of the loader at the
| breech of the gun. 1t is pointed out
that the bag enclosing the powder is
made of thin serge stuff which is rath-
| er infiammable. In fact, it is neces-
sary that it should be soft i'm order to
be entirely consumed in the bore of
the gun after the charge is exploded,
otherwise bits of burning cloth might
accidentally explode the next charge
| of powder introduced before the breech
of the gun could be closed.
Bags Made Thin.
| Such accidents have occurred i'm the
past. so the bags are purposely made
| thin and inflammabe. In case of am
munition used in battle. the bagging
is frequently made of silk, with a
view to securing still greater strength
and perfect combustion of the envelope
| after firing. 1t is proposed to carry
| the principle still further and the ord
nance bureau is experimenting with
! method of impregnating the cloth with
| cOllOdiOn, TO make it at once water
proof and highly infiammable.
! In answer to an inquiry as to wheth-
/ er it is customary to have the Scuttle
on top of the turret open while target
| practice is going on, il was said at the
| department that this is almost a ne
cessity owing to the high temperature
/ in the turret while the guns are con-
Stunning rapidly great quantities of
smOkeless powder with it's enormous
| heat generating power. The opening
also affords an easy means of COM
munication for orders.
An Avenue of Escape.
| A further consideration is the bene-
| fetal effect upon nerves of the gun
ners of the knowledge that an avenue
| of escape is always open to them in
case of an accident in the turret. 1t is
said to be a curious illustration of the
| irony of fate that the men apparently
persisted in the Georgia's turret
| through the very means adopted by
them to secure their safety.
When asked what additional precau-
ton could be suggested, as the result
of this last accident, the officials of the
department confessed themselves at a
loss at present: they stated that there
was nothing to do but await the find
! lngs of the board of examination,
which had been convened, and with
1.-The data then in hand to endeavOr to
frame some change in methods that
Twill eliminate this last source of dan
ger.
dent Roosevelt at Oyster Bay regard
ling the accident of the battleship
Georgia was received at the navy de-
partment this afternoon:
Il am inexpressibly shocked and
grieved at the dreadful accident on
| the Georgia and the death of the gal
| liant officers and men. 1 wish full par
| dculars at the earliest possible date.
| let me know the condition of the
FOUNDED men. Repeat this to the
bptain of the Georgia."
1 Why the Ship Was Sent Back.
4 The explanation of the action of the
| E;vy department in ordering the
| Eeorgia to resume her target practice
soon as the victims of the accident
md been removed from the ship, is
IIo',nd in the fact that there is extreme
udIt Tiger of general Generalization of
liIe crew which has sustained such an
acc dent if they are permitted to brood
over it before undertaking again to
nam ihIle the big guns. This almost in
eVltable result is a loss of nerve"
SUCH as acrobats suffer when they
nav sustained a fall, the only means
oI dNoiding which is to Immediately
rene the attempt to accomplish a
part l,cular feat of strength or agility
Whlctl led to the accident. So i'm the
case Vt the Georgia it was felt to be
aosol ely necessary to get the men
again into the turrets. and at their
WORK of handling the big guns, treat
ing IhlSs disaster as just such an Incl
cent as might occur in the heat of ac-
'ioh n a foe.