Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-18
CAPT. MecREA's STORY.
Continued from Page One.)

those hands raised above his chest and
the tips Of the fingers bent toward
each other in the attitude of prayer,
l could hear him saying %, God, o,
God, @, God He could not move his
lips enough to utter other words. 1
bent closer and said to him MY dear
fellow, God has heard your prayer He
was breathing, but in short gasps and
soon died. l Know he could hear. Oh,
l hope he heard me for I know God
heard MIN. 1 wish 1 We're a Tennyson
to tell Alright that dying scene. 1t was,
sublime-prOse can't tell it.
And SO the men were brought out
as fast as they could be taken from
the turret. But one, think, was wholly
unconscious. and most of them felt re-
lief as soon as they got to the open
air. The gases from smokeiess powder
are terrible. and many of those fell
lows had 5reathed in gases and flames.
That's what kills. The external burns
were hi6eous enough, but to breathe
that stuff is fatal
"One man in that turret was not
hurt. Midshipman kimball, and do
not understand how he could have es-
capped. He staid in the turret and
helped take out the men. He, too,
showed great courage after the shock
he had.
Lieutenant Goodrich set an example
to his men, that none but courageous
officer could set. when he plunged right
into the flame and gases to lead his
men to the air and to safety. 1 told
his father. Rear Admiral Goodrich,
that that was a fine thing, and it was
such officers that made a great navy
His example will not be forgotten. At
ter he got onto the turret he came
down to the deck and threw himself
overheard. If our launch had not been
nearby on its return from examination
OF the target he would soon have
drowned.
Probably one little act or rather one
act, of one of the men prevented far
greater disaster. I don't know his
name. He's dead. He died saving other
lives. He and one other stood by the
gun that had just been loaded. The
last powder bag that had been put in
was protruding a little from the gun
when he saw the flash, instead of
dashins for the ladder to save himself.
he crowded home the charge in the
gun and with the help of the other
man got the gun, closed tight before the
flames reached the bag
IF the flame had touched that bag
there would have been an awful ex-
piosion for the powder was confined in
the gun and would not have flashed as
the other did, but would have exploded.
NDf in
neen left olive, whatever other damage
might have been done. That man gave
his life for The others.
Il am told that Pres Roosevelt has
inquired about the man that gave his
life in closing the shutter from the
ammunition room to save the shin
from blowing up. 1t would be very
wrong to have story like that go out.
because can not find that there is
any foundation for it, or any need for
a man to make any attempt to do any,
thing of the sort. OF course if a man
had done anything like that, even
though the shutter We're closed, it
""uld have been 4 heroic thing. But if
the President wants heroism let him
look to this brave man who stood by
his gun to save the rest.
"1hc cause of the accident perhaps can
never be positively established. The
board of inquiry is made up of experts
and they are doing everything in their
power to gather in every fact available.
We are all very anxious to get enough to
make out n reasonable theory We want
to get at it because we want to make
every man in the navy feel that his work
mas been made safe for him in time Of
peace at least.
10 not see how spontaneous combus-
ton can he entertained as a theory, for
II 1t Is, we are in danger of being blown
to kingdom come every minute We car
ry good deal of powder and If these is
danger of spontaneous combustion on
board. hattleship is not a very safe
place to be. No, 1 don't believe that
theory.
Now as to spark getting onto the
cover of the bag and igniting i'll can
demonstrate Ey bringing n bag of powder
OH the deck and putting a spark on il
'hat IL takes quite a time for such q
spark 10 set the powder going The facts
are THESE: That when the powder cases
came Up from the ammunition chamber
IL is removed from the copper casing.
passed from hand to hand into the gun.
IL is done so quickly that the gun is
closed in four seconds from the time the
powder arrives. In other words, the pow
der is exposed to Il spark in the tt:rret
less than four seconds.
But it may have been a shark. II NAV
nave beeen one of several things. We
don't know We will find it out IL we
can. The board has taken the Testimony
of all the officers on the shin and has
gone to the naval hospital now to talk
with Hansell and some others to gain
additional facts.
Since we went back to the shooting
grounds the men have been shooting bet
ter than they were before the accident.
OF course we can't do any more work
with that turret because we have no men
for it. The crew of that turret is dead
or in the hospital. The men we havo
behaved finely.
NO. we have not finished practice, and
we are going back to the targets and
make record to break the record
Among the men on the Georgia the
spark theory is most generally believed,
though part of the crew. believe a cigar