The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-07-18
DEADLY EXPLOSION
Occurs on BattIeship Georgia
From Loose Powder.
EIGHT MEN ARE KILLED
Fourteen Were More or Less Seriously
Injured - Accident Happened IN
One of the Turrets During
Target Practice.

With eight of her officers and ere"
dead, and fourteen others dying or SUI
fering from terrible burns received IN
an explosion Of powder in the after
superimposed turret, the battlesnlp
Georgia steamed slowly up Boston
harbor, from the target practice
grounds, in Cape Cod bay, la;e Monday
afternoon, and landed the dead and In
iured men at the CharlestoWn navy
yard. With the arrival of the Georgia
there became known the details OF the
most terrible naval catastrophe that
has ever taken place along the coast
of New England.
The accident occurred shortly before
noon, while the Georgia's crew were
at target practice off Provincetown, in
Cape Cod bay. In some manner, as yet
unexplained, two bags of powder be-
came ignited, and in the terrific fash
that followed the entire turret crew,
consisting of three officers and eigh-
teen men, were enveloped in fire, and
received horrible burns, one officer and
five men dying before the ship reached
port.
Four other men received minor in
juries. whose names were not given
out, and who were not taken off the
ship.
Those killed were: Caspar Good
rich, lieutenant, died at hospital after
being removed from ship; William F.
Pair, ordinary seaman, also died at the
naval hospital; William J. Thatcher,
chief turret captain; Faulkner Gold
thwaite, midshipman; W. ]. Burke, G.
G. Hamilton; w. H. Thomas, George E.
Miller, ordinary seamen.
The explosion occurred in the after
turret, where the men, under COM
mand of Lieutenant Caspar Goodrich,
son of Rear Admiral Goodrich, COM
mandant, of the New York navy yard,
and Midshipmen Goldthwaite and John
T. Cruise were operating the eight-inch
guns.
The guns in the forward turrets had
finished eight rounds of practice, and
the guns of the after turret had fired
one round. Two cases, as the big 100
pound bags of powder are called, had
Just been sent through the ammunition
hoist, and were in the arms of the
loader. whose name was withheld by
the ships officers.
The loader stood at the breach of
one of the eight-inch guns, ready to
insert the charge. At this instant the
turret was seen to be smoky and two
men, who stood near the loader, saw
black spot on the bag, indicating
that the charge lad ignited and was
smouldering. The loader discovered the
spot at the same instant, and threw
himself forward on his face, at the
same time shouting a warning to his
turret mates The other men, who
had seen the shot, were Erich and
Hansen, and they also threw them
selves on the floor of the turret Before
the other men in the turret could un-
derstand what caused the leaders cry
of warning, there was a binding flash,
as the burning powder exploded.
Flames, smoke and nauseous gases fill
ed the little superstructure in which
more than a score of men were con-
fined. As the powder was not confin-
ed, there was no report, nor did the
vessel suffer any injury, but every nook
and Granny of the turret was filed
with flames.
The leader, who was, of course, near
est the powder, was terribly burned,
as was every other man in the turret,
with the exception of Erich and Han
sen, who, although scorchsd, escaped
with injuries much less severe that the
others.
When the smoke of the burning pow
der had cleared away the shpmates
CT the unfortunate men rushed to their
assistance, and the suffering sailors
were lifted out of the fre-Olackened
turre:, and were quickly conveyed to
the ships hospital, where their burns
were dressed by the surgeons.
In the meantime Lieutenant Good
rich and Seaman Maleeck had been
rescued by launch that was return
ing from an inspection of the target.
The surgical staff of the Georgia
was soon reinforced by the surgeons
of the other vessels in the fleet, who
had been Informed of the accident and
summoned to the scene.