Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-07-30
AWFUL TRAGEDY
STOPS WAR GAME
Big Gun Bursts at Fortress Mon
roe and Kills Eleven Men.
THREE WEST VIRGINIANS DIE

During the Target Practice the 5reech
Lock Of a Twelve-inch Gun is Blown
OF and the Entire Gun Crew is
Moved Down-Several Bodies Cut
IN Two and the Disrnembered Parts
Blown Into the Creek.
Fortress Monroe, July 22-Whiie
practicing for the defense of their
country against the attack OF hos
tile feet. 10 noncommissioned officers
and privates of the Sixty-ninth Com
pany, Coast Artillery, were blown in
to eternity; another later died of his
injuries, and six others, including one
commissioned officer were wounded
by the premature ignition of charge
OF smokeless powder in the breech of
a 12-inch disappearing rife at Battery
De Russy. Fortress Monroe yesterday,
The bodies OF the killed were horri-
bly, mutilated and three bodies were
hurled out into the water of Mill
Creek, just behind the battery
The Casualties
Those killed are: First Sergeant
IL G. Hess, Charleston, w. Va, gun
commander; Corporal G. o. Atkins,
Black Farm, o. gun pointer; Corpar-
al Albert Bradford Riley county, w.
Va; Private Arlie Adey, Bradonsville,
w. Va; Private John w Chadwick,
Tazewell, Tenn; Private Roy Duffey,
Kenova, w Va: Private Give w.
King Dayton, o.; Private James H.
Turner, Ripley, Tenn; Private Alfred
w Smith. New York city; Private An
drew J. Sullivan, Perkins. Ky; Prl-
vate Judd E. Hogan, Grier, o.
Seriously wounded-Second Lien
tenant George l.. VanDussen, U. 8. A.,
leg broken and burned about body.
Slightly wounded-Corporal John G..
Humphries, Savannah, Ga. badly burn
ed; Private Ellsworth w. Huffman,
Pittsburg, Pa, burned about face and
neck; Private Orville T. Rainey, Han
cock. O., badly burned and face cut;
Private William C. Sulzberger, Fort
Monroe. burned about body; Private
Charles e. Park, Fort Monroe, burn
ed about face and arms.
When the horrible accident occur
red Ave batteries at Fort Monroe were
engaged in battle firing at two float
ing targets four miles off shore in
Hampton Roads. Two shells had been
fired from the Pinch rife in Battery
DE Russey. and the crew of q men
were preparing to fire a third shot.
The gun had just started to rise to
throw it's heavy projectile at the tar
gets when there was sudden explo-
sion, the breechblock closing the
breech Of the gun being blown off.
Blown Into Creek.
II struck Private Roy Duffey and
hurled his body for a hundred yards
out across the waters of Mill Creek.
The big piece of flying steel cut the
body in two, and the two parts were
afterward recovered. Smokeless pow
der, made in sticks, was being used
In the target practice.
When the breech+blocx blew off
these pieces of powder. hundreds in
number, were blown out of the breech
OF the gun with the force OF rifle bull
lets. and they carried death and de-
struction in their wake. Corporal
Bradford, who was standing almost
directly behind the breech of The gun,
was pierced by a number of the
pieces of powder and was blown into
Mill Creek. The flying powder blew
off the heads, legs and arms of the
soldiers and scattered them about the
floor OF the battery, and blew some of
them off the platform and down on the
beach of the creek Is feet below.
Col. Clarence P. Townsley, COM
mandant of Fort Monroe, who vas d.
recting the battle practice from tow
or near the battery with Gen. William
h. Carter. acting chief of staff of the
Army, and several other generals
from Washington, needed no notice
of the horrible accident. Knowing
that some accident had occurred. ne
issued orders to cease firing, and ran
up the beach to the battery.
A Distressing Sight.
A sickening sight met his gaze. OF
the 81 men composing the gun crew,
only four were uninjured. Lying
about the deck of the battery were
mutilated bodies and arms and legs
and wounded men screaming with
agony, some with broken limbs, miss
ing arms and horrible powder burns
about their faces and bodies. Hospi-
tai ambulances were telaDhOnpd for
and responded on the run Nine OF
the men were killed outright, another
died on his way to the hospital and
the eleventh one died this afternoon.
Cause of Catastrophe.
Colonel Townsley said that several
things could have caused the explo-
sion, but that undoubtedly the prema.
ture ignition of the powder caused the
accident. Either the lanyard was pull.
ed before the order to fire was given
or the breech lock was not locked he