The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-22


MANY thunder- In all ffv-nne shot.
vrrs 10 have been fired Forty-tNo oi
these had gon. whistiing over the water
ana many ~ them through the target
when the explosion became known m
I'll tho batteries The firing ceased IA
-tantly n could not have continued
more than thre.. minutes IN any event
IN" explosion occurred after the hring
had been IN progress Tor about q minute.
n'r u took SOM htil" tim- FOR the news
~ - TO get to the oth-r batteries
After the firing had continued for two
minutes /: inch proJ-Ctrs struck amid
shin one of the RATS bearing the target
md completely demolished it
Nnsn the rats had u'.-n toN-d hack
To the wharf officers count 81 sixteen htts
Out ~ eighteen shots With the ~ and
{. inch guns and four hits nut of twenty.
four shots with tn" inch The range
VAS almost too great Tor ,h- smaller guns
Most ct the hitS were we'll placed Officers
are Of m. opinion that the fort had much
the best ~ the imaginary fleet and that
~ would ~ almost Impossible for AN
enemy 10 pass the fort. even ct much
greater distance than w-T" the RATS
Battery DeRu-sev - at about the middle
of For Monroe II contains three
y nch disappearing guns Inch command
the channel To Hampton Roads
lArg" partv Of hch ranking officers
~ ,h.. army came io Fort Monroe from
Washing 90 witness tho annual battle
Tra"tlCe winch vas held a. a part Ut the
commencement EXERCISES ~ tho officers
school a. the foit II was To simulate
actual battle conditions a. far a. Io~si-
hle hv tlrns all the lug guns ot tn" fort
~ an imaginary enemy. represented 10y
y moving target suppressed to ~ enter
ing chesapeake Raw II WAS during this
practtCe that tho aCCtd~nt occurred
The trst report sent In acting Ss~re-
tafy of War Oliver was FROM Major
Gen William " Cartcr Assistant
Chief uf stan who Na> 4 n"uhrr of the
party that had gone from Washington
- witness the firing Herr - ten Car
ters message
Regret to report accident A. com.
nnenCemcn' of student officers hattie
practice 80 ~ inch gun from probable
premature explosion resulting IN death
81 eight men, two others fatally INJURED
Lieut Van Deusan hal his leg broken
and three additional men slightly injured
investigation hs,nG made and report
Will be- submitted through regular chan.
nsls
Lieut. Col rowslnv later sent a more
complete report giving the names of tho
lead and injured The acc,ient h"
added was probably due to the premature
ignition e the powder charge before the
hresCh block was securely locked
After placing ir tho gun - proj"ct,l"
nd ia
charge Of 10 pounds tho br~ech block
IL closed and locked before the gun "a
Hred Ir tho present instarce 80 ord |
nance experts believe. a spark from tho !
previous discharge must have Rnitsd tho |
pow der tsfor' the gun crow could lock |
the bro IN block In battle practice, such |
a. was NNinE held to-day. the g,Innars
fire as randy a. possible This " -
M flowed bore resulted IN the Introduction
Of thC charge INTO the breech before sparks
Of the previous firing had b~on eHtin.
gushsd
The gun vas a model IT lAa5 Frd had !
sssn considerable service. II WAS re-
gHrcsd a. amply strong II was CON |
structsd at tho WatsrNliet Arsenal near |
Albany, y. !. after plans drawn NV thu
bupeau " ordnance. II has = nuzzle
To-days accident - what - techni.
cally known as a bareback such acct
dents have occurred several times IN the
navy The Coast Artillery. however.
has been unusually free from serious
accidents
To-day was the first It the bareback
character that has occurred IN the Coast
Artillery Several gun EXPLOSIONS have
Wadsworth and Terry in recent years,
but only on" 81 two lives were lost IN
those accidents
Lieut. Van Deusen. the only commits
stoned officer injured to-day. reported
AZ Fort Monroe only six days ago He
~ % years old lie was appointed to the
Military academy from PasSaic. Y J
on June Is 1895 Upon being graduated
IN June. 1919 he was assigned 20 the
p lghteenth Infantry Later he resigned
but was reapPointed 80 the Coast Arfil-
bery Corps on May % last and assigned 10
the Sixty-ninth Company ~ Fort Monroe
The list 81 deaths m IN" navy from
explosions of the bareback type IL long
Only a few months ago an accident Of
that character occurred on the cruiser
charleston. flagship Of the Asiatir squad
ron In that case also the breech block
was blown out by the premature "Splo.
SION Seven men were killed
A similar accident occurred on the
Georgia in target practice IN
{ ape cod Bay. Massachu sets. ON July Is.
1877 In that instance a spark from the
tunnels penetrated through
the turrets ventilator and Ignitrt the
powder charge. killing seven.
In April Is8. seven officers and men
were killed IN an explosion Of pnwder
on the hsttl-ship K.ar-arg.. caused hv
. snort circuit N an exposed fI-ahOI
which ignted the powder
Tn" explosion Of 2rsD pounds Of powder
~ the handling room ~ ~" hattleshIp
Missouri On April ~ Ipui was caused by
a bareback. resulting N thirty-two
deaths
Dn January II. 1903 an lnch charg.
81 ploded IN IN. open breech 81 IN" battle.
ship MaSSa huSe'ts a. a result 81 the
foulng ~ IA. lanyard That explosion
: He'd n me men