The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-07-19
EIGHT perish IN
WARSHIP BLAST
TERRIBLE DISASTER ON THE
RATTLEsHlP GEORGIA IN
CAPE COD BAY.
Thirteen Men Are Severely Injured
Two Bags of Powder Explode In
Turret, Horribly Burning the En-
tire Gun Crew.

Turret, Horribly Burning the En-
tire Gun Crew.
Boston, July 16.-With six of her
officers and crew dead and a score
either dying or suffering from terrible
burns received in an explosion of
powder in the after Superimposed tur-
ret, the battleship Georgia steamed
slowly up Boston harbor from the tar
get practice grounds in Cape Cod bay
late Monday and landed the dead and
injured men at the Charlestown navy
yard Two of the injured died in the
hospital
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 be-
fore noon, while the Georgia's crew
were at target practice off Barnstable,
| in Cape Cod bay. In some manner, as
yet unexplained, two bags of powder
became ignited and in the terrific
flash that followed the entire turret
crew, consisting of three officers and
Is men, were enveloped in fire and
received horrible burns, one officer
and six men dying before the ship
reached port.
Names of the Dead.
The names of the dead are: Lieut..
Casper Goodrich, Brooklyn, N. Y;
Faulkner Goldthwaite, midshipman,
Kentucky; William ]. Thatcher, chief
turret captain, Wilmington, Del; Will
liam Joseph Burke, seaman, Quincy,
Mass; George G. Hamilton, ordinary
seaman, South birmingham, Mass;
George E. Miller, ordinary seaman,
Brooklyn, N. Y; William NJ. Thomas,
seaman, Newport, R. l.; William F.
Pair, ordinary seaman, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Blast Was Terrible.
The explosion occurred in the after
superimposed turret, where the men,
under command of Lieut.. Casper
Goodrich, son of Rear Admiral Good.
rich, commandant of the New York
navy yard, and Midshipmen Faulkner
Goldthwaite and John T. Cruise, were
operating the eight-inch guns.
Two cases, as the big 100-pound
bags of powder are called, had just
been sent up through the ammunition
hoist and were in the arms of the
loader. The loader stood at the
breach of one of the eight-inch guns,
all ready to insert the charge. At this
instant the turrent was seen to be
| Cmnlyy Wy MOI who stood
the loader saw black spot on the
bag, indicating that the charge had
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 turrent mates. The
other men who had seen the spot
were Eich and Hansell, and they also
threw themselves on the floor of the
| turret
Flames and Gases Fill Turret.
Before the other men in the turret
could understand what caused the
leaders, cry of warning there was a
binding flash as the burning powder
exploded. Flames, smoke and gases
filled the little superstructure, in
which more than a score of men were
confined. AS the powder was not con-
fined there was no report, nor did the
vessel suffer any injury, but every
nook and Granny of the turret was
filed with flame.
Blinded by the smoke and flames.
choked by the acrid, penetrating gas
eous fumes, and maddened with pain,
the men screamed in agony. Some
staggered blindly up the ladder to the
hatchway in the top of the turret,
while others crept along the turret
floor, begging piteously for assistance.
Lieut.. Goodrich and Seaman Ma
leck became crazed, staggered up
the iron ladder to the top of the tur-
ret and then threw themselves head
long into the sea, in a despairing eff
fort to choose death by drowning in
preference to death by slow fire.
Probably From Floating Spark.
| Immediately upon learning the de-
tails of the accident Capt. Henry Nc
Crea, commander of the Georgia, mott
fled Rear Admiral Charles M. Thomas,
commander of the squadron, of what
had occurred. Admiral Thomas or
dered an investigating board to ex-
anime into the causes of the accident
Until this board makes it's report the
real cause of the explosion will be in
doubt.
Two theories are entertained. One
belief is that spark from the dis
charge of the guns fioated back into
the turret through a gun port and set
tied on the powder cases. Another
theory is that the spark that caused
the trouble came from the smoke
stacks OF the ship and f1oated through
the gun ports.