The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-18
CAPTAIN MCREA TELLS OF DIS
ASTER ON BOARD GEORGIA
LAST MONDAY
NUMEROUS DEEDS OF HEQOlSM
Lieutenant Goodrich Set An Example
That Only a Courageous
officer Could.
(By the Associated Press }

BOSION, July l1.-On D0ard the
Georgia in the Boston harbor this
afternoon Captain McCrea told the
Associated Press the story of the dis
aster on board the battleship on Mon
day, which has cost the lives of nine
men of the United States navy, and
caused injury, in some cases prob
ably fatal to thirteen others. Captain
McCrea said:
81 was on the bridge making the
run for practice. l was taking OBJ
5ervations of each shot. AS shot
after shot was made from the S-inch
guns, | saw we were beating the rec
ords of the other ships of the ueet.
On the bridge l could hear the COM
mand from the after turret So |
knew when the next shot was COM
ing.
81 heard the shout fire, but there
was no shot and then / saw men run
ming aft, and get the fire hose that
is always laid out in readiness when
..lere is firing going on.
81 rushed to the after bridge, near
the turret, to see what was the mat
ter. The water was already being
poured into the turret. The boats
vain and midshipmen led the way
for their men with the hose. l tell
you there was courage. No man
knew what had happened, and no
man knew what danger he might be
rushing into. But those men never
thought of self or danger. That
brave act will look we'll ON the rec
Ords.
"Then they began to bring out the
men. One of the first was the one
in whose hands the powder was when
it flashed. He was laid down on top
of the turret with blanket under
his head. l went to him. His hanGs
were burned to the hone. The flesh
was gone. l could hear him whisper,
oh, God! Oh, God!' He could not
open his lips to utter other words.
''I bent close and said to him: My
dear fellow. God has heard your
prayer He was breathing but in
short gasps and soon died.
1.-The men were brought out as fast
as they could be taken from the tur-
ret Most of them felt relieved as
soon as they got to the open air. The
gases from the smokeless powder are
terrible. That's what kills. The ex-
ternal burns were hideous, but to
breathe that stuff is fatal.
'One man in the turret was not
hurt-Midshipma Kimball-and ]
do not understand how he could have
escaped. He helped take out the
men. He too showed grit after the
shock he had had. Lieutenant Good
rich set al example to his men that
none but a courageous officer coul3
set, when he plunged right into the
flame and gases to lead the way to
safety I told his father, Rear Ad-
miral Goodrich, that it was such Of
ficers that made a great navy. His
example will not be forgotten. After
he got to the deck he threw himself
overheard. If our launch had not
been nearby on it's return from the
examination of the targets he would
have been drowned.
Probably one little act, or rather
one great act, of one of the men pre-
vented a far greater disaster. do
not know his name. He Is dead. He
and one other stood by the second
gun that had been loaded. The last
powder bag that had been put in was
projecting little from the gun.
When he saw the fash instead of
dashing for the ladder to save him
self, he crowded home the charge in
the gun, and with the help of the
other men, got the gun closed be-
fore the flame reached the bag there
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 have ex-
ploded. Not man in the turret
would have been left alive, whatever
other damage might have been done.
That man gave his life for others.
II am told that President Roose-
welt has inquired about man that
gave his life in closing the shutter
from the ammunition room to save
the ship from blowing up. 1t would
be very wrong to have story like
that go out, because l cannot find
that there is any foundation for it,
or need for man to make any at
tempt to do anything of the sort.
But If the president wants heroism
let him look up this brave man who
stood by his gun to save the rest.
"Since we went back to the target
grounds the men have been shooting
better than before the accident. We
have not finished practicing yet and
we are going back to the targets and
break the record"