Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-26
REAL TURRET HEROES.
Georeia's Crew Point to Ensign Toaz
and BoatsWain Murray.


Georgia those regarded as the real he
rocs of the recent turret explosion,
costing nine lives of the GcOrgia's |
crew, are Ensign W. II. TOaZ of New l.
York and Boatswain L. y. Murray of
Wisconsin, who had charge of the crew
in the handling room, twenty-five feet
directly beneath the turret, says Bos-
ton special 10 the New York World.
There were 400 pounds of powder in |
the handling room, and the magazine |
door was open when the explosion oc-
Cured. Sparks and flames shot down.
ward from the turret through the shut !
ter, which was not closed tightly. |
These men pushed part of the powder, !
which was in four bags, into the maya |
zine and part into a gangway, closed
| the gangway door and the slide door of
| the magazine, put out the sparks which |
had dropped from above and then
| calmly awaited their fate with those
who were shut tight in the magazine.
They didn't know what was going to
| happen next, and they were not aware
of what had really happened twenty
| five feet above. They knew an eXplO-
sion had occurred Then there follow
ed the groans of the wounded and dy-
| ing. What they feared most was that
| both the magazine and the handling
! room would he flooded and all hands in
| them be drowned There were long and
critical moments for the imprisoned
men. but Ensign ToaZ and Boatswain
Murphy cheered them up, and all were
released five minutes after the acct
| dent Some were almost SuffOcated.
Captain Henry McCrea Of the Geor-
gia told the story of the disaster as fol
lows:
Il was on the bridge making the
run for the practice. j was taking Oh
servationS of each shot. AS shot after
shot was a hit from the eight inch
guns l saw we We're beating the rec
ords of the other ships of the fleet.
On the bridge | could hear the COM
mand from the after turret, so l knew
when the next shot was coming
81 heard the shout Fire" but there
was no shot, and then l saw men run
ming aft. and quickly the fire hose
that is always laid out in readiness
when there is firing going on was
manned
u rushed TO the after bridge, near
the turrct. to see what was the matter
The water was already being poured
into the turret. The boatSwain and
MidShiDman Gravecroft led the way
for their men with the hose. | tell
you, there was courage, No man
knew what had happened. and no man
knew into what danger he might he
rushing But those men never thought
of self or danger That brave act will
look well on their record.
: Then they began to bring out the
I men. One of the first was the one in
. whose hands was the powder when
/ it flashed He was laid down on the
e top of the lower turret with a blanket
: under his head | went to him. I
g could not recognize him. His hands
/ were burned to the bone. The flesh
: was gone With these hands raised
above his chest and the tips of the
fingers bent toward each other l could
p. hear him whisper: % God. O God
: O God" He could not move his lips
T. | eUOu-n 10 utter OlLpE NOItS.
Y II bent closer and said to him, My
= dear fellow, God has heard your pray.
!. err lie was breathing. but in shor,
r gasps. and soon died. The gases from
smOkcless powder are terrible. That's
y what kills. The external burns were
, hideOus enough, but to breathe that
stuff is fatal
lone man in that turret was not
= hurt-MidShipman Kimball-and l dc
not understand how he could have es
capped. He helped take out the men
= He. too. showed grit after the shock he
9 had had. Lieutenant Goodrich set NJ
x example TO his men that none but {
9 courageo officer could set when b,
x plunged right into the flame and case!
g to lead the way to safety. l told hi
= father, Rear Admiral Goodrich. tina
6 it was such officers that made Il grea
4 navy. His example will not be for
6 gotten.
x Probably one little act, or rather
g one great act of one of the men. pre-
x vented Il far greater disaster He en-
x listed as George Miller of Memphis
6 ordinary seaman; no home, no kin an
RI uIStl us IL result Oh HIS bravery. lie an
8 one other stood by the second gun tina
x had just been loaded. The last powde
6 bag that had been put in was protrut
< ing little from the gun When b
6 saw the flash instead of dashing fo
* the ladder to save himself he crowde
8 home the charge in the gun and wit
< the help of the other men got the gu
9 closed tight before the fame reache
x the bag.
8 eff the fame had touched that ba
< there would have been an awful @!
9 plosion, for the powder was confine
x in the gun and would not have flashe
s as the other did, but would have e!
< ploded. Not man in the turret woul
6 have been left alive. whatever othe
& damage might have been done. TIL;
6 man gave his life for the others.
& 'Since we went back to the targ'
s grounds the men have been shootir
g better than before the accident. "