Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-07-19
Among the Killed

tenant Goodrich. Son OF Admiral,
Among the Killed
Boston, July 1G.-Nine men dead
and II injured, of whom two are on
the dangerous list at the United States
naval hospital at Chelsea, is the grim
record of the result of powder eXplo-
sion on the batteship Georgia off
Provincetown.
The accident occurred while the
Georgias crew We're at target practice
eff Barnstable, 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
hctrs and Is men, were enveloped in fire
and received horrible burns, one officer
and six men dying before the ship
reached port The men killed are:
Faulkner Goldthwaite, midshipman;
W. j. Thatcher, chief turret captain;
w. j. Burke, seaman; G.. G.. Hamilton,
ordinary seaman; G.. L. Miller, ordinary
seaman; w. NJ. Thams, seaman; w. f.
Pair, seaman; Lieutenant Goodrich,
and +. J. Walsh, seaman.
The seriously injured:
]. T. Cruise. midshipman. burned very
seriously; Frank Schlapp, boatswain's
mate back, chest, arms and face burn
ed; Charles Hansel, gunncr's mate
face and hands burned; Orly Taglund,
chief yeoman, arms back and face
burned, J. y. Bush, ordinary
seaman, arms and chest burned
robably fatally; c. L. Eich. ordinary
seaman. face, arms and hands burned;
j. y. Fone, ordinary seaman. arms,
back. and neck burned seriously; II. l..
Gilbert. ordinary seaman. two-thirds
of body burned; J. c. Malcck. ordinary
20 seaman. arms and face burned; L. O.
Meese. ordinary seaman, arms, face
and chest burned; S. l.. Rosenberger
ordinary seaman. arms and face
burned: j. l.. Thomas, ordinary sea-
man. face, arms. chest and back
burned fatally. Four other men re-
ceived minor injuries whose names
were not given out and who were not
taken off the ship.
The explosion occurred in the after
superimposed turret, where the men.
unuef command of Lieutenant Good
rich, son of Rear Admiral Goodrich,
and Midshipmen Goldthwaite and
Cruise, were operating the eight-nch
guns.
The guns in the forward turrets had
just finished eight rounds of practice
and the guns of the after turret had
fired one round The cases, as the big
100-pound bags of powder are called.
had just been sent up through the am
munitiOn hoist and were in the arms
of the loader, whose name was with
held by the ships officers. The loader
stood at the breech of one. of the eight
inch guns, all ready to insert the charge
At this instant the turret was seen
10 be smoky and two men who stood
near the loader saw black spot on
the bag, indicating that the charge had
lgnited and was SmOu,derng. The
loader discovered the spot at the same
instant and threw himself forward on
his face, at the same time shouting
warning to his turret mates
spot were Seaman Eich and Gunner's
Mate HanSel, and they also threw
themselves PROSTATE on the floor of the
turret. Before the other men in the
turret could understand what caused
the leaders cry of warning. there was
binding fash as the burning pow
der exploded Flames, smoke and
nauseous gases filled the little super
structure in which more than a score
of men We're confined.
Inasmuch as the powder was not
confined there was no deafening report.
nor did the vessel suffer any injury,
but every nook and Granny of the tur-
ret was filled with fame
The loader. who was. of course. near
est the powder, was terribly burned.
as was every other man in the turret
with the exception of Eich and Hansel.
who escaped with injuries much less
severe than the others.
Blinded 10y the smoke and fame
choked by the acrid penetrating gaseous
fumes. and maddened with pain the
men screamed in agony. Some stag
gered blndly up the ladder to the
hatchway in the top of the turret, while
others crept along the turret floor beg
glng pteouSly for assistance.
Lieutenant Goodrich and Seaman
Maleck became crazed, staggered up
the iron ladder to the top of the turret
and then threw themselves headlong in
to the sea. in despairing effort to
choose death by drowning in prefer
ence to death by slow fire.
Before the smoke of the burning
powder had cleared away the ship
mates Of the unfortunate men rushed }
- their assistance and the suffering sail
ors were lifted out of the fire lackened
turret and quickly conveyed to the
ships hospital. where their burns were