The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-07-19
LOCAL BOYS
HEROIC DEEDS
Midshipman Lucien Kim
ball in Georgia Disaster.
A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
Was the Only One in the Turret Where
the Explosion Took Place Who Es-
capped Death or Serious Injury-His
Story Of the Fearful Accident.

Story Of the Fearful Accident.
Imprisoned within the steel walls OF
the after superposed turret six men
were burned TO death, three Others SO
frigbtfully burned that they died soon
afterward and yet 10 more seriously
injured by the ignition of charge OF
I04 pounds of smokeless powder about
TO be placed in one of the lS.inch guns
of the battleship Georgia while en-
gagged in target practice in Barnstable
! bay off the Massachusetts coast at lO
o clock Monday morning. The only
man within the turret to escape Sc
rious injury was Midshipman Lueien
Frank Kimball, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Frank w. Kimball of li5 Western ave-
nue., Brattleboro. In some miraculous
manner he came out of the inferno OF
death and terror with only a slight
burn on the left arm. Immediately al
or the accident Capt Henry McCrea
steamed TO the side of the flagship Vir-
ginia and was ordered by Rear Ad-
miral Thomas to proceed post haste
TO Boston with the injured officers and
men and the bodies of those killed by
the explosion. The vessel made record
time to Boston harbor, arriving there
at 4 .. m, Monday afternoon and re-
naming only long enough to leave ITS
cargo of dead and wounded. In 10
minutes this sad work was completed
and the Georgia was again on its way
to the scene of the tragedy.
In the few brief seconds when the
small turret was filed with scorching
flames and sitting noxious gases, deeds
of heroism were performed which live
forever in the annals of the American
navy.
Cheerfully offering his life for that
of his superior officer, Chief Ieoman
Orly Tagland sprang upon Lieutenant
Caspar Goodrich, dashing that officer to
the deck, shielding him by his own
auivering flesh from the awful heat Of
the burning powder. But the heroic
seaman s bravery failed in its intent,
for Lieutenant Goodrich breathed his
last at 11.45 Monday night in the Chel-
sea hospital. Another sailor sprang to
close the hatchway leading to the
magazine, knowing that the effort
would cost his life, but would save the
entire ship from being blown to pieces
with terrible loss of life.
One of the finest deeds of heroism,
says the Boston Post, was that of Mid.
shipman Kimball, who had presence OF
mind to hold his breath and crouch
with his cap over his face, and then,
gasping and half sutfocated by the
powder gases which it meant death to
breathe, dashed to the rescue of his
fellow shipmates and beat out the
flames consuming the scraps of clothing
remaining on their unconscious forms
His act is believed to have saved the
lives of many of those now in the hos
pital. and though the rescuers carried
him unconscious from the turret, he
escaped with only slight burns on his
left hand
The accident is one of the most
unique that ever occurred on war
vessel, and is declared by naval Off
GERS to be without a parallel. 1t IS
believed that it was caused by sparks
from the tunnels falling through the
open hatchways in the top of the tur-
ret. officers on the Georgia say that
there was no regulation ordering that
these hatchways be closed or open,
leaving it to the discretion of the Off
GERS, but they added that in the future
in the Georgia, at least, these openings
would always be closed.
1t was through one of these hatch
ways that two of the men sprang,
their clothing ablaze, and screaming in
agony leaped into the sea. Chief Car
penter Yates on the repair ship saw
them as they went overheard, and
shouted warning to the navigating
officer. The steamer rushed to their
succor and the two men were picked
up lust as they were about exhausted.
Midshipman Kimball was seen by
representative of the Boston Post Mon
day afternoon as he stood on the pier
at the Charlestown navy yard. he
was plainly shaken by the terrible ex-
perience but coolly controlled his
nerves and gave the following inter-
view:
"There were just % of us in the
turret when it happened. Lieutenant
Goodrich was in command of the aft
turret, and / was his subordinate in
charge of the superposed turret where
the accident occurred. The projectile
had Just been rammed into the port
S-inch gun, and the charge of powder
had come up from the magazine In
the carriage. It was contained in two
bags, holding so pounds each.
''Seaman Thomas had lifted one bag
from the carriage and was about to
pass it under the electric ram to the
loader. The other charge lay on the
carriage. At that moment l was fac
ing aft, close to the wall of the turret.
There was a sudden kissing, puff
and draft of air against my back.
Instinctively held my breath, ducked
and drew my cap over my face.
"Though 1 suppose it was but few
seconds, it seemed an age that the
flames hissed around me, and 1 felt
the heat blistering my body.
''It was awful. I could hear the
men screaming and gasping for breath
in the suffocating gases released by the
burning powder. Then l turned and
tried to put out the fire in the clothes
of the men piled around me in heaps.
They lay around four or five on top
Of one another. 1t was nothing to do;
anyone would have done the same. Oh,
my injuries don't amount to much;
lust a few burns on my hand.