Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-19
Reports of the Department.

The condition of the injured men of the
Georgia now in the Chelsea Naval Hospital
was reported to the Navy Department this
morning as follows:
"Midshipman Cruise is not gaining ground
extremely critical; Neese is worse; Gilbert
extremely serious; Bush, Malek, Fone and
Thomas are better; Schlapp. Rosenberger
and Tagland doing very well.
A dispatch received at the Navy Depart
ment later in the day regarding the con-
dition of the injured of the Georgia was
as follows:
''Midshipman Cruise, outlook very unfavor-
able; temperature. 1O5 $40; pulse. $50;
heart weakening. Meese, condition extreme
ly critical; very slight improvement no
ticed. Gilbert. critical, but hopeful. Bush,
Fone, Malek and James Patrick Thomas,
still serious, but improving. schiapp,
Report From Capt. McCrea.
The following telegram from Capt. Nc
Crea of the battleship Georgia, dated yes
terday, has been made public at the Navy
Department.:
Telegram expressing grief over unfor-
tunate accident to the Georgia received and
published. All are gratfed with sympathy
! expressed, which lightens our sorrow. Full
reports were sent through Admiral Thomas,
which will be supplemented by report of
board.
Meanwhile no individual case Of great
heroism which saved this ship has been
known. The handling room crew responded
Immediately to the orders of the officers in
command Boatswain Murray, closing the
DOORS removing exposed charges and
drowning the burning powder which fell
from the upper turrets. did the right thing
at the right time and steadied his men,
The Hero Identified.
Notwithstanding Capt. McCrea's state
ment, the expression attributed to him in
In, uybic b no he ct
Of one gunner has made hero of Benja-
min Kreiger, or George Miller he
stood on the ships books.
Seaman Miller was the loader Of the port
gun 1t had los pounds of powder In 1t,
Just the same as the starboard gun, where
the fire started. The breech had not been
closed all the powder not having been
fitted in when the flash came.
The young seaman and one other man
stood by the second gun. which had just
been loaded The last powder bag that had
been put in was protruding little from the
gun When he saw the fash instead Of
dashing for the ladder to himself,
he crowded home the charge in the gun,
and with the help of the other man got
the gun closed tight before the flames
reached the bag.
Capt McCrea is reported as saying:
''If the flame had touched that bag there
would have been an awful explosion, for the
powder was confined in the gun and would
not have flashed as the other did, but would
would have been left alive, whatever other
damage might have been done. That man
gave his life for the others
Kreger was eighteen years old and ran
away from his home last February and
enlisted at the Brooklyn navy yard, giving
his name as George Miller of Memphis, and
stating that he had no home and no living
relatives. To some of his shipmates he
confided that his parents were alive and
that he had written to his father in Brook
Ign. but had received no reply.
The Navy Department will make an effort
to locate the family of the dead man.
Meantime the body Of Seaman Miller will
be inferred with naval honors at Boston,
and should the relatives appear they will
have the privilege Of disinterring the body.
Ambassador Bryce's Coincidence.
The acting secretary of the navy has
received a telegram of coincidence from
Mr.. Bryce, the British ambassador, at
Intervale, N. H, follows:
Pray accept expression of deep SYM
pathy sad loss of valuable lives
United States steamship Georgia"