The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1907-07-26
TOPICS IN Wa SHIyCToy.

| lVflUO LIN WAN1lNGlUN.
Washington, d. C., July 22.-The
navy department has been shocked by
the news OF another accident to the
hattleship squadron. This time IL Is
the frst class battleship Georgia at
target practice off Boston, Mass.
There was an explosion OF powder III
the turret, killing nine officers and
men and iniuring twelve Others So
That some OF them will die. This
accident was the more serious 10 the
view of the department because II
was the fourth one 10 four summers
Of target practice and came after the
department had taken what it con-
sidered was the amplest precaution to
eliminate all such accidents. The
origin Of the explosion is a mystery.
Only one round had been fred from
the after turret and the men wer.
holding one of the 100 ponud
bags OF smokeless powder ready to
throw into the breach of the gun.
The loader suddenly saw the bag
smouldering and before there was
time TO think, the ch arge ignited and
200 pounds Of powder went off filing
the turret with smoke ard gas. Or
all the men 10 the turret not one
escaped serious injury. The turret
was not badly damaged because the
powder was not confined. But the
mystery came in knowing where the
spark originated that fred the charge.
The department has eliminated all
known courses Of danger, insulating
the electrical equipm ent and INSTALL
Ing automatic air blasts to prevent
'fare backs" from the hot guns.
There will, of course, be board of
inquiry but IL Is doubtful IL the cause
of the fire will ever be discovered.
Some of the other accidents on the
modern warships we're an explosion
On the Massachusetts In 1903, killing
nine men; another O1 the Iowa the
next year when again a twelve inch
turret exploded, killing three men
and injuring three others, an explo-
sion from a ''flare back" On the
Missouri, killing five officers and
26 enlisted men, and another on the
Kearsarge, severely injuring three
men.
The American navy has been par
ticularlY unlucky in accidents of this
sort. The British o avy in the same
time has lost many more men through
series of torpedo boat disasters and
the French through fire and SUBJ
marine disasters. Each navy seems
to have its own speciality in horrors.
Whether the navy department will
ever be able to eliminate the sources
Of these explosions is a serious ques-
tion. Meantime, it seems that target
practice IN peace time is almost as
dangerous as service in time Of war.
The secretary of the treasury has
been working for some time on a plan
to reduce the trouble always attend
ing the customs inspection in New
York and other American ports.
This will be good news to American
tourists aud all others who have to
brave the terrors Of the New York
customs. The treasury hereafter will
take the declarations OF trans A tan
tic passengers during the voyage in.
stead of herding tn em like sheep 10
the saloon after the steamer reaches
her dock. Then there will be an en-.
tire rearrangement Of the inspection
service on the dock in New York aud
the result will be that the whole in.
qnisition will be huished 10 half the
! time and with gu arLer of the pro.
faulty that has always marked the
incoming Of the ira ns- A tlantic liners
A Foolhardy Feat.