Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-07-23
CAUSE OF EXPLOSION
The Fort Monroe Fatality That
Killed Eleven Men Explain
ed By Ordnance Experts
SUDDEN PULLING LANYARD
Caused Fatal Accident-War Department
Explains

The accident at Fort Monroe. Vir-
ginia. Thursday. which resulted in
the death of eleven men, was due. in
the opinion of army ordnance experts.
to the accidental pulling of the firing
lanyard of the 12-inch disappearing
gun before the breech block was lock-
ed, and to the failure of the gun $
safety device to function properly.
The War Department gave out
statement yesterday afternoon Civ
ing this as the probbale explanation
of the accident. The Departments
statement shows that following the
accident test was made of the
other guns at the fort and that one
similar to the fatal gun in Bat
, terry DeRussy was found whose safe
ty device failed to work properly.
The explosion took place after
the gun had started on its upward
course. The breech block had been
showed home, but had not been locked.
The primer was in its place, and
one of the enlisted men who was kill
ed was attempting to hook;the firing
lanyard to the primer. He had made
several unsuccessful attempts, but
finally succeeded when the gun had
got about six feet from its depressed
position. 1t was then that the explo-
sion occurred, driving the unlocked
breech block out of the gun.
The general belief among army ex-
perts is that the enlisted man acci-
dentally gave the lanyard sudden
pull which ignited the primer and set
off the powder charge. If the gun
had been in perfect firing order, how
ever, the premature explosion would
have been prevented, as there was the
customary safety device attached to
this disappearing gun which is de-
signed to prevent its discharge before
the gun had gained its position above
the parapet.
The War Department, in giving
out its explanation, says in part:
cit seems likely that continued use
and cleaning of the mechanism has so
worn and rounded some of the parts
as to permit its failure under the
violent pull which was probably given
it. All the mechanisms were tested
for safety shortly before the firing
commenced and all were apparently
in proper condition. 1t is probable
that in testing the officers subjected
them only to stresses which they
considered such as they would be
reasonably likely to meet, but which
were less than the violent pull which
it is supposed caused the accident
and to which, in'an effort to reproduce
it, the mechanisms of the other guns
were afterward subjected. Of course,
it is entirely possible to so change
the mechanisms as to prevent the
particular accident which occurred
The War Department pays tri-
butte to the discipline and bravery of
the men at the fort. 1t says in the
statement:
"That the discipline and morale Of
the officers and men of the garrison
were at high point is shown by the
GOODNESS and devotion with which
hose able to move Immediately set
tbout extinguishing burning powder
grains and removing portions of the
next succeeding powder charge, in
danger of ignition, and also caring
for those who had been too badly in
jured to take any part in this work
The instance of the young officer
whose leg had been broken, apparent
ly by the projection against it of the
body of one of the men who were kill
ed, in directing that attention should
first be given to others more in need
of it than himself, is significant of
the spirit of the entire gun detach-
ment"