The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-07-28
EXPLOSION KILLS SEVEN.
Target Practice Results Fatally at
Fortress Monroe.

| dead tonight as the result OF Lne
blowing out of a breech block in one
of the big guns while the fort was
engaged in target practice. A half
dozen others are in the post hos
pital, one of whom may die. The
exact cause of the explosion is not
yet definitely determined, although a
board of inquiry was appointed i'm
mediately after the disaster by
orders from the war department in
Washington.
The toll of death, it is believed,
would have been larger had it not
been for the heroism displayed, both
by the officers and men in the bat
terry. The wounded forgot their
hurts and aided the uninjured in
stamping out the burning powder
that threatened the sacks in which
the charge for a second shot had been
brought up.
The explosion took place in Bat
terry De Russey, No. l gun doing the
damage. The gun was in charge of
Capt. James Prentice, who had with
him Lieut.. George P. Hawles, Jr.,
and George L. Van Deusen. Lieut..
Hawles had gone forward from the
breech to examine the range when the
charge was exploded. He was
thrown down and momentarily stun
ned, but otherwise was uninjured.
Eight Killed Outright.
In the thick, heavy smoke, the
scene was almost indescribable, Eight
men were killed outright, their bodies
lying scattered around the emplace-
ment. Under the pail the wounded
writhed and moaned. Capt. Prentice
and Lieut.. Hawles foresaw further
sacrifice of life if the other charges
caught from the smouldering sparks,
| and the two sent out call for sur
geons, while they attacked the flames
with their naked hands.
Capt. Prentice reached the en-
placement first, and before looking
| into the extent Of the damage, he
pushed his way through the smoke
and sparks and carried out a bag
| of powder. He then was Joined by
| Hawle and the two completed the
task of ayerting further explosion.
During this time Lieut.. Van Deu-
sen lay crumpled beneath the gun,
his leg broken in two places. He
was suffering agonies, but when the
officers and men tried to move him
he would not hear to it.
''See to the men frst," he ordered
and propped himself against the gun
carriage and aided in directing the
work of the rescue parties and the
surgeons.
Corpl. Humphreys and Sergt.
Brinkley, a gun pointer, also dis
tinguished themselves. The formers
| hand, body and arms were filled with
pieces of flying concrete that had
been blown from the emplacement
when the explosion came. In spite
| of his painful wounds, he rushed to
his dead and wounded comrades, ex-
| tinguishing their burning clothing
and then hurried to the nearby en-
campment for water.
Sergt. Brinkley was close to the
breach when it blew out. He was
hurled over the sight standard, and
when he regained consciousness
found himself hanging by one arm
from the railing of the sighting plat
form. Although severely bruised and
suffering from the shock, Brinkley
declined to go to the hospital or per-
nit the surgeons to examine him un-
til after he had assisted in the work
of rescue.
Theory of Disaster.
Col. C. P. Townsley, commandant
of the fort, promptly ordered an in
vestigation. While no decision has
yet been reached, Col. Townsley ad-
vanced his theory of the disaster.
"It is evident" he said, "that the
explosion occurred during the in
sertion of the breech block into
the breech of the gun, and before 1t
had been rotated and locked in place
The safety devices on the gun are
| intended to make premature dis
charge impossible. Just how they
failed to operate probably will never
be known to a certainty. Every
member of the detachment who could
explain it, was killed.
The inquiry, however, is to be
thorough.
Assisting in the investigation are
some of the leading officers of the
army, who were present at the time
| of tho oyn1oe;on Among them are