The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-16
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION ON THE
BATTLESHIP GEORGIA OFF
THE N. II. COAST.
POWDER BAGS BECAME IGNITED
Accident Occurred Shortly Before
Noon, While Grew Was mt
Target Practice.
(By the Associated Press }

O1 the result OF powder explosion on
the battleship Georgia today. Six
were dead when the battleship reach
ed here, and two more, one of them
Lieut. Casper Goodrich, of Brooklyn,
N. Y, son of Rear Admiral Goodrich,
died later at the hospital.
With the arrival of the Georgia,
s,s.>re became known the details of
the most terrible naval accident that
has ever taken place along the coast
of New England. The accident oc-
Cured shortly before noon today
while the Georgias crew were at tar
get practice off Barnstable, Cape Cod
bay. In some manner as yet uneX-
planned, two bags of powder became
ignited and in the terrible flash that
followed the entire turret crew, con-
sisting of three officers and eighteen
men were engulfed in fire and re-
ceived horrible burns, one officer and
five men dying before the ship reach
ed port. The victims of the accident
are:
Dead.
Goodrich, Lieut.. Caspar, Brooklyn.
IOluIu d1tS,
man, Kentucky
Thatcher, VIM. j., turret captain,
Wilmington, Del.
Burke, VIM. Joseph, seaman, Quin-
cy, Mass.
Hamilton, George c., ordinary sea-
man, South Framinham, Mass.
Miller, George E., ordinary sea-
man, Brooklyn. N. Y.
Thomas Vim M caanan Now
port, r. |.
Pair, Wm., Brooklyn.
Seriously Injured.
Ruse, James T., midshipman, Ne
braska, hand and face burned; very
serious.
Schlapp, Frank, boatswain's S mate,
second class, North Adams, Mass.
back, chest, arms and face burned.
Halsell. Charles, gunner's mate,
first class. New York; face and hands
burned.
Taglund. Orley, chief seaman,
Richford, Mimi; arms. back and face
burned.
Walsh, Edward j., seaman, Lynn,
Mass. chest and face burned fatally.
Bush, John A., ordinary seaman.
New York; face, arms and chest
DuTneu, pTODdDly ldtdlly
Eych, Charles L., ordinary sea-
man, Frankfort, Ind; face, arms and
hands burned.
Southwick, Mass; two-thirds of body
burned.
Gilbert, Harold L., ordinary sea-
man, Southwick, Mass; two-thirds
ut body burned.
.NhAeck, John c.. ordinary seaman,
Cleveland, Ohio; arms and face
burned.
Meese, Louis o., ordinary seaman,
Bere, Ohio; arms, face and chest
burned.
Rosenberger, Samuel L.. ordinary
seaman, Philadelphia; arms and face
burned.
Thomas, James p, ordinary sea-
man, Brooklyn, N. Y; face, arms,
chest and back burned, fatally.
Four other men received minor in
juries. Their names were not given
out and they were not taken off the
ship.
The explosion occurred in the after
superimposed turret, where the men,
under the command of Lieut.. Casper
Goodrich, son of Rear Admiral Good
rich, commandant of the New York
navy yard, and midshipmen Faulk-
ner Goldthwaite and James T. Ruse,
were operating the eight-inch guns.
The guns in the forward turret had
finished eight rounds of practice and
the guns of the after turret had fired
one round. Two cases. as the big
1OO-pound bags of powder are called,
had just been sent up 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 breech of one of
the S-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 a
black spot on the bag, indicating that
the charge had ignited and was
smouldering. The loader discovered
the spot and threw himself forward
on his face lat the same time shouting
a warning to his turret mates. The
other men who had seen the spot
were Eych and Halsell, and they also
threw themselves on the floor or the
turret. Before the other men in the
turret could understand what caused
the leaders cry of warning, there
was a binding flash as the burning
powder exploded. Flames, smoke and
nauseous gases filled the little super
structure in which more than score
of men were confined. AS the pow
der was not confined there was no
report, nor did the vessel suffer any
injury. but every nook and corner of
the turret was filled with flames. The
loader. who was of course near to
,ne powder, was terribly burned, as
was every other man in the turret.
with the exception of Eych and Hal
sell, who, although scorched,. got out
with injuries less severe than the
others.
Blinded by the smoke and flames,
penetrating gaseous fumes. and mad
dened with pain, these men screamed
in agony. Some staggered blindly