Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-07-20
FIND CAUSE
OF EXPLOSION
DELAYED FLARE-BACk BLAMED
FOR ACCIDENT
TENTH VICTIM SUccUMBS TO
INJURIES
MldshIpman James F. Cruise Dies al
Naval Hospital at Chelsea from
oasjurns Received on Battle
ship Georgia

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, July 19.-By elimina-
ton the naval board which has been
Investigating the accident whereby the
men in the turret of the battlesnlp
Georgia lost their lives has arrived at
the conclusion that delayed mare
back caused the catastrophe.
In one sense the verdict is received
with a distinct sense of relief by naval
officers because 1t showed that they had
no new element of danger to contend
with.
They had experienced flare backs
before and thought that they knew how
to deal with them.
A delayed flare back" is caused by
closing off too soon the blast of com
pressed air which is supposed 20 expel
from the bore of the gun the unburnt
gases and fragments of smoldering pow
der covering which might be left from
the last discharge.
After the terrible accident in the MIS-
souri's turret three years ago, resulting
in the loss of over thirty lives the ord
rance bureau caused to be fitted to the
breech of each of the great guns an air
blast apparatus designed to expel by
compressed air any gas or cloth that
might remain in the bore of the gun.
How 1t Happened
So far this has worked we'll and there
have been no flare backs since the device
was installed.
In the case of the Georgia's eight-inch
guns what happened was this:
The breech of the gun was thrown
open and the air blast turned in at
pressure of 100 pounds to the square inch.
This Is sufficient for all ordinary pur-
poses with the important qualification
that 1t should be continued long enough
to drive the last remnant of gas or cloth
out of the bore.
In this case the pieces of smoldering
cloths which were driven probably more
y half way to the muzzle of the gun
IN the air blast was turned off.
he Georgia was steaming at ten knots
to the wind, which blew into the muz-
I. lie of the gun. The unexpelled gases
or cloths were driven back by the breeze
into the breech of the gun and out upon
the powder charge which was just about
to be inserted.
The explosion which followed was in
evitable.
The cause of this accident therefore
will without doubt be set down to the
ambition of the gunners to make record
The first section of the charge in the
second leaders arms was first ignited.
The conclusions of the board are sum-
marizod under five different paragraphs
as fob 3ws:
(a) The charge was not ignited by a
blown electrical fuse or a short circuit,
nor by ar electric spark from any elec-
trical device.
(b) The charge was not ignited by a
percussional or frictional spark.
(c) The charge was not ignited by a
spark or cinder falling into the turret
from outside.
(d) The charge was not ignited as a
result of any condition due to deteriora-
tion of the powder
Midshipman James F. Cruise of the
batteship Georgia died today at the naval
hospital in Chelsea. He is the tenth
man to die as "a result of the powder
explosion in the after turret of the
Georgia during the target practice in
Cape Cod bay last Monday.