Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-07-21
OF
GUN CHARGE
KILLED 10 MEN
Fatal Accident at Fortress
Monroe Today During
Practice Of Artillery.
JERSEYMkN Is AMONG
THE VICTIMS
s,scs,i by United prs.. Wire.

Norro1K, va, July 21:-Ten men
of the coast artillery corps killed to-
day; two< were probably fatally in
jured; Lieutenant Van Dusen sus-
tanned broken leg and three other
men were hurt, by the premature
explosion of 12-inch gun charge
during battle practice at Fortress
Monroe. Van Dusen is the only
commissioned officer known to have
been hurt. The men engaged in the
practice were just completing their
course In the artillery school. Ma
jor General W. H. Carter, assistant
chief OF staff, was present, and made
a report to the war department.
The Dead.
The dead are: Sergeant Harry B.
Hess; Corporal Charles O. Adkins !;
Elbert Bradford, private; Roy Dub
by, private; John w. Chadwick, pri-
vate; Glove W. King, private; FL
bert w. Smith, private; Andy ]. Sui
liyan, James H. Turner, H. Adey.
The Injured.
The fatally injured are: Arley
Adey, private; Judd Hogan, private.
Slightly injured are: Lieutenant
George L. Van Dusen; Arville
Charles r. Parks, William c. Sulz-
berger, privates.
A score of high ranking officers
of the army, including Colonel
Bailey, assistant chief of the coast
artillery, and others on staff duty
were at the Fortress at the time OF
the fatal accident. The explosion
was similar to many others which
have occurred both in the coast ar.
tillery and in the navy. 1t Is pos
sible that the firing pin had not been
drawn back when the breech block
was showed into the gun, resulting
in the premature explosion of the
charge.
Lieutenant George L. Van Duser
Is from Passafc, N. J. He served as
a second lieutenant in the infantry
and was appointed to the coast ar
tillery only last May. He was as.
signed to the school at Fortress
Monroe for a course of instruction
Battery De Russy, where the explo-
sion occurred. contains three IL
inch guns, and is situated almost IL
the center of the fort. There arr
twenty-five men in each gun crew
anu L ~ III TIC SOlu pduy.
The practice today was the frs
ever attempted in which five bat
teries were let loose at once unde
similar conditions. The target wa!
made of canvas, sixty by sixty feet
| This is the first accident Of seriou
proportions which has occurred II
the coast artillery corps. Their
| have been similar explosions will
smaller guns.
| Several of the men who were al
the rear of the gun when it explod-
ed were so badly mangled that II
| was impossible for a time to identify
them The breech block blew tC
| the rear, but the terrific impact was
felt in every direction, and mer
were hurled through the air like
wisps of straw In a gale. The fac
that the victims were torn to pieces
made it impossible for the officers
at first to determine how many were
dead.
The confusion which followed the
accident made a careful investiga,
ton impossible. The officers or.
dered that first attention be paid tc
the injured men, who were given
aid where they fell, and as quickly
as possible removed to the hospital
The Identification of the dead was
accomplished by the process of elm.
ination, more than by recognition OF
the bodies.
Colonel Townley, who was In com
mand of the Fortress, stated in an
official report this afternoon that the
accident was probably due to the
premature explosion of a powder
charge